Assessment Tool for Preaching about Social Issues

Introduction

This quiz is designed to help you assess your level of risk and vulnerability as well as the congregation’s capacity to receive sermons about social issues. This tool can help you gauge how comfortable you and your congregation might be with a sermon or education about an issue of public concern. This, in turn, can help you decide what what approach to take with your sermon: Gentle, Invitational, Robust.

Note that this assessment instrument is for your own personal use. You are not required to share this with others or disclose your assessment to anyone.

All results will be collected but remain anonymous to the researcher, The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade, Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary. You can contact her at: lschade@lextheo.edu. Visit https://thepurplezone.net/ for more info.

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* 1. What is your gender?

Male/cisgender

Female/cisgender

Gender fluid/nonbinary

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* 2. What is your sexual orientation?

Heterosexual

LGBTQIA+

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* 3. What is your race/ethnicity/culture?

Black or African American

Hispanic or Latino

Asian or Asian American

American Indian, Native American, or Alaska Native

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Another race or two or more races/ethnicities/cultures

White

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* 4. Your age

18-29

30-49

50-69

70+

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* 5. How long have you served your current congregation?

Less than three years

3-5 years

6+ years

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* 6. How long have you been in ministry overall?

Less than a year

1-5 years

6-10 years

11+ years

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* 7. What is your current position in the church?

Senior or co-pastor

Solo pastor

Associate, youth, or assistant pastor

Pastor emeritus, visiting, or interim pastor

Seminarian or student pastor

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* 8. What has been your relationship with church conflict in the past?

Learned healthy ways to deal with it

Not as healthy as I would like

Not handling it in a healthy way at present time

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* 9. How do you feel about the level of support you receive as a minister, such as from colleagues, denominational leaders, friends, family, a counselor/therapist, or others?

Solid support

Moderate support

I feel isolated and alone at this time

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* 10. What is your current level of energy for ministry?

Fully energized

Moderate energy

Very little energy

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* 11. How many regularly attend worship services (both online and onsite)?

>300

100-299

50-99

<50

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* 12. What is the net loss of church membership over the past 12 months when taking account of gains (births, baptisms, new members) and losses (death, moving away, or withdrawing membership)?

Net gain of 1-5% or more

Loss of 5% or less, or overall breaking even

Loss of 6-10%

Loss of 11% or more

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* 13. How long can the church financially sustain its ministry given the current level of giving from the congregation (excluding outside sources of revenue)?

10+ years

5-9 years

2-4 years

Less than two years

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* 14. What percentage of the congregation is made up of children, youth, and/or young adults?

20% or greater

5-19%

Less than 5%

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* 15. What is the setting of the congregation?

Large metro area or suburb

Small or midsize city or suburb

Rural or small town

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* 16. How diverse is the congregation in terms of race, culture, language, and LGBTQIA+?

At least 25% diversity

5-24% diversity

Less than 5% diversity

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* 17. To what degree is the church a center for intellectual, artistic, cultural, musical, service-oriented, advocacy, or activism in the community?

Hosts several outside groups; vibrant, active member of community

Hosts one or two outside groups; sometimes engages with community

Hosts no outside groups; little outreach or engagement in community

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* 18. What is the congregation’s level of participation in faith formation (Christian education, adult forums, Bible studies, book studies, children’s education, speaker series, etc.)?

More than half engaged

About one-third engaged

Very few engaged

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* 19. What is the role of women in ordained leadership within the church?

Women can be ordained; church has more than one female minister currently or in the past

Women can be ordained; church has only had one female minister, or current female minister is the first

Women can be ordained; church has had no female ministers

Women cannot be ordained

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* 20. How open, affirming, and inclusive is the congregation of people who are LGBTQIA+?

Fully open, affirming, and inclusive

Beginning or mild interest in becoming open, affirming, and inclusive

Resistant to becoming open, affirming, and inclusive

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* 21. How willing is the congregation to learn about, discuss, and confront racism both on a personal and systemic level?

Significant steps undertaken, or, racism is the lived experience of most in the congregation

Beginning or mild interest in addressing racism

Resistance to addressing racism

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* 22. How many signs of strain do you observe that indicate congregational stress (i.e., members lashing out, overreacting, arguing, passive-aggressiveness, displaying intense emotion, or withdrawing)?

Very few signs of congregational stress

Two or three signs of congregational stress

More than three signs of congregational stress

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* 23. To the best of your knowledge, how recently and to what degree is/was the congregation engaged in significant conflict?

>3 years ago, fully resolved

>3 years ago, not fully resolved

Currently engaged in conflict or engaged within last 3 years

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* 24. What is the level of unhealthy “secret-keeping” in the congregation (e.g., skeletons in the closet regarding misconduct or abuse, substance abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, etc.)?

No secrets; open and transparent

Moderate level of secret-keeping

Damaging secrets that are harming congregation

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* 25. How healthy is the governing body of the congregation

Healthy, trusts each other, good relationships

In the midst of flux or not functioning at its best

Mostly dysfunctional

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* 26. What is the congregation’s level of comfort with each other (i.e., how often does the congregation laugh together, tease each other good-naturedly, and engage in fun fellowship activities)?

High level of comfort, frequent opportunities for fun

Medium level of comfort, occasional opportunities for fun

Low level of comfort, rare opportunities for fun

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* 27. How often does the congregation host opportunities for healthy dialogue or discussion about contemporary issues?

6 or more times a year

1-5 times a year

Rarely or does not yet engage in such discussions

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* 28. What percentage of the congregation regularly volunteers in the congregation’s infrastructure (committees, worship and music, education, planning/hosting fellowship events, governing board, etc.)?

More than 50%

25-50%

10-24%

Less than 10%

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* 29. Congregation’s level of participation in serving the local community (volunteering for charities, advocacy/activism, working with other congregations on projects, ministry outreach programs, etc.)?

Many are engaged

Some are engaged

Very few are engaged

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* 30. How close are the political orientations between the minister and the congregation?

Closely aligned on most issues

Aligned on some issues but not others

Not aligned on most issues

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* 31. How would you assess the level of trust between the minister and the congregation?

High level of trust

Medium level of trust

Low level of trust

Not able to assess at this time

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100% of survey complete.