Congregational Survey, Fall 2023
A lot has changed since 2019. The pandemic upended our daily routine for more than two years. And some aspects of our lives will never be exactly the same. Who could have imagined in 2019 that we would embrace Zoom worship? That we would have been excited to see one another’s faces inside of little black squares? That we would have found new ways to greet one another, to share reading Scripture, to make music?
Now, in 2023, few restrictions from the pandemic remain and Old First’s sanctuary, now fully renovated, has been open for weekly worship for over a year.
It’s no secret, though, that attendance has fallen off considerably since 2019. The Elders and the Community Life SLG would like to understand a bit more about why.
We are asking you to complete this survey to help us better understand Old Firsters’ habits and routines around participating in the life of the congregation. We’re not wagging our fingers at you. This is not an effort to scold anyone into attending more regularly. We aren’t aiming to send anyone on a guilt trip. In fact, our supposition is that most people have not changed their sense of connection to Old First. That most people who considered Old First to be “their church” prior to the pandemic continue to feel that way. What has changed is their habits of attendance.
Understanding the roots and reasons for those changes will better help us plan ministries that meet the needs of the congregation. So that’s the reason for this exercise. The central question is: how have the habits of Old First’s members & friends changed since the pandemic, and how can we embrace those changes to effectively serve one another and our community at large?
We ask you to please complete the survey by September 30. The survey is anonymous. If you have any questions, please contact Devan in the church office.
