Jesus said that the goal of the discipleship journey is a life in which we love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength and love others the way we have been loved by God.

In spring 2010, 517 members of our church family responded to a congregational survey about their own relationships with Christ, their spiritual practices, and how the church might help them grow spiritually--what we call the Discipleship Pathway. Comparing demographics of respondents an the church members and attenders--marital status, ages, family status, length of involvement at church, etc), responders were generally representative of the congregation.

 Here are some key findings.

Good News from God's People!

• We're growing spiritually. 64 percent of respondents identified themselves as Christians who are going deeper and eager for more growth or a mature Christian who life is centered on Jesus Christ.  58 percent said they have experienced growth while attending Hyde Park.
  
  
• Daily prayer is associated with feeling closer to Christ. 62 percent of Mature Christians and 33 percent of those Growing Deeper pray daily.
  
  
• Reflecting on Scripture increases with spiritual growth. Two-thirds of responders say they regularly rely on their Bible as a resource. 26 percent of Mature Christians reflect on scripture daily.
  
  
• Financial Generosity increases with spiritual growth. With each stage of spiritual growth, members report they give a higher percentage of their income to the church.
  
  
• Inviting others to church increases with spiritual growth. Almost 80 percent of responders said they are comfortable or very comfortable inviting others to worship at Hyde Park. Those who report greater spiritual maturity are more likely to invite friends than those who say they are "getting started."
  
  
• Most participate in small group community to grow spiritually and connect with others. 63 percent reported participating in a small group or class at Hyde Park in the past six months.T he top reasons stated were to grow in faith and connect with others.
  
  
• Participating in worship is directly correlated with spiritual growth. Those who are growing spiritually or Mature Christian are more likely to worship weekly. Regular attenders choose their Hyde Park worship services for varied reasons; style of music, service times, and desire to attend with friends or family were top three cited.
  
  
• This is a congregation that serves church and community. 81 percent of responders said they had served in the church or community in the past six months--from those Exploring or Getting Started to Mature Christians.

For a printable summary of survey findings, click here.

The Hyde Park United Methodist Congregational Survey was developed by a lay-staff team sharing gifts and service to the congregation.  Survey was implemented primarily online using the web-based SurveyMonkey tool, with printed surveys available for those who expressed preference. Special thanks to Herb Young and Linda Archer for sharing their gifts in data analysis for the mission and ministry of Hyde Park.

What's next?

The Hyde Park Ministry Leadership Council and other staff and lay ministry leaders have been provided and will continue to use data from this survey in planning future ministry and church activities that support members' spiritual growth at Hyde Park. This 2010 data on current spiritual practices also may serve as a benchmark for future surveys on the same issues, allowing the congregation to see changes over time.

For more information, contact Martha Chamberlain.