Nov. 26, 2013 Newsletter: The Survey: What We Heard (Part Two)

Congregational Survey: What We Heard (Part Two)

Challenges: From a list of eight options, you were asked to pick three issues you considered significant challenges that our church will face in the next few years. This chart summarizes your replies:

 

Towards the end of the survey, you were invited to respond in your own words to several open-ended questions.  One of them asked what “problems or issues” might be most pressing in five years.  We received 92 responses, varying in length from one word (“growth”) to a thoughtful 243-word essay.   This simple “Phrase Cloud” depicts what you told us (the size of the letters represents how frequently a particular word was used):  

Challenges and Issues We’ll Face

While these graphics aren’t very scientific, they paint a clear picture: You are concerned about our ability to sustain what we have and our ability to grow, both in attendance/membership and in covering the expenses of our programs and our building.

As you know, we relied upon your input as we responded to the questions in the draft Congregational Record (CR) that we just filed with the UUA. Here is an excerpt of our answer to the CR question about “congregational challenges”: “An ongoing challenge is the need to grow in membership, with a focus on increasing diversity and appealing to young people. Tied to membership growth is the need to be more welcoming, with an emphasis on getting to know each other more deeply, while keeping long-time members engaged. We must clearly communicate the need for strong financial stewardship in a shifting cultural landscape by paying attention to what is essential for our continued success. The church building requires continual upkeep and the proper resources to manage it.”      

We think we heard you, and we’ll do our best to be certain that prospective ministers are aware of your concerns and the challenges we expect to face.

Next week we’ll report what you told us about the priorities, personal qualities, and professional qualities you’d like to see in our next minister.   

--The Ministerial Search Committee:
Jesse Anderson, Alison Barrows Ronn, Jane Beckwith, Noel Cary, Shannon Kirshenbaum, Diane Mirick (chair), Lee Reid