Take the Survey — State of Ministry

Demographics + Context

12 questions

What is your role in ministry? required

Lead Pastor or Campus Pastor Kids Ministry Staff Member Youth Ministry Staff Member Kids Ministry Volunteer Youth Ministry Volunteer Other

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What is your church's average weekly attendance? required

Under 100 100–250 251–500 501–1000 1000+

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What is your kids or youth ministry's average weekly attendance? optional

Under 50 50–100 101–250 251–500 501–1000 1000+

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Where is your church located (city + state + country)? optional

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What is your church's setting? optional

Urban Suburban Rural

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Denominational affiliation (if any) optional

Non-denominational Baptist Methodist Presbyterian Lutheran Assemblies of God / Pentecostal Church of Christ Anglican / Episcopal Catholic Nazarene Christian Church / Disciples of Christ Reformed Other

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How many years have you been in ministry? optional

0–2 3–5 6–10 11–20 20+

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What is your annual salary or compensation for your ministry role? optional

Used for the compensation analysis. Skip it if you'd rather not say — everything else still counts.

I am a volunteer Less than $20,000 $20,000–$39,999 $40,000–$59,999 $60,000–$79,999 $80,000–$99,999 $100,000+

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Is your salary for full-time or part-time work? optional

Full-time Part-time N/A (I'm a volunteer)

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What is your age range? optional

Under 25 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+ Prefer not to say

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What is your gender? optional

Used to compare who gets paid. Skip if you prefer.

Male Female Prefer not to say

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What is your race and/or ethnicity? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Reported only in aggregate. Skip if you prefer.

American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Hispanic or Latino Middle Eastern or North African Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander White

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The State of Your Ministry

28 questions

Discipleship

How does your church define discipleship? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Teaching biblical truth Helping kids and teenagers build spiritual habits Equipping leaders and volunteers to model faith Building authentic relationships Creating space for questions and doubts Encouraging regular church attendance Practicing service and mission Helping students take ownership of their faith I'm not sure we have a shared definition Other

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Which of the following are part of your church's discipleship strategy for kids and teenagers? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Weekly large group teaching Weekly small groups Mentoring or 1-on-1 discipleship Service opportunities (in church or community) Spiritual habit practices (e.g., prayer, generosity, reflection) Bible reading plans or devotionals Events or retreats focused on spiritual growth Opportunities for kids/students to lead We don't currently have a formal discipleship strategy Other

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Which of the following spiritual habits are intentionally taught in your ministry? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Spending time with God through personal spiritual disciplines Spending time with others through healthy community Using your gifts and talents to serve God and others Sharing testimonies about who God is & what God is doing in our lives We don't currently focus on spiritual habits Other

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How often do you intentionally revisit spiritual habits across the year? optional

Weekly Monthly Seasonally / Quarterly Rarely Never

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What's your biggest barrier to discipling kids and teenagers? optional

Lack of curriculum support Lack of time We aren't sure how Not enough support from volunteers Other

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Teaching

When planning your teaching calendar, which of the following do you use? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

The scope and sequence from my curriculum provider A scope and sequence I developed Alignment with our lead pastor, denomination, church calendar, etc. Week-to-week inspiration We don't have a formal process

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How far in advance is your teaching calendar typically planned? optional

A full year 3–6 months 1 month Week to week No formal calendar

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Which individuals have input on your teaching topics? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Lead pastor Ministry team Volunteers Kids or teenagers Parents Just me

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What are your biggest struggles with teaching? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Keeping kids or teenagers engaged Developing a plan for what to teach when Helping kids or teenagers apply what they've learned Not having enough time to prepare Other

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Events

How many major events does your kids or youth ministry plan in a year? optional

None 1–2 3–4 5+

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What's the primary purpose of most of your events? optional

Fun and relationship building Discipleship or teaching Outreach to the community Parent engagement Volunteer connection

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How do you usually come up with event ideas? optional

Repeat last year's ideas Collaborate with my team Ask kids or teenagers Search online or buy a resource We rarely plan events

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What are your biggest struggles with events? optional

I don't have enough money for events I have a hard time recruiting volunteers I run out of fresh ideas I'm not sure how to connect my events to the bigger mission of our church I'm not sure what kids or teenagers are into these days Other

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Volunteers

How often do you provide some kind of volunteer training or development? optional

Weekly Monthly Quarterly Annually We don't have regular training

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In the past 12 months, how have you appreciated volunteers? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Handwritten notes Meals or snacks Social media shoutouts Celebration event Specific encouragement We haven't had a plan for appreciation Other

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What makes it hardest to keep volunteers engaged long-term? optional

Burnout Schedule conflicts Lack of commitment Lack of community Not enough support Other

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What are your biggest struggles with recruiting volunteers? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

I make so many announcements for help but people don't respond People tell me they don't feel qualified to serve People tell me they're too busy to serve I need more ideas on how to recruit strategically I feel like people don't understand the importance of serving in kids or youth ministry Other

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Families

What's your current method of communicating with families? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Email Texts or messaging apps Social media Printed handouts In-person announcements We don't communicate regularly Other

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How often do you host events or touchpoints for parents? optional

Monthly or more Every few months Once a year Never

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In your experience, how engaged are parents with your ministry? optional

Highly engaged Somewhat engaged Minimally engaged Not engaged Unsure

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What are your biggest struggles with families? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

I would love more ideas on how to earn parents' trust as partners in ministry I would love to learn how to welcome and include diverse families into my ministry I would love to learn how to use my time more effectively to engage parents Families are too inconsistent in their attendance on Sundays Parents treat kids or youth ministry like babysitting and I don't know how to shift their perspectives Parents don't understand they are the primary spiritual influencers in their kids' lives

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Environments

What does your ministry do on a regular basis to help kids or teenagers feel emotionally and socially safe in your space? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

We use humor or icebreakers to create a relaxed vibe We design our space to feel warm and welcoming (e.g., snacks, lighting, music) We explain churchy or insider language during programming We create space for doubt, curiosity, and questions We train volunteers to be inclusive and trauma-informed None of the above Other

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How often do you evaluate or adjust your physical environment to support your teaching goals? optional

Every month or more Every quarter Once or twice a year Rarely Never

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How would you describe the atmosphere of your ministry environment on a typical week? optional

Fun and welcoming for everyone — even brand-new kids or teenagers Warm but a little cliquey Friendly but mostly geared toward kids who "already get it" Disconnected — we're working on it Not sure

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What's your biggest struggle when it comes to creating effective ministry environments? optional

Limited space or building constraints Not enough volunteers to create a consistent vibe Lack of time to plan or redesign the space It's hard to make it engaging for both new and returning kids/students Getting buy-in from leadership I'm not sure what "effective" environments even look like Other

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Annual Planning Process

How do you/your team usually plan for the year? optional

We do a big annual planning session We plan quarter by quarter We plan as we go We don't really have a structured planning process

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When you plan for a new ministry year, who's in the room? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Paid staff Volunteers Senior leadership Students/kids Parents Just me

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What are your biggest struggles with annual planning? optional

I'm too busy to plan ahead I don't know how to strategically plan my year It's hard to keep track of everything we've planned It's hard to pivot when something changes in the church calendar It's a struggle to keep everyone on the same page I don't like annual planning and prefer planning with shorter timeframes Other

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Tell Us More

3 questions

In the past 12 months, how often have you tried something completely new in your ministry? optional

Once a month or more A few times a year Once Not at all

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Where do you typically look for new ideas or inspiration for ministry? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Conferences Podcasts Blogs Curriculum and resources Social media Peer conversations ChatGPT or other AI tools I mostly stick with what's worked in the past

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Which of the following have you personally struggled with in the past 6 months? (Select all that apply) optional

Select all that apply.

Burnout Feeling under-resourced Pressure to grow numbers Lack of support from leadership Lack of interest from kids, teenagers, or parents Mental or emotional exhaustion Feeling discouraged Experiencing doubt or questions in my own faith I've been doing okay

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