It's much easier to determine whether your church is growing or declining than to decipher the spiritual health of your congregation. Church leaders don't have to go to much trouble to add up average attendance figures for weekend worship and divide by the number of new believers to determine the percentage of evangelistic growth. But setting other barometers becomes more complex.

Ask the Questions

Does the music in your worship services lead people to worship?

Are church members involved in regular Bible study?

Do they believe in prayer and meet regularly to pray for the church?

Do church members regularly share their faith with others?

Are visitors truly welcome or do they simply mingle with a group of polite strangers?

Who does the church minister to and who does it neglect?

These are some of the 160 questions posed in the Church Health Survey—a tool developed specifically to measure a church's health in areas key to fulfilling its mission. The survey measures attendees' perceptions through questions that relate to beliefs about God, Jesus and what it means to be a Christian.

There are no simple, numerical answers. Instead, an in-depth analysis of a congregation is provided in a comprehensive, 50-page report.

While church growth is related to numbers, church health is related to how well the body of Christ functions in fulfilling God's mission and purpose. More specifically, healthy churches are most effective when the six purposes of Acts 2:42-47 are intentional, active and balanced: worship, fellowship, ministry, discipleship, prayer and evangelism.

Survey questions fall under each purpose to determine a church's strengths and weaknesses in ministry.

Often misconceptions come to light through the Church Health Survey. Larry Wartsbaugh, director of missions at the Fox Valley Baptist Association near Chicago, said when the truth is told through a congregational survey it can be disconcerting.

"You don't always like the answers you get," he said, "but it's important to know (the congregation's) perceptions. If you're not in touch with your membership, your ministry can suffer."

In particular, Wartsbaugh said the Church Health Survey impressed him because of the depth of research within it: "This isn't just some consultant's opinion you're getting, but the issues validated by the research."

Use the research

The Church Health Survey was developed by Dr. Thom Rainer and his research team at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. (Rainer is now president of LifeWay Christian Resources.) Hundreds of congregations of various sizes and denominations have used this tool to successfully ferret out church health issues.

"We used the Church Health Survey as part of a process to help us understand more about ourselves as a church," said Rick Hatley of Central Baptist Church in Winchester, Ky. "We were facing several critical decisions and the surveys helped us immensely in the process."

Decision-making is only one of several reasons churches consider surveying the congregation. The Church Health Survey has also been used to assess a congregation when attendance has plateaued or declined; after a change in pastoral leadership; when planning a major new effort in its life and ministry; after a shortfall in planned giving and/or offerings; or when developing a plan for building on its strengths and improving its weaknesses.

Church Central offers a FREE 9-question Church Health Quiz to determine if your church is a good candidate for the Church Health Survey.

Parkway Wesleyan Church in Roanoke, Va., had reached a plateau in attendance when the congregation opted to use the Church Health Survey in a consultation.

"We were able to see some key issues that we had overlooked," said minister John Ott. "We are now on the path to growth again."

Wayne Rhodes of Westsminster Presbyterian Church in Beaumont, Tex., said his church used the Church Health Survey to change its ministry course: "We have transformed from a dying downtown church to a vibrant inner city church with hope and promise!"

Other churches have used the survey to assess multiple congregations on a denominational level. Brian Suntken of St. Patrick Episcopal Church in Mooresville, S.C., said their entire diocese is using the Church Health Survey as part of strategic planning.

"The Church Health Survey is a fantastic tool that we will use for many of our congregations," Suntken said.

Church Central offers a five-level training program for church health consultants, which includes instruction in using the Church Health Survey and interpreting its outcomes. Church consultants are licensed after completing Level 1: Introduction to Church Health & Consulting. The annual license allows consultants to use the Church Health Survey in consultation with church leaders who are seeking to better understand their church's health.

Upcoming Church Consultant Training dates are August 22-24 and November 7-9 in Louisville, Ky. Register here.