Faith Communities Today

News From UU World, 8/21/06: New survey of UU congregations shows growth potential Interfaith Worship and Interfaith Cooperation Among Congregations Has Increased Significantly

2005 Survey Results and Reports

Background to the Faith Communities Today Survey

In the spring of 2000, more than forty faith groups participated in the first Faith Communities Today (FACT) survey. This was the largest survey of congregations ever conducted, and was the most inclusive, denominationally sanctioned program of interfaith cooperation in United States' history. The participating faith groups developed a core questionnaire of more than 200 questions covering six areas of church life. 500 of our Unitarian Universalist congregations (almost 50%) responded.

An interactive workbook available at www.fact.hartsem.edu  provided the first opportunity for individuals and congregations from differing faith groups to compare their actual practices with those of or differing faith traditions. Reports based on the 2000 FACT UUA responses are available.

The Cooperative Congregational Studies Project (CCSP) was formed in 2003 to continue the cooperative approach to interfaith research into congregational life modeled by the 2000 FACT survey. In the spring of 2005, 16 of our congregations were randomly selected to be included in a national interfaith survey conducted by CCSP.

In October of 2005, the UUA contracted with Calvin College to use the 2005 FACT questionnaire  to conduct a survey of all UUA congregations. The 2005 FACT survey was distributed electronically to all UU congregations for which we had valid email addresses and by regular mail for others. The FACT-2005 survey information  has been combined with data from the UUA directory and responses to the FACT-2000 survey. To the extent that the FACT 2000 and 2005 survey questions were duplicated, we have longitudinal data regarding actual congregational practices. The UUA directory data allow us to make comparisons based on congregation size and growth/decline patterns.

The following documents are posted in PDF format 

• 2005 Survey
• FACT Overview Report 2005
• Growth and Decline in Congregational Life Report 2005
  • Appendix: Maps
• FACT Young Adults Report 2005
• Congregational Size Reports
  • Mid-size Congregations
  • More size-specific reports coming
• 2005 Initial Report

For more information on these reports and the survey please contact Tracey Robinson-Harris at trobinsonharris@uua.org  or 617/948-6462, or Susanna Whitman. For hard copies of these reports or of the survey please contact Susanna Whitman, Growth Services Administrator, at swhitman@uua.org  or 617/948-4270.

Unitarian Universalist Association
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