Survey Results 2026

January 14, 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The transition team would like to share with you a summary of the findings from the two surveys we conducted over the summer and fall of this year. The objective of the surveys was to identify where the community saw itself in today�s world as believers and as a Christian community. As well as, their vision for the church and how to achieve it in five to ten years. There were several findings you might wish to consider when creating the call for a new pastor. Some are wonderful

confirmations and others are concerning.

We are providing a summary for each survey (pages 1-5) and copy of the survey results (pages 6-10) for your perusal. Enjoy! If you have questions, please reach out to one of the members of the Transition Team and we will do our best to answer them.

Blessings to all

Your Transition Team

FIRST SURVEY RESULTS

To refresh your memory the survey consisted of 27 questions. The questions asked to share some information about yourself, why you were here, what kept you coming back, and how active you want to be within the community and in our outreach.

So, let�s get started.

Eighty-six (86) people responded to many of the questions, but some questions went unanswered by anywhere from 1 to 20 people. You will see this in the survey summary attached.

We began by asking you to identify your age by a specific decade. We believe you will not be surprised to learn that 80% (69 respondents) were 60 years old and older, with the 70-year-old respondents being the largest group at 38% (33 respondents) replies.

Our second question was about how many years you have attended Zion. We only had 90% (77 people) respond to this question, however, we found the responses interesting and yet not surprising. The majority of people, 55% (42 replies), have been here 16 to 20 years. People who have been here for 1-15 years accounted for 45% (35 replies).

The next set of questions (3-7) regarded your knowledge of the mission of the church, how spiritually uplifting the service was for you, how engaged you felt with the congregation, how much you enjoyed the music during service, if you thought money was spent supporting our mission and if you believed people felt welcomed in our church.

The results were overwhelmingly positive. Yes, people, for the most part, knew the mission of the church and felt spiritually fed by the end of the service.

Eighty-six (86) people responded to the question about understanding the mission. 88% (76 people) thought they knew the mission well. Only 12% (10 people) felt they did not know it or were uncertain.

Eighty-six (86) people responded to the question about feeling spiritually fed because of the service. 81% (70 people) responded positively. While 19% (16 people) may not have felt any change. We questioned whether or not the number of supply pastors might have affected those 16 people since Pastor Dan left.

Eighty-one (81) people responded to the question regarding how the church cares about its members. 90% (73 people) definitely believed the church cares. 10% (8 people) were neutral and 2 did not feel the church cared for its people.

While only 75 responded about the music resonating with you, 87% (65 respondents) said definitely yes it does. 12% (9 respondents) were neutral and one did not have an interest in the music.

Only 64 people (74% of total respondents) gave an answer to the question asking if our spending aligns with our mission. However, 86% (55 respondents) definitely agreed it did. While 14% (9 people) were either neutral or unsure.

The final two questions (8 and 9) ,in this section pertained to feeling engaged in the church and feeling welcome at church. Once more not everyone took the opportunity to reply to these questions, however, the responses were primarily positive.

Seventy-eight (78) people responded to the question regarding a sense of engagement in the church. 74% (58 people) did feel positive regarding their sense of engagement in the church.

We had 83 people respond to whether or not they felt welcome at the church. 93% (77 people) definitely felt welcome at the church.

SECOND SURVEY RESULTS

To refresh your memory the survey consisted of 6 questions. The questions asked for people to share some information about their vision for the future. The summary of the first survey follows.

People were very optimistic about our future. They saw growth of the church and younger members taking up leadership roles as current members relinquish their current responsibilities.

They suggested the pastor would be someone who is capable of maintaining a rich relationship with all six generations and who can lead them into a deeper faith and growth within the church. The new pastor will be encouraged to continue supporting the ministries that are thriving, and to provide a new viewpoint that may invigorate and improve them. Backing retreats was also a desire for the future pastor.

When questioned as to whether or not we should have a support committee for the pastor and their family the response was affirming. This is a new ministry that could be quite robust and rewarding for all parties in the future. While continuing to support the ministries that are thriving, they believed it is important to have a new viewpoint that may invigorate and improve them.

People knew what ministries they wished to continue into the foreseeable future. The two services and music have been quite successful and has developed with much consideration. As with good Christians everywhere, we want to keep the potlucks, continue to be active in the denomination, and provide bible study for all generations. They also believed lay ministries, small groups and outreach should be maintained.

We closed with a universal opinion to call a pastor that can be most if not all that we believe will be needed to guide us in the future. There was continued concern to ensure that everyone�s opinion matters, no matter what your age. While the sermon was addressed earlier there was concern for having the message to be applicable in daily life.

We are aware there is a limited interest by young people to be pastors today. We do believe Zion is a thriving, enthusiastic, and spiritual community that is welcoming to all and would be a perfect fit for a pastor whose faith and leadership style blends with who we are and our vision for the church community.

The detailed summary are the next two pages.

Summary of the First Survey�s Questions as to Who We Are Today. Summary of Questions 1-9

We have an older community who have been members of this church for a long time. Most people understand the mission and believe the church is welcoming to new people and to those who are not new.

Summary of Questions 10-13

We feel the service is uplifting and the music resonates with most people. We do believe that we are a caring community that spends our money on missional activities.

Three of the next four questions basically asked similar questions as found in 1-9. The results validated that the majority believe the programs are engaging and enjoyable. People, old and new, feel welcomed, faith is strengthened by attending church and people feel encouraged and enabled to use their God given talents for the church.

Summary of Questions 14-16

What you enjoyed about the service, what were your favorite parts of the service, and how you felt about the duration of sermons were the next questions in the survey.

The next two questions looked at the services and what parts were enjoyed, and which parts were the respondents� favorites. Music came out on top in both questions. Fellowship, worship and sermons ranked 2, 3 and 4, in that order.

When asked which were the favorite elements of a service, respondents ranked as the top two, music and the sermon. All else was comparatively similar in ranking.

Question 16 was asked to help the future pastor understand how the congregation feels about the duration of sermons. Most, 65% (52 respondents), believed the current sermons were �just right� while a fair representation 28% (22 respondents) of the respondents felt they were a bit too long. So, 10-12 minutes will keep the congregation�s attention while any longer may be considered less effective.

Summary of Questions 17-18

Questions 17 and 18 asked about your attitude towards outreach. First, 64% (52 respondents) said they would likely ask someone to church and 36% (29 respondents) were unsure or unlikely to ask someone to join them in service.

The responses to question 18 indicated people did feel the church was proactive in outreach to the community.

Summary of questions 19-24

When it came to activities the potlucks were well received as was bible study. About half the respondents would like to see a copy of all the church activities available. While email and paper versions of the activities were the primary way the respondents wished to be informed, there was one 80-year-old who wanted the list texted to him/her. Thought that was wonderful.

When asked how the respondents liked to contribute to our mission, 43% (23 respondents) preferred monetarily while 36% (19 respondents) were interested in assisting with services.

Questions 23-24 referring to relationships had fewer responses. What drew you to Zion originally had 69 responses (80% of all respondents) and 64 of these respondents had developed a strong bond with others.

The responses were enlightening. Thirty-three percent (23 respondents) originally came because of family. The church�s location had 23% (16 respondents) while the church itself attracted 10 people and being a Lutheran church brought 9 people. What was interesting was that programs only brought 7 people to the church originally.

Once here, 59% (38 respondents) did develop strong bonds with others while 19% (12 respondents) did not.

Summary of Questions 25-27

These questions asked why the respondents would recommend the church, to characterize the worship style, and the respondents� favorite preaching style. We recommend that they be read in their entirety. They will be made available through email or hard copy at a later date.

These answers are wonderful and reflective of the attitude of this congregation. This survey describes the love, appreciation, and joy the respondents experience as members of Zion Lutheran Church.

Summary of the Questions from the Meeting Regarding the Future of the Church

Prepared by the Transition Team

Q1 What do you envision for the future of our church?

Growth, evangelism, mentor and encourage younger generations to take leadership roles.

Spiritual leader with administrative and communication skills

Experienced pastor who is able to blend with all six generation.

Continuing the thriving child care ministry and enhancing the you groups ministry

Continue the contemporary and traditional music ministry.

Q2 Ideally, what are the five top characteristics you would like to see in a new pastor?

Vibrant personality that is a good listener, who has energy. Enjoys humor while having compassion and empathy. God centered preacher whose faith is reflected in their words and action.

Bible based preaching that applies to our daily lives.

Q3 We are proposing to create an ongoing support team for the new pastor and his/her family. What would your suggestions be for the support team?

We should be aware of the pastor and his/her family�s changing needs and assist with those needs

Q4 What do you want retained from our past and present? i.e. music, two services, programs, etc.

Keep music

Keep two service

Keep potluck

Keep active in the denomination

Keep bible study

Keep lay ministries

Maintain our small groups and outreach

Q5 What sort of programs and activities would you like to see the new pastor encourage?

Zion is strong in its current programs, but a new viewpoint may invigorate and improve them

Support the existing programs that are viable

Encourage retreats

Q6 What other question/ ideas do you have?

Male or female pastor, younger or older, new graduate or experienced

Everyone has a voice, no matter your age

Bring message into daily life