st. matthew’s parish survey

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church

St. Matthew’s Parish SurveySt. Matthew’s Parish36 New Canaan Road

Wilton, CT 06897October, 2011

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Survey Objectives

1. Track the demographic and church attendance behavior of our Parishioners.

2. Understand how our Parish community best nourishes and comforts its members, and how it can improve its efforts.

3. Determine what parishioners believe are useful avenues to “proclaim the good news” to all within and outside our Parish family.

4. Determine impressions of newcomers (2 or fewer years in Parish), and identify opportunities to improve newcomer relationships.

5. Determine parishioner attitudes toward parish communications, and help determine ways to improve them.

6. Understand parishioner attitudes on wardenship; vestry service.7. Understand parishioner attitudes toward children and youth

programs.

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Survey Method

The survey was launched via email to all Parishioners with email addresses (approx. 90%) during the week of May 16, 2011: approx. 185 of the 206 pledging units. Approx. 20-25 received a hard copy in the mail or at church.

A cover note from the Rector and Wardens was included. Weekly reminders were made in Church and via the email addresses. Returns by Gender and marital status are, as follows:

Total Men Women Married Not Married#Sent 357* 167 190 302 55% 100% >47% 53% 85% 15% Returned 180 73 103 147 27% 100% >41% 59% 84% 16% Return Rate 50% 44% 54% 50% 50%

A copy of the questionnaire and resulting tabulations are available at the church office.

*206 households

A comment on the sample: These are current parishioners. “Past” parishioners, those who have left for one reason or another, are not included. So some care should be given to these results. However, it might be reasonable to use reasons for positive and negative reactions to various things among current members as strong inferences to unhappy departures.

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1. Track the demographic, church attendance behavior of our Parishioners: 1992 > 2011.

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The Parish Profile: Spring ’92 > Spring ’11Demographic Profile

Spring ’92 Spring ‘11(157) (180)

% %GenderFemale 54 59Male 46 41Marital StatusMarried 91 85Widowed/Divorced/Separated 7 13Single 2 2Age21-29 1 230-39 9 840-49 31 3450-64 36 3765+ 21 20Average 52.5 53.4

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The Parish Profile: Spring ’92 > Spring ’11Demographic Profile (cont’d)

Spring ’92 Spring ‘11(157) (180)

% %Children Living at HomeNone 39 41Ages 0-5 13 (.3) 8 (.2)Ages 6-12 20 (.6) 36 (1.1)Ages 13-18 17 (.4) 27 (.7)Ages 19+ 14 (.3) 9 (.2)Average Number 1.6 2.2Employment StatusEmployed 64 (m79/w50) 66 (m82/w54)Not employed 36 (m21/w50) 34 (m18/w46)Commute Time (among the employed)1 hour + 27 21Less than 1 hour 73 79

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The Parish Profile: Spring ’92 > Spring ’11Church Activity Characteristics

Spring ’92 Spring ‘11(157) (180)

% %Denomination/Religion in Which Respondent was RaisedEpiscopal 55 43Catholic 9 27Methodist 8 3Baptist 7 3Congregational 5 7Presbyterian 4 4Lutheran 4 4Other 12 9How Long Attending St. Matthew’s2 years or less 16 93-4 years 11 145-9 years 20 2110-19 years 24 2720 years + 29 29Average 13 years 13 yearsFrequency of Attending Church1+/week 42 312-3/month 35 421/month 10 18-1/month 13 10Average 2.8/month 2.6/month

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2. Understand how our Parish community best nourishes and comforts its members, and how it

can improve its efforts.

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchReasons for Becoming and Remaining a

St. Matthew’s Parishioner (n = 180)

Becoming Remaining

% %1. For fellowship 38 682. The music program 30 623. It is open and accepting 38 604. The Sermons 25 455. It is eucharistically-centered 18 326. The outreach opportunities 10 307. Sunday school for children* 42 30

8. Closest Episcopal church 49 299. The Lessons 6 1810. Joint venture with WPC 5 10

Have Kids 12- Have Kids 12-7. Sunday School* 55 69

*Sunday school (for families with kids), fellowship, the music program and the open and accepting nature of the Parish, along with geographic convenience, are, by far, the most frequently mentioned reasons for becoming a member and the first three, for remaining one.

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchHow Good a Job is St. Matthew’s Doing

(n=150)

Relative to all the reasons one has to be a member of the Parish, almost 6 in 10 feel St. Matthew’s is doing a “very good” job at it.

Virtually no one (3%) says it’s doing a “fair” or “poor” job.

Very good 56%Good 41Fair 3Poor --Very Good 56All Other 44

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How Good a Job is St. Matthew’s Doing

The Children’s programs are a great driver of positive opinion.

Very Good All Other% %

Membership Years2 or less (n=16) 86 143 to 9 (n=61) 60 4010 or more (n=99) 49 51

Member opinion gradually deteriorates over time.

Have Children 12 or underYes (n=71) 68 32 +34No (n=71) 49 51 –2

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchReasons for Remaining a St. Matthew’s

Parishioner(n = 180)

Church school, the Sermons and the open/accepting nature of the Parish are the strongest drivers of positive opinion of the church.

Very Good All Other Leverage% %

How good a job is St. Matt’s doing1. For fellowship 75 73 +22. The music program 64 64 03. It is open and accepting 73 48 +25

4. The Sermons 60 29 +315. It is eucharistically-centered 33 32 +16. The outreach opportunities 39 26 +137. Sunday school for children* 39 20 +198. Closest Episcopal church 28 32 –49. The Lessons 25 12 +1310. Joint venture with WPC 10 12 –2

*7. Sunday school for children (parishioners with kids)

68 32 +36

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Additional Programs Needed?

St. Matthew’s Performance

Total Very Good Other

(150) (84) (66)% % %

No others needed 23 27 14Need for others 77 73 86 Adult Programs 29 25 47 Youth Programs 24 25 27 Outreach 21 17 33 Fellowship 18 18 23 Music 12 10 15 Additional Services 11 8 14

¾ of parishioners see a need for one or another new program. Additional Adult and Outreach Programs are more likely to be sited as needs among those with less than a “very good” opinion of the Parish, overall.

It’s probably relevant that these two don’t include children.

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Spiritual Journey

4 in 10 Parishioners site the need for help in their “spiritual journey.”

Where are you on your Spiritual Journey? (n=180) %

Moving Along Well 62Seeking More Help 22Feel Unsure about Faith; have a long way to go 16

Ways that would help Enrich the Journey %

Knowledge of the Episcopal Faith 36Prayer groups and Bible Study 29Knowledge of Prayer Disciplines 16Retreat Days 16

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Where are you on your Spiritual Journey? (By Church Attendance)

Church attendance regularity coincides closely with the spiritual journey path. Hard to know which causes which.

1+/wk 2-3/mo 1-/mo

(53) (72) (48)% % %

Moving along well 78 58 40Seeking more help 14 29 21

Feel unsure about faith; have a long way to go 8 12 29

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Financial management

Day-to-day operationsPlanning for tuture needs Stewardship programMgt of joint facilities

Annual Meeting

Arts

J oint programs w/ other churches

J oint programs w/ WPC

Edward's Chest

Community projectsHands on outreach

Seasonal programs

Thursday lunch club

Agency of the month

Agency financial support

Public CommunicationOngoing member involvement

Involvement of new members

Welcoming new members

Attract new members

Weavings

J oint WPC Series

9am Sunday Morn. Forum

Adult Confirmation

J oint Library Series

God Class

Nursery

Festival of Children

Confirmation program

High School Youth Group

7th & 8th Grade Youth Group 6th Grade Youth Group

Church School program

Flower Guild

Altar Guild

Adult ChoirYouth Choir

Childrens Choir

Greeters ProgramUshers program

Lectors

Intercessors Program

Lay Eucharistic Ministers

Acolyte Program

PreachingPastoral care

J oint brunches w/ WPC

Sunday coffee hour

Auction

Clam bakePicnic

Taste of St MatthewsFoyer groups

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

% Very Strong Delivery

Attribute Importance%

Ver

y Im

port

ant

St. Matthew’s Parish ProgramsMore Important and

Well DeliveredMore Important andLess Well Delivered

Less Important andWell Delivered

Less Important andLess Well Delivered

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchAttribute Importance Vs. Delivery

The More Important Attributes

Delivered Above Strength Target– The Choirs– The Auction– Sunday Coffee

Delivered on Strength Target– Financial Management– Preaching– Church School/Confirmation Program– Stewardship– Mgmt of Joint Facilities– Community Projects

Delivered Somewhat Below Strength Target– Attracting and Welcoming New

Members– Pastoral Care– Day-to-day Operations– Hands-on Outreach– Nursery

Delivered Below Strength Target– Planning for Future Needs– 6th, 7th, 8th and High School Youth

Groups– New Member Involvement– On-going Member Involvement– Public Communications

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchParish Characteristics with Greatest

Leverage for Improving Overall Attitude

St. Matthew’s PerformanceVery Good Other Leverage

(84) (66)% % +/-%

1. Preaching 66 18 +482. Day-to-day ops 50 12 +383. Annual meeting 45 10 +354. Pastoral Care 52 20 +325. Seasonal Outreach 64 34 +306. Stewardship 63 34 +297. Financial Mgmt. 66 39 +278. Ushers Program 50 25 +259. Taste of St. Matt’s 34 9 +2510. Hands-on Outreach 43 19 +24

Of the 54 traits measured, the above 10 have the greatest relative leverage driving toward “very good” parish opinion – “preaching”, having the most leverage of all.

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Timing for an Additional Service (n=180)

About ½ of parishioners see a need for an additional service, the great plurality being a 5pm service on Saturday.

Would like added Service 52 Saturday 4pm 9 Saturday 5pm 33 Saturday 6pm 4 Saturday (net) 46 Sunday 4pm 6 Sunday 5pm 10 Sunday 6pm 6 Sunday (net) 22%No additional Service needed 48%

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Who wants additional service?

Weekly attendees: no extra service necessary: 80% Importantly, weekly attendees are far less likely to see the need for an additional

service – so the additional service is that much less likely simply to sub for the 10am Sunday service.

Members 40-49 who have attended for 3-9 years are most likely to see this need.

Saturday 5pmWho wants it? %Total Sample 33Members 2- years 25Member 3-9 years 43Member 10+ years 2921-39 years of age 1840-49 5450-64 3065+ 14Weekly attendees 17Not weekly attendees 40

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Willingness to Participate (n=94)

Among those who were interested in another service…– 14% were willing to serve on the alter guild– 24% would LEM– 68% would be willing to read

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Fellowship Involvement

Regarding fellowship involvement, new members can be split into two groups: those “somewhat” involved and a smaller group “not at all” involved. As they become longer term (3-9 years) members, each group seems to move up a notch. So, it’s important to get at least some level of involvement soon on.

# Years a Member

Total 2- 3-9 10+(150) (14) (50) (88)

% % % %Very 24 14 34 19Somewhat 43 57 36 46Not Very 25 7 26 27Not at All 8 21 4 8

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Number of Fellowship Activities (n=150)

The current level of overall fellowship activity is seen as “just right” by 6 in 10 parishioners.

Total%

Too Many 3Just Right 61Too Few 15Don’t Know 22

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3. Determine what parishioners believe are useful avenues to “proclaim the good news” to all

within and outside our Parish family – both by words and deeds.

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church“Good News” Proclamations: The Words

(Importance and Strength) (n=150)

To parishioners, pastoral care and the public communications of St. Matthew’s Parish are, by far, the most important “word” proclamation programs – the later poorly delivered.

Arts at St. Matthew’s and pastoral care are, by far, the best delivered. St. Matthew’s could use better public communications

% Very Important % Very StrongAverage Trait 56 34

Pastoral Care 87 37

Public Communications 71 21

Arts at St. Matthew’s 39 39

God Class 33 21

Sunday Morning Forum 26 20

Weavings 20 9

Joint WPC Programs 20 9

Joint Library Series 13 13

Joint Programs with Other Churches 13 2

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchSt. Matthew’s Outreach: The Deeds

(Importance and Strength) (n=150)

Hands-on outreach and community projects like the Tagless sale are, by far, the most important “deed” proclamation projects.

Community projects and the seasonal programs are the best delivered. As with the “word” path, the “deed” path, especially for Hands-on and agency financial

support need better PR

% Very Important % Very StrongAverage Trait 56 34Hands-on Outreach (i.e., Habitat For Humanity, Homefront), Manna House 77 32

Community Projects (i.e., Tagless Sale) 75 58Seasonal Programs (i.e., Gifts of Christmas, Holiday Baskets) 64 51

Agency Financial Support (i.e., Pivot Ministries) 53 28

Agency of the Month Program (i.e., Mercy Learning, Wilton Social Services) 44 12

Edward’s Chest 40 16Thursday Lunch Club 30 17

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4. Determine impressions of newcomers (2 or fewer years in Parish), and identify

opportunities to improve newcomer relationships.

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Term of Parish Membership (n=180)

2 years or less 9% (new members)

3 to 9 years 35

10 to 19 years 27

20 or more years 29

Average 13 years

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Member opinion gradually deteriorates over time. New members are the most satisfied.

Very Good All Others

% %Membership Years2 or less (n=16) 86 143 to 9 (n=61) 60 4010 or more (n=99) 49 51

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchNew Members Importance and Strength

(n=16)

Newcomers see the attraction, integration, welcoming and involvement of new members as far above average in importance.

Attraction, welcoming and integration are delivered on a par with other St. Matthew’s traits, while involvement is far below average.

% Very Important % Very Strong

Average Trait 56 34Attraction of… 76 31Welcoming and integration 87 38Involvement in activities/programs 76 21

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchSufficiency of Number/Type of

Newcomer Events

Generally, the number and type of events for newcomers is seen as somewhat insufficient. This is especially true among newcomers.

Years of MembershipTotal 2- 3-9 10+(180) (16) (61) (99)

% % % %Strongly Agree 18 12 21 17Moderately Agree 36 44 38 34Moderately/Strongly Disagree 10 25 13 6

No Opinion 36 19 28 43

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5. Determine parishioner attitudes toward parish communications, and help determine ways to

improve them.

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchOverall Opinion of St. Matthew’s

Communications With its Members

About ½ of parishioners respond that the communications within the church are “very good”. Only 10% say they are “fair” or “poor”. The response becomes significantly more positive the newer and younger the member. Significantly better than those with the community at large.

Years of Membership

Total 2- 3-9 10+

(180) (16) (61) (99)

% % % %

Very Good 45 64 51 38

Good 43 36 39 46

Fair/Poor 12 -- 10 16

By Age 21-39 40+

Very Good 69 42

Other 31 58

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Frequency of Reading Parish e-mails

Parish e-mails are frequently read by all in the Parish (84% every/most times), especially by newcomers (100%).

Years of Membership

Total 2- 3-9 10+

(180) (16) (61) (99)

% % % %

Every time I get it 46 86 43 42

Most of the time 38 14 39 41

Some/seldom/never 16 -- 18 17

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The Usefulness of Parish e-mails

¾ of parishioners find the e-mails useful; 9 in 10 among newer members. The number of emails received is considered “just right” by 9 in 10 parishioners.

Years of MembershipTotal 2- 3-9 10+(180) (16) (61) (99)

% % % %Very useful 37 64 36 34Useful 39 29 46 38Somewhat 21 7 18 23Not Very/Not At All 3 -- -- 9

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St. Matthew’s New Website Visits

About 3 in 4 parishioners have visited the site; among visitors, twice a month is the average frequency.

2/3 rate it “very good” or “good”.

Ever visited the Website 73% = 100%

How Often?2+ times a week 7Once a week 20Once a month 37Once every few months 22Rarely/Never 13Average/month 1.8

How do you rate it?Very good 33Good 32Fair/poor 5No opinion 30

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchSocial Media Use (i.e., Facebook,

Twitter)

About 4 in 10 parishioners claim to currently use social media. Its use is far more common among younger parishioners, and those with children.

Currently Use Social Media 43%

Age

21-39 64

40-59 49

60+ 14

Presence of Children

Have kids 58

No kids 28

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchIs St. Matthew’s Use of Social Media a

Good Idea?

Only 3 in 10 think the social media is a good fit for the Parish. So, from parishioners’ view it’s probably true that the time has not yet come for St. Matthew’s and Facebook. This pretty much goes across age groups.

Total 21-39 40-64 65+

% % % %Very Good Idea 11 17 13 --Good 20 24 21 17Fair 19 12 23 9Poor 13 6 12 20

No Opinion 38 41 31 54

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6. Understand parishioner attitudes on Wardenship; vestry service.

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchParishioner Understanding of Vestry

Role and Church Governance

Clearly, there is a learning curve regarding Vestry/Governance understanding, with only 1 in 4 newcomers feeling “informed” as contrasted to almost 7 in 10 among veterans.

Years of Membership

Total 2- 3-9 10+

(180) (16) (61) (99)% % % %

Very Well Informed 54 25 44 64

Somewhat Well 32 31 43 26

Not Very Well/Not at All 14 43 13 8

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchAre you engaged in decision-making to

the extent you’d like to be?

The relative satisfaction with decision-making engagement does appear to lead to a better opinion of the Parish, overall.

Overall Parish OpinionTotal Very Good All Others(180) (84) (66)

% % %Yes 59 68 50Somewhat 28 26 28No 13 6 22

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchInterested in Leadership Serving in the

Future (n = 180)

There doesn’t appear to be a keen interest in future leadership among St. Matthew’s parishioners.

%

Very Interested 7

Somewhat interested 33

Not Very Interested 38

Not At All Interested 22

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7. Understand parishioner attitudes toward children and youth programs.

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchThe Parish Profile: Spring ’92 > Spring

’11

60% of Parish families have kids – about the same as 20 years ago. However, we have far more 6-18 year olds, netting out to 2 kids per family – double 20 years ago.

Demographic Profile Spring ’92 Spring ‘11

(157) (180)

% %

Children At Home

None 39 41

Ages 0-5 13 (0.3) 8 (0.2)

Ages 6-12 20 (0.6) 36 (1.1)

Ages 13-18 17 (0.4) 27 (0.7)

Ages 19+ 14 (0.3) 9 (0.2)

Average Number (6-18) 1.0 1.8

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchReasons for Becoming and Remaining a

St. Matthew’s Parishioner (n = 180)

Sunday school (for families with kids), fellowship, the music program and the open and accepting nature of the Parish are, by far, the most important reasons for remaining at the Parish.

Becoming Remaining% %

1. For fellowship 38 682. The music program 30 623. It is open and accepting 38 604. The Sermons 25 455. It is eucharistically-centered 18 326. The outreach opportunities 10 3

7. Sunday school * 42 308. Closest Episcopal church 49 299. The Lessons 6 1810. Joint venture with WPC 5 10

Have Kids Have Kids*7. Sunday School 55 69

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The Children’s programs are a great driver of positive opinion.

Very Good All Others

% %

Have Children 12 or under

Yes (n=71) 68 32 +34

No (n=71) 49 51 –2

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchReasons for Remaining a St. Matthew’s

Parishioner (n = 180)

Church school, the Sermons and the open/accepting nature of the Parish have the greatest leverage to drive positive opinion of the church.

How good a job is St. Matt’s doing Very Good Other Leverage% %

1. For fellowship 75 73 +22. The music program 64 64 03. It is open and accepting 73 48 +254. The Sermons 60 29 +315. It is eucharistically-centered 33 32 +16. The outreach opportunities 39 26 +137. Sunday school* 39 20 +198. Closest Episcopal church 28 32 –4 9. The Lessons 25 12 +1310. Joint venture with WPC 10 12 –2

*7. Sunday school (among adults with children) 68 32 +36

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal ChurchAttribute Importance Vs. Delivery

The More Important Attributes

Delivered Above Strength Target The Choirs The Auction Sunday Coffee

Delivered on Strength Target Financial Management Preaching Church School/Confirmation Program Stewardship Mgmt of Joint Facilities Community Projects

Delivered Somewhat Below Strength Target

Attracting and Welcoming New Members Pastoral Care Day-to-day Operations Hands-on Outreach Nursery

Delivered Below Strength Target Planning for Future Needs 6th, 7th, 8th and High School Youth

Groups New Member Involvement On-going Member Involvement Public Communications

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Some Conclusions

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1. Track the demographic, church attendance behavior of our Parishioners: 1992 > 2011

The basic internal demographic and “Activity” structure of the Parish has been stable over the past 20 years. Of the nine characteristics measured, only two showed significant change:

Parish families are more likely to have children in the 6-12 and 13-18 age range, leading to a net growth from 1.0 to 1.8 kids 6-18 living at home: +80% increase in the prime children/youth church program range.

Secondly, the religion in which the parishioner was raised was significantly more likely to be Catholic (27% vs. 9%), and less Episcopalian (43%. Vs. 55%).

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church2. Understand how our Parish community best

nourishes and comforts its members, and how it can improve its efforts

Generally, St. Matthew’s is doing a good job with the things parishioners find important. However, as with most institutions, after the first blush of thin experience, opinion deteriorates over time with familiarity: almost all newcomers rate the Parish as “very good” vs. about ½ among the more experienced.

Welcoming, concern for, support and acceptance of all are our greatest strengths, and the #1 reason why parishioners remain.

Along with geography, fellowship, church school and the music program are the most frequently mentioned reasons for becoming and remaining a Parishioner.

Sermons by our “three”, church school and the open and accepting nature of the Parish are the strongest drivers toward an overall strong opinion of it.

4 in 10 Parishioners would like a Saturday afternoon service. Most want it at 5pm. Importantly, most of these are current infrequent attendees, so it’s not just substituting 10am for 5pm.

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3. Determine what parishioners believe are useful avenues to “proclaim the good news” to all within and outside our Parish family – both by words and deeds

The Words:– As to internal word communications, pastoral care is, by far, the most

important.– External (public) communications is next in importance.

• This effort is, however, being delivered far below the level required by the importance ascribed to it.

– Of the lower level importance programs (or any program), AASM is delivered better than any other.

– Adult education touches a few members currently, but the desire for more information in this area is of interest to many and could lead to progress on one’s spiritual journey. Greater communications of the Episcopal path of this journey on different channels such as podcasts, web info. Or blogs

The Deeds– To our Parishiohers, hands-on (Habitat for Humanity) and Community Projects

(Tagless sale) are, by far, the most important outreach programs.– As with “hands-on” and “agency financial support”, public communications of

these need to be better.– Local and regional support are much preferred over national or international.

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4. Determine impressions of newcomers (2 or fewer years in Parish), and identify opportunities to improve newcomer relationships

About 1 in 10 responders were newcomers (2 years or less membership). As stated before, the initial universal appeal of our program deteriorates with greater

familiarity: about ½ by 10+years experience. The most frequent reason given by newcomers (as contrasted to those with 3+years

experience) for coming to St. Matthew’s are:– Fellowship– Sermons– Music– The open and accepting nature of the Parish

While the attracting, welcoming and integrating newcomers are all delivered as well as the average Parish aspect, “involvement” is less well accomplished.

The number and type of newcomers events are seen as somewhat insufficient. Mentor families might do a bit more to create these events and encourage attendance.

At least some small level of newcomer fellowship involvement should be actively encouraged to lead to greater fellowship (and overall satisfaction) later.– Parishioners are pretty satisfied with the current # of fellowship opportunities. So, the

answer to the above point is not to add activities, but to encourage attendance at the current ones.

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5. Determine parishioner attitudes toward parish communications, and help determine ways to improve them

9 in 10 say St. Matt’s communications is “good” or “very good”. The “very good” opinion declines with age and membership term (the “special” [mentoring] attention to the new probably ebbs a bit).

Most everyone reads the weekly e-mails. New members read all of ‘em. This drops by ½ upon leaving the “new” rank. May be the “current” new will stay tuned more resiliently the “past” new.

¾ of members claim to have visited the new St. Matthew’s website, about ¼ on a weekly or more frequent basis.– 2/3 rate it good or very good.

It’s safe to say that over ½ of those under 60 currently use the social media.– Those with children are twice as likely as those without.

About 3 in 10 think facebook is a good fit for St. Matthew’s – its time is not quite yet for St. Matthew’s; but probably will be by the next survey.

As mentioned previously, public communications of St. Matthew’s, its parish and programs could be improved.

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church6. Understand parishioner attitudes on

Wardenship; vestry service

About 2/3 of the 10+yr members say they are “very well” informed about vestry and church governance.– This declines to ¼ among new members; 4 in 10 of whom do not feel very well

informed. Net, ½ feel “very well” informed – not a high level.

– Assuming those that actually care about being informed are represented by the less well informed, governance information would be appreciated – and improve the overall opinion of the parish.

• Each Sunday one Vestry member could briefly describe his/her committee.• Newcomers could get a handbook descrbing Parish governance.

Over ½ say they are engaged in decision-making to the extent they’d like to be.– This correlates closely with overall church opinion.

7% express being “very interested” in a “leadership” role in the future; 3 in 10 are “somewhat” interested. Not high levels of commitment.

The communication of this vital need should be improved both in volume and persuasiveness.

Day-to day financial management and stewardship are seen as both very important and very well delivered by our leadership. On the other hand, “planning for future needs” is equally important, but poorly delivered.

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St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church7. Understand parishioner attitudes

toward children and youth programs

As in ’92, a little over ½ of families have 1 or more child living at home.

However, there was almost a net 1 child 6-18 in ’92; now there are 1.8, an 80% increase.

Among families with kids, Sunday School is THE most frequently mentioned reason for coming to St. Matthew’s, and staying there.

Families having children 12 or under have a significantly more positive attitude toward the Parish than those who don’t.

Church school and confirmation are delivered by the Parish in good alignment with the importance ascribed to them.

On the other hand, 6th, 7th and 8th grades, and high school programs are delivered less well than needed relative to their ascribed importance. This could be due, in part, to less emphatic feedback from the older kids to their parents – and on to us. – It might be worthwhile to consider a facebook page for youth

groups only.

st. matthew’s parish survey

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