God has such a sense of humor! I laughingly joke about a survey to assess people’s response to Facebook posts and God sends me an article on how to do it with numerous resources to do it!
How appropriate that such a resource would come from a UMC board, given its penchant for discerning and getting in tune with cultural trends!
I receive a monthly newsletter from the UMC Board of discipleship. This month it is on “The Value and Use of Surveys”! It asks “how do we recognize God at work in our congregations and communities? How do we discern how God is calling us to lead as people charged with making disciples for the transformation of the world” The authors say the answers to these questions come in response to intentional listening and a deep desire to learn about the communities and people with whom we are in ministry.
Active listening involves approaching a conversation with respect and a desire to hear and learn from another person. This process deepens our understanding of those with whom we are in ministry and opens our eyes, hearts, and minds to God at work in our communities.
One way we can actively listen is to invite those we serve to respond to a survey. It can discern preferences and cement relationships. “When the preferences of church members are greater than their passion for the gospel, the church is dying” (“Four Reasons the Great Commission Becomes the Great Omission in the Church”). we should trust where Christ is presently working in their desires.
The differences between a helpful survey and an unhelpful one are significant. The former provides relevant, productive information; the latter simply confirms prior knowledge. From 2/24/16