Christian Reformed Church
2012 Survey
Report to Synod
Files available from
www.calvin.edu/go/crcsurvey
Neil Carlson, Director, CSR
Rodger Rice, Barnabas Foundation and CRHM
June 10, 2013
1
Gratitude
 Participating churches and
respondents (unnamed to protect
the innocent).
 Translators (named in report)
 Survey advisory team (named in
report).
 Rev. Gary Bekker for his
engagement with the project.
2
Overview
 Key purpose for this report:
inform Synod and the wider church about
the state and direction of the
denomination’s churches and congregants
 I. Survey history and methods
 II. CRC Trends, 1987-2012
 III. Stewardship
 IV. Church Life Cycle Stages
 V. Perceptions of Congregational Health
 VI. Respondents’ Comments
 VII. Recommendations
 Future Plans
 Discussion
3
Survey History
and Methods
4
2012 Survey Methods
 Online survey took 20-45 minutes
 Fielded September 2012 to January 2013
 Congregation-based sampling strategy
 Sampled 233 congregations
(113 repeats from 2007, 120 new).
 Churches recruited respondents,
including non-members
 Second survey wave in which we can
analyze individual congregations
 Spanish, Korean and Chinese language
versions
 Massive email and phone recruitment
efforts by CSR student team
5
Survey History
Survey Year
Method
Sample
Units
1987
Mail
Members
555
1992
Mail
Members
617
1997
Mail
Members
488
2002
Mail
Members
553
2007-8
Internet
67 Churches*
1,434
2012
Internet
102 Churches**
2,609
* 67 of 120 churches participated in 2007.
** 102 of 233 churches participated in 2012.
Total
Respondents
6
Congregational reports
 21 congregations returning at least
30 responses received a detailed
report.
 First time CSR has included such
rapid full reports, an offshoot of
the Healthy Church reporting.
 Effort led by Tom Sherwood ’11
and students Dan Molling ’13 and
Melissa Lubbers ’14.
7
CRC Trends, 1987-2012
Six surveys over 25 years
8
Demographic Trends
 Aging constituency
 Declining households with children
 Stable proportion of households
with children and with children in
Christian schools 2007-2012
 Stable proportion with college
education 2007-2012
 Household income trends mixed
but increasing overall
9
Aging Population
Average age continues to increase
Mean
Median
56
54
53
54
51
52
Age in years
Figure 1
on
Page 10
53
49
50
48
52
50
50
1997
2002
51.3
46
46
47
44
42
44
40
1987
1992
2007
2012
10
Age Categories by Year
Proportion over 60 now about 2 in 5
Percent in age group for each survey year
100%
90%
Figure 2
on
Page 11
27%
27%
80%
32%
34%
31%
39%
70%
60%
31%
50%
39%
60 yrs or older
42%
40%
45%
45%
39%
40-59 years
Under 40 years
30%
20%
10%
42%
33%
27%
22%
25%
23%
0%
1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012
11
Households with children stabilize
From 47% with children in 1987 to stable 35% in 2007-2012
% Households with children under 18
% Households with kids in Christian School
70%
50%
41/47=
87% of households
with kids had kids in
Christian school
1.2
1.1
1.0
1.0
0.8
47%
47%
0.8
0.8
44%
40%
40%
41%
35%
30%
20%
1.0
0.9
35%
0.6
33%
0.4
1978
19%
1996
10%
0%
1987
1992
1997
2002
20%
Kids per household
60%
Percent
Figure 3
on
Page 12
Average children per household
0.2
20/35=0.0
200757% of
2012
HH with kids
had kids in Christian
12
school
College-educated
proportion stabilizes
Highest education level = college or post-graduate
70%
Figure 4
on
Page 13
62%
61%
60%
50%
45%
40%
30%
34%
37%
27%
20%
10%
US 1987: ~18%
Canada 1986: 18%
US 2009: 30%
Canada 2011: 32%
0%
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
2012
13
Household income mixed
2011 dollars (US and Canadian)
US median household income (US Census)
Canada median family employment income (Statistics Canada CANSIM)
CRC US median household income
CRC Canada median household income
Figure 5
on
Page 14
$80,000
$74,983
$75,000
$70,000
$65,223
$67,662
$65,000
$60,000
$64,136
$63,818
1991
1996
$68,953
$70,175
$70,051
$67,405
$67,309
$55,000
$50,000
$45,000
2001
2006
2011
14
Church-Related Trends
 Recovering loyalty
 to denomination
 to local church
 Declining evening worship
attendance
 Declining frequency of devotional
activities
15
Loyalty recovers in 2012
How would you describe your loyalty to…
local congregation
the CRC
75%
70%
70%
68%
65%
Percent very loyal
Figure 6
on
Page 15
69%
65%
63%
60%
55%
57%
55%
53%
50%
55%
45%
40%
1992
1997
2002
2007
2012
16
Loyalty varies by generation
How would you describe your loyalty to …
[this congregation/ the CRCNA]? (2012)
Figure 7
on
Page 16
17
Attendance falls AM and PM
How often do you attend Sunday
[morning/evening] worship services?
% every Sunday morning
100%
Figure 9
on
Page 18
90%
87%
90%
% every Sunday evening
92%
89%
49%
46%
91%
86%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
51%
57%
30%
20%
24%
10%
17%
0%
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
2012
19
Devotional practices decline
How often do you… (% daily or more than daily)
Pray privately
Have family devotions
90%
85%
85%
Read the Bible
Have personal devotions
84%
80%
Figure 10
on
Page 19
80%
75%
70%
60%
60%
57%
60%
50%
50%
53%
49%
44%
40%
46%
45%
43%
40%
39%
38%
30%
1992
1997
2002
2007
2012
21
Stewardship
Focus on percent of income
given to congregation
22
Percent giving to congregation
Giving to church / total household income
Figure 11
on
page 21
Percent of respondents in category
Percent of responses in each range of
percent of income given to church
2007
35%
30% 31%
30%
25%
20%
2012
29%
31%
22%
19% 19%
19%
15%
10%
5%
0%
<3.0%
3.0%-5.9% 6.0%-9.9%
10.0%+
Percent of income given to church; 2007 & 2012
median = 6.1%
23
Percent giving by age
2007
2012
Figure 12
on
page 22
Percent of income given to church
10.0%
9.0%
8.7%
8.0%
7.0%
7.0%
6.0%
5.0%
4.0%
5.0% 5.1%
8.6%
7.2%
5.8%
5.1%
4.1%
3.4%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0%
<30 yrs
30-44 yrs 45-59 yrs 60-74 yrs
Age categories
75 yrs+
24
Percent giving by income
Figure 13
on
page 23
Percent of income given to church
2007
9.0%
8.0%
7.0%
6.0%
5.0%
4.0%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0%
2012
7.7%7.8%
7.0%
6.6%
6.3%
5.9%
6.1%
5.6%
5.3%5.1%
Income ranges
25
Percent giving by loyalty
Figure 15
on
page 25
Percent of income given to church
Not very loyal
Somewhat loyal
Very loyal
8.0%
7.0%
6.0%
6.9%
6.7%
6.2%
5.9%
5.7%
6.9%
6.2%
5.5%
4.9%
5.0%
5.1%
4.1%
4.0%
3.6%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0%
2007
2012
Loyalty to CRC
2007
2012
Loyalty to congregation
27
Percent giving
by spiritual nourishment
Figure 17
on
page 27
Percent of income given to church
2007
2012
9.0%
7.7%
8.0%
7.0%
7.0%
5.7% 5.9%
6.0%
5.0%
4.2% 4.1%
4.0%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0%
Malnourished
Undernourished
Daily Nourished
Spiritual Nourishment
29
Percent giving by
stewardship health
Figure 19
on
page 29
Percent of income given to church
2007
9.0%
8.0%
7.0%
6.0%
5.0%
4.0%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0%
2012
7.2%
7.8%
5.8% 5.9%
2.6% 2.8%
Heart Neglect
Heart Desire
Heart Habit
(0 to 59)
(60 to 79)
(80 to 100)
Stewardship Health Factors
Measurement of 10 attitudes and practices
that constitute a stewardship lifestyle
31
Congregational
Life Cycle Stages
Renewing mature and aging
churches
33
Church Life Cycle Stages
 Analogy (but not full similarity) to
human life cycles
 George Bullard,
Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential
of Your Congregation.
 Infancy/childhood
 Adolescence
 Adulthood
 Maturity
 Empty nest/retirement
 Old age/dying
34
Distribution of respondents
and churches
Distribution of respondents and churches
across church life cycle stages
% of respondents
Figure 22
on
page 33
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
40%
32%
% of churches
36%
26%
30%
22%
6%
2%
Infancy/
Young
Mature
Empty
childhood/ adulthood adulthood
nest/
adolesence
retirement
6%
1%
Old age/
dying
36
Membership change
by life cycle stage
Table 4
on
page 33
Life Cycle Stage
Infancy/childhood/adolescence
Young adulthood
Mature adulthood
Empty nest/retirement
Old age/dying
Average
number
of
members % change last
*
five years*
102
19%
439
1%
385
0%
259
-15%
186
-29%
37
Figure 23
on Page 34
Church health by life stage
Overall current health of your church?
Infancy/childhood/adolescence
33%
Young adulthood
31%
Mature adulthood
Good
16%
47%
0%
26%
30%
20%
Fair
12%
53%
8%
Old age/dying 0%9%
5%
52%
26%
Empty nest/retirement
Great
59%
Poor
13%
39%
40%
Awful
60%
22%
80%
100%
Unsure
38
Healthy Church scales by life stage
Figure 24
on Page 35
39
Figure 26
on Page 37
Enthusiasm by life stage
How much enthusiasm feel about work & programs of
your church
Infancy/childhood/adolescence
42%
Young adulthood
26%
Mature adulthood
10%
Old age/dying
11%
0%
Moderately high
7%1%
55%
19%
Empty nest/retirement
Very high
50%
15% 3%
59%
17% 4%
54%
25%
20%
24%
39%
40%
Moderately low
60%
Very low
10%
18%
80%
100%
Unsure
46
Figure 30
on Page 41
A clear vision of God’s leading
by life stage
Our church has a clear vision of where God is leading us
Definitely true
Mostly true
Hardly true
Definitely untrue
Infancy/childhood/adolesence
40%
Young adulthood
55%
31%
Mature adulthood
Empty nest/retirement
Somewhat true
38%
27%
14%
Old age/dying
33%
0%
20%
39%
25%
20%
5%
23%
36%
17%
40%
20%
9%
10%
6%
50%
60%
80%
100%
50
Can these bones live?
 Death is not inevitable;
intervention can bring renewal
 Leaders may be unaware of their
church’s present life stage
 Recasting vision is essential
 Financial resources are still
available even in decline
 Some members of aging churches
are still willing to make sacrifices
51
Income and giving
by life stage
Median household income
% income given to church
$90,000
8.2%
9.0%
8.0%
$85,000
Figure 31
on
Page 42
7.0%
7.0%
6.5%
5.9%
$80,000
6.0%
6.0%
$76,413
5.0%
$73,377
$75,000
4.0%
$70,000
$69,782
$65,000
3.0%
$71,225
2.0%
$66,281
1.0%
$60,000
0.0%
Infancy/
childhood/
adolesence
Mature adulthood
Old age/
dying
52
Commitment to mission
by life stage
So committed to church's mission and vision that willing to make sacrifices
Definitely true
Mostly true
Infancy/childhood/adolesence
Figure 32
on
Page 43
Somewhat true
20%
Young adulthood
24%
Mature adulthood
23%
Empty nest/retirement
16%
Old age/dying
17%
0%
10%
Hardly true
Definitely untrue
40%
40%
39%
27%
31%
32%
28%
32%
17%
20%
30%
6% 3%
10% 3%
19%
5%
67%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
53
Measuring and Explaining
Congregational Health
Indexes based on the
Healthy Church Survey
54
Focus on Healthy Congregations
 Survey itself part of a message to
congregations about denominational
priorities
 We included all items from the 2012
Healthy Church Survey (HCS)
 11 health areas
 Evaluations of church and self
 22 items seen by all respondents
 4 of 22 sections shown randomly
 40-50 items total
55
Perceptions of overall current
health improve over 2007
Figure 33
on
Page 44
56
Centrality
of the
Bible
items
Figure
34
on
Page
45
57
HCS scale averages by age group
Figure 35
on
Page 46
58
Church- and self-rating items
Figure 36
on Page 47
59
Four churches that can learn together
Figure 37
on Page 48
60
Explanatory factors for
congregational health







Geography: US regions give higher ratings
Church size is entirely unrelated to HCS scores.
Apparent age effects disappear with other
Education is related, both higher and lower
Strong, increasing sense of belonging healthier
Participation in decision-making healthier
Contemporary learning modes go with much
healthier churches; more below.
 Devotional frequency relates to healthier
churches.
 Stewardship health goes with higher self-ratings
and slightly lower church ratings.
61
Contemporary learning modes
 Causality is not certain, but seems to be a
lever churches can pull
 Modes in order of frequency (% rare/never):
 Storytelling by pastor
19%
 Missionary/service team report 19%
 Children’s message
23%
 Audiovisual (movie/slide show) 27%
 Group discussion or deliberation 59%
 Drama or dramatic reading
62%
 Storytelling by others
63%
 Personal testimonies
64%
 Question and answer time
w/preacher or presenter
73%
 Plenty of room for growth
62
Respondents’ comments
64
Coding methodology
 Comments were moved to a
separate database
 100 comments from each section
were reviewed to seek for major
themes
 Students coded all 779 comments
 Each comment can include one or
more themes
65
Themes from final comments
Figure 39
on
Page 51
66
Themes from ministry/agency
comments
Figure 40
on
Page 52
67
Iconic positive comment
I appreciated this opportunity to give my opinion
about the CRCNA. This is my native denomination
and I continue to feel a deep sense of loyalty and
concern for its future.
I am profoundly thankful for the training, nurture,
and faith development I received as a child from
my parents, Sunday school teachers, Christian day
school teachers, and college professors. I owe so
much of what I am today to the CRCNA and the
local church in which I grew up.
I struggle with how to move into the 21st century
as a Reformed denomination, with the difficult,
complicated, global issues we face. I continue to
pray mightily for 'us'.
68
Concern about perceived drift
I would like to see more emphasis put on our
commitment and relationship with our
God/Father. In my humble opinion, I feel as a
church we are drifting away from our
strong heritage. With trying to be [relevant]
in today’s society, we are losing our deep
knowledge and teaching of the past.
The Bible is still true for today, and we must
search the Scriptures to find our answers for
today. I love how we are more eager to
reach out to our neighbors, but we must
keep our strong Bible teaching and worship.
Our love for God and our commitment to
him will win others for him.
69
Concern about exclusivity
[There was] nothing in [the] survey
about doctrine. I have found that CRC
and Reformed in general is closedminded and superficial about
accepting other denominations and
individuals of STRONG Christian
faith into the leadership of the
church. They have a snob-appeal,
country club attitude regarding the
Reformed doctrine.
70
Agency connections
As a transplant from another
denomination, I am very impressed with
the connection that the local church has
with the CRC as a denomination. The
Banner is a great resource for
communicating all of the ministry that is
going on in the church and through the
church. In addition, I am so excited
about the work of the CRC locally and
internationally—Back to God, CRWRC
[World Renew], creation care. Wow!
What a witness to the world around us!
71
Agency disconnections
I’m finding the agencies disconnected
from the average church-goer in our
community. The Board structures are
puzzling, even confusing.
It currently feels like a one-way
relationship. We support many of
those organizations, but I don’t really
see how they serve our church
specifically.
72
Discussion
 Vocal minority concerned about
“drift” away from heritage
 Vocal minority concerned that
exclusivity hinders renewal
 Reformed holism still builds bridges;
the line between “traditionalist” vs.
“progressive” are not as brightly
drawn as some may think.
 Intentional efforts to address tension
produce specific positive results
 Do we talk enough about respect for
the other parts of the body and their
roles?
73
Recommendations
74
Five keys from 2007 report





Spiritual development,
Stewardship education,
Disciple-making,
Leadership training, and
Keeping in touch (communication
with congregants)
75
Three keys from 2012 report
 Church renewal, including Healthy
Church coaching; churches might learn
from each other and be revitalized
through coaching.
 Contemporary learning modes:
More children’s messages, storytelling,
drama, audiovisual, testimony, mission
reports, and discussion.
 One body, with unity in diversity
A concerted “I Corinthians 12” effort to
teach each other about the God-given
gifts of others.
76
The Future
 Incorporating your ideas and questions
 Report sections:
 More demographics
 More HCS data
 Same-church trends
 Church life cycles
 Stewardship (giving)
 Replication with all minority churches?
 Collaboration with Healthy Church
77
Discussion
78