Kids & Youth Ministry Survey Question Title * 1. Which age groups do you work with? Preschool Elementary Preteens Middle school High school Young adults Adults Question Title * 2. What is your role at your church? Lead, Executive, or Campus Pastor Ministry leader Staff member Volunteer Other (please specify) Question Title * 3. Where is your church located? Question Title * 4. Where is your church located? Question Title * 5. How many adults typically attend your weekly services? 0—100 101—250 251—500 501—1,000 More than 1,000 Question Title * 6. What is your average weekly attendance in children's ministry (birth—elementary)? 0—25 26—50 51—100 101—250 More than 250 Question Title * 7. What is your average weekly attendance in youth ministry (middle school—high school)? 0—25 26—50 51—100 101—250 More than 250 Question Title * 8. How would you describe your ministry's setting? Urban Suburban Rural Online Question Title * 9. What is your church's denominational affiliation (if you have one)? Baptist Methodist Lutheran Mainline: includes American Baptist Churches, Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, United Church of Christ, United Methodist, and Presbyterian Church, USA Charismatic or Pentecostal: includes Assemblies of God, Church of God (Cleveland), Foursquare, United Pentecostal and Vineyard Non-denominational Other (please specify) Question Title * 10. How many years have you been in ministry? 0—2 3—5 6—10 11—20 More than 20 Question Title * 11. What currency do you get paid your salary in? Question Title * 12. What is your total annual income? Please select the currency below USD EUR GBP JPY CHF CAD AUD CNY INR SAR Question Title * 13. What is your annual salary or compensation for your ministry role? I am a volunteer 0—$20,000 $20,000—$39,999 $40,000—$59,999 $60,000—$79,999 $80,000—$99,999 More than $100,000 Question Title * 14. Is your salary for full-time or part-time work? Full-time Part-time Question Title * 15. What is your age range? Under 18 18—24 25—34 35—44 45—54 55—64 Over 65 Question Title * 16. What is your gender? Male Female Prefer not to say Additional comments Question Title * 17. What is your race and/or ethnicity? American Indian or Alaska Native (for example, Navajo Nation, Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government, Nome Eskimo Community, Aztec, Maya, etc.) Asian (for example, Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, etc.) Black or African American (for example, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, Somali, etc.) Hispanic or Latino (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican, Guatemalan, etc.) Middle Eastern or North African (for example, Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Israeli, etc.) Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (for example, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, Fijian, Marshallese, etc.) White (for example, English, German, Irish, Italian, Polish, Scottish, etc.) Prefer not to say Question Title * 18. How does your church define discipleship for kids and teenagers? Teaching biblical truth Helping kids and students 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 experiences Helping kids and students take ownership of their faith I’m not sure we have a shared definition Other (please specify) Question Title * 19. Which of the following are part of your church’s discipleship strategy for kids and teenagers? Weekly large group teaching Weekly small groups One-on-one mentoring Service opportunities Practicing spiritual disciplines Bible reading plans or devotionals Events or retreats focused on spiritual growth Opportunities for kids or teenagers to lead We don’t currently have a formal discipleship strategy Other (please specify) Question Title * 20. Which of the following spiritual habits are regularly and intentionally taught in your ministry? Spending time with God through personal spiritual disciplines Spending time with others through healthy community Using your gifts to serve God and others Sharing faith stories about who God is and what God is doing in our lives We don’t currently focus on spiritual habits Other (please specify) Question Title * 21. What’s your biggest barrier to discipling kids and teenagers effectively? Lack of resources or curriculum support Lack of time Not enough support from volunteers We aren't sure how Other (please specify) Question Title * 22. When planning your teaching calendar, which of the following do you use? 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 planning process Question Title * 23. How far in advance is your teaching calendar typically planned? A full year in advance 3–6 months in advance 1 month in advance 1 week in advance Our planning is inconsistent Question Title * 24. Who gives input on your teaching topics? (Other than the Holy Spirit, of course!) Lead pastor Ministry team Volunteers Kids or teenagers Parents Just me Question Title * 25. What are your biggest struggles with teaching? 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 Finding a curriculum I like Other (please specify) Question Title * 26. How many major events does your kids or youth ministry plan in a year? None 1—2 3—4 5 or more Question Title * 27. In a typical year, what are the goals of your special events? Fun and relationship building Discipleship or teaching Outreach to the community Parent engagement Volunteer connection Serving others Worship Other (please specify) Question Title * 28. How do you usually come up with your event ideas? Repeat last year’s ideas Collaborate with my team Ask kids or teenagers Search online or buy a resource We rarely plan events Other (please specify) Question Title * 29. What are your biggest struggles with events? 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 (please specify) Question Title * 30. How often do you provide some kind of volunteer training or development? Weekly Monthly Quarterly Annually All of the above We don’t have regular training Question Title * 31. In the past 12 months, how have you appreciated volunteers? Handwritten notes Meals or snacks Social media shoutouts Celebration event Specific encouragement We haven’t had a plan for appreciation Other (please specify) Question Title * 32. What makes it hardest to keep volunteers engaged long-term? Burnout Schedule conflicts Lack of commitment Lack of community Not enough support Other (please specify) Question Title * 33. What are your biggest struggles with recruiting volunteers? 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 (please specify) Question Title * 34. What’s your current method of communicating with families? Email Texts or messaging apps Social media Printed handouts In-person announcements We don’t communicate regularly Other (please specify) Question Title * 35. How often do you host events or other in-person touchpoints for parents? Monthly or more Every few months Once a year Never Question Title * 36. In your experience, how engaged are parents with your ministry? Highly engaged Somewhat engaged Minimally engaged Not engaged Unsure Question Title * 37. What are your biggest struggles with parents? 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 as well as I would like to 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 Other (please specify) Question Title * 38. What does your ministry do on a regular basis to help kids or teenagers feel emotionally and socially safe in your space? 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 We give our environments fun themes that are kid- or teenager-friendly None of the above Other (please specify) Question Title * 39. How often do you evaluate or adjust your physical environment to support your teaching goals? Every month or more Every quarter Once or twice a year Rarely Never Question Title * 40. How would you describe the atmosphere of your ministry environment on a typical week? 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 Question Title * 41. What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to creating effective ministry environments? 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 (please specify) Question Title * 42. How does your team typically plan your upcoming ministry year? 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 Question Title * 43. When planning for a new ministry year, who are the types of people in the room? Paid staff Volunteers Senior leadership Kids or teenagers Parents Just me Question Title * 44. What are your biggest struggles with annual ministry planning? I’m too busy to plan ahead I don’t know how to plan my year strategically 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 (please specify) Question Title * 45. In the past 12 months, how often have you tried something completely new in your ministry? Once a month or more A few times a year Once Not at all Question Title * 46. Where do you typically look for new ideas or inspiration for ministry? 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 Question Title * 47. Which of the following have you personally struggled with in the past 6 months? 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 Other (please specify) Question Title * 48. What is your email address? We'd like to send you the results of our research! Page1 / 1 100% of survey complete. Done
