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Overview of Surveys
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Church Activities Survey
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Attender Survey- Decide WHEN and HOW you will hold survey
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Share the purpose of the Attender Survey and invite people's involvement
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Consider goals for the survey at your church
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Checklist of key tasks to Prepare before your survey
Overview of Surveys
Church Activities Survey
Church Activities Survey: to be completed by one leader or administrator in August.
Each church may nominate an administrator or leader to complete the survey. Your church will receive the Church Activities in an initial mailing. When it arrives, provide this to your chosen leader or administrator for completion.
Church Life Surveys for Attenders
Attender Surveys: to be completed by churchgoers in September or October.
When is the best time for your church?
We encourage you to choose the time that best suits your church to complete your Attender Surveys, in September or October. Set aside 20 minutes in an activity of spiritual nurture e.g. worship service, mass or small group, for your churchgoers to complete the Attender Surveys.
How is your church gathering? Use online or paper surveys.
Depending on your church's circumstances, suggestions are offered in the Guide on how to best run the survey at your church. Survey options include paper and online surveys that can be adapted to various modes of gathering.
Notify your church of WHEN and HOW you will hold the survey
Let your church attenders know WHEN you plan to ask your church attenders to complete the Attender Survey, either a survey day or a survey period, during September or October.
A poster template is available for use (see below). You might also choose to inform them of HOW you might hold the survey e.g. face to face during a worship service or Mass, together online during a streamed service, or individually at home.
More details on how to conduct the survey are available in the Administer phase, coming soon.
Share the purpose of the survey
Share the purpose of the 2026 NCLS with your congregation and invite their participation. Affirm the value of the everyone’s contribution to build a sense of group ownership.
Every survey form represents the voice of a church attender, leader or child. The survey listens to their thoughts, opinions and experiences of church life.
It is designed to be a positive, inclusive process to reflect on ministry and mission together and to help equip leaders to build for the future.
Distribute a brochure or share online
Consider goals for how you might best use the survey process at your church
With your leadership team, consider your church's readiness to engage the survey process and determine some goals.
The survey is designed to listen to your churchgoers and help you evaluate your church's health and vitality in a positive process. This assessment then helps to identify and build on your strengths for the future. Local Church Stories are available to see how other churches use the NCLS process, along with a 5 steps process to help you get the most out of the survey experience at your church (see below).
Read Local Church Stories
See how other churches use a Church Life Survey and discuss ways your church might best utilise this process to review, evaluate and reflect on your church's vitality.
Consider 5 steps to a successful survey
Determine some goals on how your church will best use the survey experience to assess your health and vitality and discern your direction into the future.
Checklist of key tasks to Prepare before your survey
Church Activities Survey:
1. Nominate a leader or administrator to complete this survey during August.
Attender Surveys:
1. Decide WHEN and HOW you will complete the survey during September or October and notify your church.
2. Communicate the purpose of the survey to your church and leadership team.
3. Consider any goals you want to achieve from the survey process.