Cathedral Survey Results

On March 1, 2009, Sunshine Cathedral participated in the US Congregational Life Survey. The results from the survey will be part of a national database and gave us good baseline information for how a typical day in the life of Sunshine Cathedral looks. This snapshot shows us our strengths as well as areas where we can improve. Here is a brief summary of the survey results:

• Out of 524 people who worshiped with us on March 1^st, 319 took the survey (an excellent response).
• 92% of survey respondents indicated they attend Sunshine Cathedral worship services 2 or more times per month.
• 16% of the respondents had attended less than 1 year, while 40% had attended from 2 to 5 years. 43% attended for 6 or more years.
• 54% of the respondents were between the ages of 45 and 64.
• 12% of the respondents were women, 4% were Black / African American, and 7% were Hispanic. Because of the way the question was framed, however, we actually believe the number of Hispanics to be higher than reported.
• 89% of respondents said they usually or always experience inspiration and joy in worship.
• 91% of respondents said that church activities help them with daily living.
• 89% identified as progressive (either very liberal, liberal, or moderate… with liberal being the largest group).
• 75% agreed that “all the different religions are equally good ways of helping a person find ultimate truth.” 12% were neutral or unsure.
• 87% said their spiritual needs were being met at Sunshine Cathedral.
• 91% said “there is a good match between our congregation and our pastor.”
• 89% felt the congregation had a clear vision, goals, and direction for ministry (and 79% indicated they were personally committed to the vision and goals).
• 72% of respondents indicated they travel less than 20 minutes to get to church.
• About a fourth of the respondents indicated they were involved in group activities in the church, and compared to two years ago, 25% of congregants are participating MORE in activities of the church while 48% are participating at the same level they did 2 years ago.
• Almost a third of respondents claimed to have leadership roles in the congregation.
• More than two-thirds of respondents said they have close friends in the congregation.

We want to thank everyone who participated in the survey for helping us get a clearer picture of what we are doing well and what we still need to do better. You can read the full reports and analysis of the reports by clicking here.