PRELIMINARY DATA from UCC FACT Survey

FINDINGS from UCC FACT Survey March, 2011

Results are based on the responses of 642 congregations. Because the interfaith project is still underway, please do not publicly distribute these findings.

Patterns of Weekend Worship Sunday AM 3 or more services 1% Sunday AM 2 services 11%

Sunday evening 5%

Friday 1%

Saturday 3%

Sunday AM 1 service 79%

5-Year Changes in Worship Changed a lot 5%

Changed somewhat 19%

Changed a little 31%

Added different service 9%

No change 36%

Average Worship Attendance 2010 30% 20% 15% 10% 5%

ve r5

00

0

People in Attendance

O

to

50

0 1 20

1

to

20

0 15 15

10

1

to

10 0 to

75 76

to

50 51

to 26

to

25

0% 1

Percent

25%

Change in Attendance, 2005-2010 30

Percent

25 20 15 10 5 0 1

to

25 26

to

50 51

to

75 76

to

0 10

2005

1 10

to

0 15

2010

1 15

to

0 20 1 20

to

0 50

r ve O

0 0 5

Components of Worship Kneeling Testimony Children read Healing prayer Electric guitar/bass Drums Communion Projection Choir Passing the Peace Organ Prayers of the people 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Percent of Churches Always

Often

Sometimes

Seldom

80

90

100

Descriptions of Worship Innovative Reverent Inspirational Joyful Thought-provoking Filled w/ God's presence

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Percent of Churches Very Well Quite Well Somewhat Slightly

90

100

Clergy Rating of Worship Excellent 30%

Needs improvement 2%

OK 15%

Solid, good 53%

Programs and Activities of at least 65% of Congregations Children's programs Adult faith devel. Youth activities Women's ministry Bible Studies Fellowship activities Music program Sunday school Community services 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Percent of Churches Specialty

A lot of emphasis

Some emphasis

80

90

100

Programs and Activities of Fewer than 65% of Congregations Sports Parenting Spiritual retreats Young adult activities Children's choir Support groups Men's ministry Prayer groups

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Percent of Churches Specialty

A lot of emphasis

Some emphasis

80

90

100

Ways Visitors are Contacted Rarely have visitors Rarely contact By visit Send info By email By phone By mail

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Percent Using Each Method

80

90

100

Mission Activities Sent long-term volunteers Sponsored trip overseas Sponsored a child Sponsored US trip Hosted speaker Collected items Collected $

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Percent of Congregations Doing Each Activity

100

How Congregations Distribute their Mission Donations 23%

25 % through UCC through other agencies own projects

• 10% gave nothing through UCC; 5% gave all through UCC • 22% gave nothing through other agencies, 1% gave all through other agencies 51% • 31% gave nothing through self-generated projects, 2% gave all through selfgenerated projects

Community Ministries Job help AIDS Immigrants Financial counseling Voter ed Tutoring Health ed Day care Social issues Elderly Cash assist Food Pantry

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Percent of Congregations with this Ministry

90

100

Emphasis on Religious Practices Dietary restrictions Fasting No premarital sex Keeping Sabbath Family devotions Tithing Family talk re faith Personal Bible study Personal prayer 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Percent of Churches Emphasizing the Practice A lot

Quite a bit

Some

A little

90

100

Use of Electronic Media Other On-line giving Podcasts Blogs VANCO Facebook Web site E-mail

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Percent Using Each

70

80

90

100

Mission and Identity Not distinctive Moral beacon Clear mission Willing to change Works for justice Participates in UCC Celebrates heritage Spiritually alive Wants diversity Holds strong beliefs Close-knit family Wants to grow 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Percent of Churches Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral/unsure

Disagree

Strongly disagree

100%

Theological Outlook of Congregation Very liberal 11% Somewhat liberal 23%

Very conservative 4%

Moderate 38%

Somewhat conservative 24%

Regular Participants in Religious Activities

20 15 10 5

00

0

ve r5

O

to

50

0 1 20

1

to

20

0 15 15

10

1

to

10 0 to

75 76

51

to

50 to

26

to

25

0 1

Percent of Congregations

25

Number of Regular Participants

Un 0 de r5 5 to 10 10 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 90 90 to 95 95 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation that is White 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Percent White

No 1 ne to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 30 to 40 40 to 50 50 to 60 60 to 70 70 to 80 80 to 90 90 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation Aged 65 or Over 25

20

15

10

5

0

Percent 65 or Over

No 1 ne to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 30 to 40 40 to 50 50 to 60 60 to 70 70 to 80 80 to 90 90 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation Aged 50 to 64 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Percent 50 to 64

No 1 ne to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 30 to 40 40 to 50 50 to 60 60 to 70 70 to 80 80 to 90 90 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation Aged 35 to 49 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Percent 35 to 49

No 1 ne to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 30 to 40 40 to 50 50 to 60 60 to 70 70 to 80 80 to 90 90 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation Aged 18 to 34 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Percent Aged 18 to 34

No 1 ne to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 30 to 40 40 to 50 50 to 60 60 to 70 70 to 80 80 to 90 90 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation Aged 0 to 17 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Percent Aged 0 to 17

Percent Female 90

80

7o

65

60

55

50

45

40

30

20

10

1

99

90

80

70

65

60

55

50

45

40

30

20

10

10 0

to

to

to

to

to

to

to

to

to

to

to

to

to

0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation that is Female 35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Percent of the Congregation who are College Graduates 25 20 15 10 5 0 Un 0 de r5 5 to 10 10 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 90 90 to 95 95 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

30

Percent College Graduates

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Un 0 de r5 5 to 10 10 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 90 90 to 95 95 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation who are New in Past Five Years

Percent New

Un 0 de r5 5 to 10 10 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 90 90 to 95 95 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation who are “Out” LGBT 60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Percent LGBT

Un 0 de r5 5 to 10 10 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 90 90 to 95 95 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation who are Lifelong UCC 25

20

15

10

5

0

Percent Lifelong UCC

Percent of the Congregation Who Live within 15 Minutes of Church 25 20 15 10 5 0 Un 0 de r5 5 to 10 10 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 90 90 to 95 95 to 99 10 0

Percent of Congregations

30

Percent Living within 15 Minutes of Church

People Associated with the Congregation 25

15 10 5

Number of People

00

0

ve r5

O

to

50

0 1 20

1

to

20

0 15 15

10

1

to

10 0 to

75 76

51

to

50 to

26

to

25

0 1

Percent

20

Clergy Leadership Senior & Asso(s) 17%

No pastor 2%

Co-pastors 3%

Solo pastor 78%

Clergy Age and Gender Number of Clergy

140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 20s

30s

40s

50s Age

Female

60 to 64

Male

65 to 70 and 69 over

Clergy Employment Status Full-time paid 64%

Part-time unpaid 1%

Part-time paid 34%

Full-time unpaid 1%

Clergy Educational Level PhD/DMin 21%

High School 1% Some College Bachelor's 4% 9%

Masters/MDiv 65%

Clergy Race/Ethnicity Biracial 1%

Not stated 8%

African Native American American < 0.5% Asian 4% 2% Pacific Islander 1%

White 84%

Percent 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Year Called

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1998-1999

1996-1997

1994-1995

1992-1993

1990-1991

1980s

Before 1980

Year of Call to This Church

Time Spent in Ministry Tasks Leader devel. Stewardship Evangelism Small groups Conflict Youth/YA Wider church Community Setting vision Administration Teaching Pastoral care Worship

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Percent Great deal Quite a bit Some

Very little

80%

90%

100%

Participation in Interfaith Activities Fellowship

Cultural events

Service

Worship 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Percent of Congregations With Christians

With Other Faiths

70

80

90

100

Conflicts in Last 5 Years Finances Worship General Synod Pastor's leadership Members' behavior Facilities Program priorities Pastor's behavior

0

10

20

30

40

50

Percent None

Not serious

60

70

80

90

100

Conflicts in Last 5 Years Facilities General Synod

Program priorities Worship Members' behavior

Finances Pastor's behavior Pastor's leadership

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Percent Pastor left

People withheld $

People left

80

90

100

Percent 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Budget in Thousands of Dollars Over 1M

500K to 1M

400 to 500K

350 to 400K

300 to 350K

250 to 300K

200 to 250K

175 to 200K

150 to 175K

125 to 150K

100 to 125K

75 to 100K

50 to 75K

25 to 50K

Less than 25K

Size of 2010 Budget

Percent Spent on Staff 10 0

nd 0 er 10 10 to 2 20 0 to 3 30 0 to 4 40 0 to 5 50 0 to 6 60 0 to 7 70 0 to 8 80 0 to 9 90 0 to 99

U

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Budget Spent on Staff 30

25

20

15

10

5

0

10 0

nd 0 er 10 10 to 2 20 0 to 3 30 0 to 4 40 0 to 5 50 0 to 6 60 0 to 7 70 0 to 8 80 0 to 9 90 0 to 99

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 U

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Budget Spent on Building Operations

Percent Spent on Building Operations

Percent Spent on Program Support

10 0

nd 0 er 10 10 to 2 20 0 to 3 30 0 to 4 40 0 to 5 50 0 to 6 60 0 to 7 70 0 to 8 80 0 to 9 90 0 to 99

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 U

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Budget Spent on Program Support and Materials

Percent Spent on Mission 10 0

nd 0 er 10 10 to 2 20 0 to 3 30 0 to 4 40 0 to 5 50 0 to 6 60 0 to 7 70 0 to 8 80 0 to 9 90 0 to 99

U

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Budget Spent on Mission 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

10 0

nd 0 er 10 10 to 2 20 0 to 3 30 0 to 4 40 0 to 5 50 0 to 6 60 0 to 7 70 0 to 8 80 0 to 9 90 0 to 99

U

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Budget Spent on Other Expenditures

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Percent Spent on Other Expenditures

Percent who Pledge 10 0

nd 0 er 10 10 to 2 20 0 to 3 30 0 to 4 40 0 to 5 50 0 to 6 60 0 to 7 70 0 to 8 80 0 to 9 90 0 to 99

U

Percent of Congregations

Percent of the Congregation who Pledge 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Percent of the Congregation who Pay Pledges in Full (of Pledgers) 25 20 15 10 5

Percent who Pay Pledge in Full

10 0

nd 0 er 10 10 to 2 20 0 to 3 30 0 to 4 40 0 to 5 50 0 to 6 60 0 to 7 70 0 to 8 80 0 to 9 90 0 to 99

0 U

Percent of Congregations

30

Percent

Change in Financial Health, 2005-2010 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

2005 2010

Serious Some Tight, but Good difficulty difficulty we manage

Excellent

Percent

Impact of 2008-09 Economic Crisis 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Income Declined a Declined No Income has declined a little but significant grown lot rebounded change

Ways the Economic Crisis Impacted Congregations Staff layoffs Hiring freeze $ for building Salary freeze $ for mission $ from investments 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Percent Reporting Some Impact Major

Moderate

Minor

90

100

Ways the Economic Crisis Impacted Congregations Housing requests Counseling requests Cash requests Members unemployed 0

20

40

60

80

Percent Reporting Some Impact Major

Moderate

Minor

100

Participation in Vitality Training 45 40 35

Percent

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Not at all

A little

Some

Significant

Impact of Still-Speaking Many new people attended Aroused controversy A few new people attended Members increased pride in UCC Members learned re UCC No impact 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Percent

70

80

90 100

Agreement with Vitality Components

Ready to try new Excitement about future Shared vision and goals Focused on wider community Morale is high Makes a real difference to members 0

10

20

30

40

50 Percent

Strongly agree

Agree

60

70

80

90

100

Agreement with “Our congregation is a vital congregation.”

Unsure or Mixed 21%

Disagree 8%

Strongly Disagree 2%

Strongly Agree 20%

Agree 49%

Ways the Congregation Changed in Last 5 Years Evangelizing Stewardship Organizational Mission Affect members Fellowship Spiritually 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Percent Great deal stronger

Moderately stronger

A little stronger

100

Location of Church

Older city neighborhood 11%

Older suburb 10%

Newer suburb 1%

Rural 19%

Downtown city 9% Large town 18%

Village/small town 32%

UCC Region Plains 16%

Great Lakes 22%

Western 15%

Southern 6% New England 21%

Middle Atlantic 20%

0

Sanctuary Seating Capacity

Over 1000

750-1000

500-750

400-500

300-400

250-300

200-250

150-200

100-150

50-100

50 or less

Percent of Churches

Sanctuary Seating Capacity

30

25

20

15

10

5

Year Organized Percent of Congregations

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1700 1701- 1751- 1801- 1851- 1901- 1951- Since or 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2000 earlier Organization Date

Percent of churches

Building Adequacy 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Much less Slightly than less needed

About right

Worship space

Slightly Much more more than needed

Parking