Ministry and Associate Pastor Survey

Friends Congregational Church Ministry and Associate Pastor Survey

April 2009

Summary of Results

There were 31 surveys returned with either full or partial responses. In terms of communication, most respondents reported receiving information from multiple sources, especially Weekly Bulletin (n = 27), This Week at Friends Email (n = 22), Monthly Newsletter (n = 22), and Verbal Announcements made at church (n = 25). Five respondents noted accessing the website on a regular basis for information.

Involvement at Friends Church

Respondents indicated relatively strong levels of Involvement at Friends (Excellent, n = 10; Good, n = 17; Poor, n = 2), slightly weaker levels of Connectedness to Friends (Excellent, n = 11; Good, n = 12; Poor, n = 6), and high satisfaction with volunteer opportunities (Very Satisfied, n = 15; Satisfied, n = 9; Neutral, n = 4). Almost all respondents noted attendance at Sunday morning worship, and six noted attendance on Wednesday night. Only one respondent noted a desire to add an earlier service on Sunday. It is notable that several respondents commented that they believed there might be “too many” volunteer opportunities at Friends.

Most respondents indicated awareness of most of the small group ministry opportunities offered at Friends. The opportunities with the lowest levels of awareness were the Circle of Friends Book Study (6 respondents were unaware), Morning Manna (4 unaware), and Living the Questions (4 unaware). Levels of participation and satisfaction with opportunities are summarized in the table below.

Ministry	Participation (n = )	Excellent (n = )	Good (n = )	Fair (n = )
Lively Lunch	5	3	2	0
Theology on Tap	8	5	3	1
Writing for Wisdom	2	0	1	0
Social Justice Sunday School	9	5	4	0
Adult Labyrinth Mediation	4	3	2	0
Unbinding the Gospel Series	6	4	1	0
Circle of Friends Book Study	4	4	0	0
Morning Manna	4	2	1	0
Living the Questions	5	0	5	0
Children’s Sunday School Classes	3	1	1	1
Youth Sunday School Classes	3	0	3	0

Satisfaction with Worship and Pastoral Care and Need for Associate Pastor

Respondents indicated a relatively high overall rating for their worship experience at Friends (Excellent, n = 15; Good, n = 15). Further, most respondents were reasonably positive about the extent to which their spiritual needs were being met since the addition of an Associate Pastor (Much Better, n = 9; Better, n = 10; Same, n = 8). Respondents did not feel quite so positively with regard to meeting pastoral needs (perhaps between some saw this as “not applicable”, n = 5). Specific results regarding meeting pastoral needs were Much Better, n = 9; Better, n = 6; About the Same, n = 11.

Respondents were largely in favor of creating and funding a permanent Associate Pastor position (Yes, n = 20; No, n = 3; Maybe, n = 7). In the open-ended question that asked respondents to explain this position, respondents said:

I would rather our givings (tithes and offerings) go toward making this happen rather than building on with a Capital Campaign. (responded “Yes”)
Tamara does UCM! We like that! I liked her leadership of Unbinding the Gospel. (responded “Yes”)
How will we fund? I’m already giving more. (responded “Maybe”)
We are big enough to do it and should to support our pastor. (responded “Yes”)
Can we afford an associate pastor? (responded “Maybe”)
Depends on how the church is doing financially. (responded “Maybe”)
The idea of Associate Pastor was to bring in new members and explore other worship/spiritual offerings – I haven’t noticed new members/visitors or been able to attend offerings – not at good times. (responded “Maybe”)
Friends is growing – We need a permanent full-time associate pastor. We continue to add more involvement opportunities, but not additional staff. This is a recipe for quick burnout of our senior pastor. (responded “Yes”)
To decrease stress on the pastor and enrich the ministry at Friends Church. (responded “Yes”)
We cannot afford this. One person can do the job. Priorities must be set. (responded “No”)
But I still think increasing space for small groups is top priority. (responded “Yes”)
The position adds many positive opportunities for spiritual growth. (responded “Yes”)
There’s too much for just one person to do – we expect too much of our one pastor. (responded “Yes”)
Tamara is an excellent associate pastor, but I don’t know what is needed. (responded “Maybe”)
The church requires one to grow. (responded “Yes”)
Only if we can afford it. (responded “Maybe”)

Respondents who were in favor of creating and funding an Associate Pastor position provided the following comments regarding that individual’s possible duties:

This should primarily be determined by the clergy, but what Tamara does is fine.
Support pastor and ministries of the church.
Youth, college outreach.
Spiritual development, education, justice and missions (in sense of coordinator/facilitator, as much actual work is/can be done by members).
Same as now.
I like what Tamara is doing right now – assisting with services, preaching sometimes, spiritual small group ministries.
Small group ministry, college student group, pastoral visits, preaching. I think adding an associate pastor enriches and expands the ministry possibilities for the whole church. Additionally, having a pastoral team will enable both the pastor and the associate pastor to grow and develop alongside the congregation.
Some preaching, pastoral care, small groups.
Youth group, worship help, small group development, home visits.
More Bible studies, youth and college student leadership.
The same that area currently being fulfilled.
Facilitate and lead small groups as well as occasional Sunday preaching and Wednesday nights.
Continued sharing of worship leading, small groups, assisting pastor with pastoral care.
This should be determined by the pastor and Steering/Pastoral Relations. Duties should be ones that serve the needs of the congregation and allow effective pasturing.
Much of what she is already doing – support new ministries, etc.

Respondents who were not in favor of creating and funding a position for Associate Pastor responded in the following ways to the question of what ministries we could forego:

Can’t say since I don’t attend. I would add more couples opportunities.
Concentrate on the 10:30 Sunday service and Wednesday night service.
Why is it assumed that a current ministry would have to go? Perhaps the senior pastor’s responsibilities need to be better prioritized. In addition, we need to concentrate on our finances and stop spending money on extra unbudgeted expenses. Also, keep the congregation apprised of our finances.

Finally, respondents offered the following additional ideas and thoughts:

Having an associate pastor has brought the ability to offer solid pastoral support to numerous areas – wish it could stay. Also, provides great support for Dan.
I think there should be encouragement to participate in the summer camping program at Slumber Falls.
More emphasis on college ministry, couples ministry, studies, and so on.
With an associate pastor, I feel that spiritual needs can be fulfilled and God will provide us with the resources necessary (i.e., space, etc.) that would come with the Capital Campaign.
Having an associate pastor appears to have strengthened the pastor’s ministry. Yet both fall short of reaching out to new members and hospitality for current members.
Our current numbers of membership and numbers in weekly worship dictate that additional staff – both pastoral staff and administrative staff. This should be a priority over nearly every other need of the church with a financial commitment not attached. We must put first things first for healthy growth.
I doubled my giving to help support the salary.
This survey did not address funding. The limited funding available for growth must address both pastoral and building needs.
Small group fellowship and discussions would be good.
Don’t forget choir as small group ministry.
I would encourage more/different small group offerings (with more participation from Pastor Dan).
Strengthening of interfaith relationships in our community.
Tamara Franks as the associate pastor is a great fit for Friends. She and Dan excel at different areas of ministry, offering our congregation balance and multiple perspectives.