A few weeks back, we asked those involved in our church to take a congregational survey, which, in many ways, was a health assessment of our church. As we seek to grow in Christ (Ephesians 4:15), the findings in the survey have been insightful, and we’d like to share some of the key takeaways with you.

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Core Insights

To Celebrate

• We are growing. 53% of respondents are new to Redeemer Downtown in the last two years, and 10% of respondents are new to church.¹ Redeemer Downtown’s attendance has grown by 43% in the past year. Comment: Given one of the key paradigm shifts we have identified is to pursue ‘mission and evangelism,’ this is an indicator we are moving in the right direction.
• Congregants would recommend us. Respondents gave an average satisfaction score of 4.4/5 in how likely they are to recommend Redeemer Downtown to Christians, 3.9/5 in how likely they are to recommend Redeemer Downtown to non-Christians, and 3.8/5 in the extent to which they experience God’s presence in our Sunday services. Comment: These are encouragingly high levels, particularly when coupled with positive scores when evaluating our music, children’s ministry, and preaching.
• Congregants want to become members. 33% of respondents (137 people) would like to become members but aren’t currently, and 30% (117 people) say they want to volunteer but don’t currently. Comment: Given the paradigm shift we want to see away from consumerism and towards ‘every member ministry,’ this is encouraging to see. We need to help our congregants turn these desires into action. 

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To Improve

1. Our commitment to personal devotions is low. Respondents gave an average satisfaction score of 3.5/5 in how connected to God they feel when they spend time in prayer or read their Bibles, but 21% do not read their Bibles at all during the week, only 37% read their Bibles 4 days a week or more, and only 37% pray every day. Comment: Given our focus on shifting the paradigm in ‘spiritual renewal,’ we want to focus on encouraging and equipping our congregants with the vital importance of daily Bible engagement and prayer. 
2. We need to be a better community to one another. When asked if Redeemer Downtown ”has a welcoming environment where it is easy to get to know people,” 62% of respondents gave a 3 or below out of 5, and 26% of respondents (105 people) have 0 friends at Redeemer Downtown. Comment: Some respondents commented that coffee hour would be a better place to meet people if most didn’t leave immediately after service. We want to keep working at being an inviting community to one another on Sundays and beyond. 
3. We are poor at encouraging personal evangelism. Despite respondents giving an average satisfaction score of 3.9/5 in how likely they are to recommend Redeemer Downtown to non-Christians, 71% of respondents only invite non-Christian friends to church or church events once per year or less, and 49% do so less than once per year, and 31% did not share the Gospel in the last year. The most common barriers to missional practices are: “I’m too nervous.” (50.5%), “The opportunity doesn’t arise.” (44%), and “I don’t feel equipped.” (32%). Comment: We want to remain committed to shifting the paradigm on ‘mission and evangelism’ by intentionally encouraging and equipping people to ‘go and tell’ the good news.

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Survey Information

Key Takeaways

• 491 people took the survey, and 86% of those people completed it.
• 53% of respondents are new to Redeemer Downtown in the last two years (64% in the previous five years). This tracks with Redeemer Downtown’s 43% attendance growth in the past year (786 3-month average attendees at services this year, compared to 547 last year). When considering typical and atypical (COVID) congregant departures, it’s assumed at least half of the Redeemer Downtown congregation is “new.”
• 10% of respondents did not attend church consistently before attending Redeemer Downtown.
• 6% of respondents predominantly attend services remotely.