Several years ago our church initiated and worked through a lengthy and comprehensive visioning process, but given our current circumstances, it was necessary to review and update our vision and ministry plan. In the fall of 2020, our church engaged in the HCDP, and with the assistance of a retired member of PCR, and our STM, we conducted a customized Healthy Church Survey.  Following a summary presentation of the results and input from numerous small group discussions with our members, the outcomes have become part of our draft plan for the coming year. The HCDP has enabled us to continue to have healthy and open conversations with each other, allowing us to review and update our church's vision and ministry plan.

Georgetown CRC, Georgetown, Ontario
 

The Healthy Church Survey was a great asset in an overall process we were doing to seek God's leading in our church. We were able to celebrate some areas of ministry that we do well and identify some other areas that we need to do better. The survey was broad enough to help us think about more than just what we already do in our church. It also provided an opportunity for many people to be involved in filling out surveys and discussing the results. Our leadership found the results helpful and understandable as we tried to assess where to put new energy in order to strengthen our church.

Kelloggsville CRC, Kelloggsville, Michigan

 
We really liked how the Healthy Church Survey invited anyone and everyone from the church to be part of it, giving a good sense of ownership of the process. With the HCS we are looking to even grow that sense of ownership and embrace the potential initiatives that were prayerfully discerned through our Congregational Forum.

Bethel CRC, Acton, Ontario

 
The two best aspects of H.C. were (1) that the survey asked members to evaluate themselves personally as well as the congregation, and (2) the leaders' retreat which generated not just good ideas/goals but also enthusiasm and energy.

Westend CRC, Grand Rapids, Michigan

 
The Council chose to use the Healthy Church Survey Process because of its focus on encouraging the involvement and participation of all church members in the planning process. We liked the concept of receiving structured feedback from our members on the eleven identified characteristics of a healthy church. This feedback was based on the members’ evaluation of Park Church in addition to an assessment of their personal “status” regarding the eleven characteristics. We have been very impressed with the participation of our members in taking the survey and in the follow-up discussions regarding the feedback we received from them. The process results in ownership and involvement by the members and we are excited about prioritizing specific action plans for the future of our church based on the assessment of the survey feedback and follow-up member conversations.

Park CRC, Holland, Michigan