Improve member engagement and satisfaction with church surveys.
Even the most thoughtfully prepared sermon or well-planned church event doesn’t always resonate as expected. Maybe attendance was lower than anticipated, or feedback afterward was unclear.
In many cases, church leaders are left wondering what worked, what didn’t, and why. Without direct input, it’s difficult to know how congregants feel or how to strengthen their engagement.
That’s where church surveys come in. They provide a simple yet powerful way to listen to your church family, gather feedback on programs, services, and spiritual needs, and make informed decisions that support a more connected and thriving church community.
This guide explains the value of church surveys and includes 140 sample question ideas to help you begin collecting meaningful insights.
Church surveys are valuable tools for strengthening connections and gaining clarity. To grow both spiritually and operationally, churches rely on meaningful feedback from their members—and surveys provide a structured way to gather it.
In 2023, 45% of Americans reported belonging to a church or synagogue. Despite this engagement, churches may still face challenges such as declining attendance, limited insight into program effectiveness, or signs of member disengagement.
Distributing nonprofit surveys empowers church leadership with data-driven insights to better understand their congregation's needs and priorities. These insights ultimately support informed decisions that strengthen community satisfaction and long-term impact.
A church survey questionnaire is a tool for gathering input from congregation members, volunteers, and first-time visitors.
Churches can use surveys to collect feedback on a wide range of topics—from service times and sermon length to worship music preferences and donation transparency. These insights support informed decisions in areas such as events, leadership, giving, and community outreach.
Use our customizable Church Survey Questionnaire Template to help you better understand your congregation’s needs and perspectives.
You can gather a slew of information with church surveys, but you need to ask the right questions. Here, you’ll find 140 survey questions, allowing you to assess all aspects of your church—from leadership to programs.
Worship services are meant to educate and unite the congregation. However, various factors can sometimes impact the overall experience. These church survey questions can help you gather honest feedback from church members, revealing what resonates, what doesn't, and how your services can better meet the needs of your community.
Church leaders and staff are responsible for shaping the direction of the church and making decisions that serve the entire congregation. These church survey questions can help you gain insight into leadership styles, roles, and effectiveness.
The church supports members’ spiritual growth and provides discipleship opportunities to strengthen their faith. Collect feedback on your discipleship program with these church survey questions.
Get a clearer picture of how your church programs and ministries, like the children’s ministry, worship team, greeting team, and missions team, are serving your congregation. Use these church survey questions as a starting point to gather meaningful, actionable feedback.
Volunteer engagement is essential for churches that organize community events and outreach programs. Whether it's a bake sale, Vacation Bible School, a children’s sports camp, or another ministry effort, many activities rely on dedicated volunteers. These church survey questions can help church leaders better understand members’ interests, availability, and willingness to serve.
Sample questions are a great start, but if you’re ready to deploy surveys and get answers quickly, try our expert-written Volunteer Sign-up Form Template, Volunteer Feedback Survey Template, and Volunteer Application Form Template.
Community fundraisers and other church events take time and effort to plan and execute. Discover the congregation's perspective on getting involved and learn how to enhance church attendance. These nonprofit survey questions are perfect for churches.
The church facilities should foster a healthy environment that supports congregants in worshiping and growing together. These facilities and environment survey questions will help you understand how to make improvements.
Get to know how church members feel about your church’s communication methods, frequency, and messages. These church survey questions about technology and communication will help improve the member experience.
Charitable giving, tithing, and stewardship are integral to church membership. Collect feedback from your congregation on their experience as stewards of the church using these sample survey questions.
It’s essential to understand the initial impressions of first-time visitors and their overall experience of the worship service. Use these sample survey questions to gain insight into the experiences of first-time visitors.
Those who host church events know that getting feedback from regular attendees helps improve future events for members. Use these sample event feedback survey questions to help you get started.
Church surveys can help you support members in their spiritual journey by identifying their concerns and formulating solutions. Use these sample survey questions to meet member needs with church support services.
Offer church members a suggestion box or send open feedback surveys with qualitative questions. Gather feedback from congregants on how your church supports its members’ faith journeys with these sample questions.
It’s vital for church leaders to monitor their congregation’s overall church experience to identify areas for improvement. These sample survey questions are designed to gauge church member satisfaction.
With the SurveyMonkey Question Bank, you can access a library of expert-certified questions designed to minimize bias and deliver accurate insights.
Creating a survey is a simple way to gather feedback from congregants on their experience at your church. Here’s a step-by-step guide to planning, writing, formatting, and distributing church surveys.
First, determine the purpose of sending your church survey.
For example, you might notice low participation in church activities. You can conduct surveys to identify why survey participants aren't attending, perform better event planning, and re-engage members.
In addition, you may send an online registration form to re-engage church attendees in ministry.
By clarifying your goal, you can develop more targeted church surveys and collect feedback that helps you better serve your congregants.
Use our customizable Online Event Registration Form Template to register church members.
Once you’ve defined your goals and objectives for your church survey, you can start developing the specific questions.
When drafting your questions, it's important to keep them concise and relevant to the survey’s purpose. This approach will make it easier for respondents to complete the survey, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting honest and thoughtful responses.
Additionally, consider open-ended questions to gather additional comments that close-ended questions can not capture.
Remember, well-crafted questions are key to gathering meaningful insights that can help your church better serve its congregants.
You can also start with our 400+ expert-written survey templates.
Once you’ve written your church survey questions, the next step is to choose an appropriate distribution method to reach your target audience.
SurveyMonkey offers versatile options for distributing your survey, including:
Selecting the right distribution channel depends on your audience's preferences and the nature of your survey.
For example, SMS could be more effective for quick, on-the-go responses, and embedding on a webpage allows for easy access to new visitors.
Take the time to thoroughly analyze the feedback you receive from your church survey, carefully reviewing each response to identify common themes, recurring concerns, and suggestions for improvement.
This detailed examination will help you pinpoint specific areas where your church community can grow and improve. By understanding these insights, you can develop targeted strategies to enhance worship services, community engagement, and overall church activities, ultimately fostering a more welcoming environment for all members.
Here are a few tips for collecting feedback from church members on their satisfaction levels.
Collecting demographic information, such as age, gender, and household makeup, can help church leaders tailor ministry efforts and outreach more effectively. This data provides valuable context that allows leadership to better understand the makeup of the congregation and meet members’ needs with greater care and relevance.
When designing your survey, clarity and relevance are key. Use straightforward language, avoid jargon, and include a variety of question types to capture well-rounded feedback. A balanced mix of rating scales, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions allows you to gather both quantitative and qualitative data for deeper, more personal insights.
To increase your survey’s response rate, consider sending follow-up email reminders to church members. For those who may be less comfortable with technology, offering printed copies after Sunday services is a thoughtful way to ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate.
Protecting the privacy of church members is essential when collecting survey responses. Clearly communicate how the information will be used and prioritize anonymity to foster trust and encourage honest feedback. Avoid including any identifying details to help ensure responses remain confidential.
Surveys are an excellent means of collecting feedback from church members to inform decision-making. Trusted survey templates, such as those from SurveyMonkey, help churches and other nonprofits gather more valuable insights. Gather feedback on community events or Sunday services to enhance the congregation’s experience.
Get started sending church surveys today with SurveyMonkey.
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