The CAT is a customizable assessment instrument that can help you as a leader:
- Measure the level of satisfaction and energy in the congregation you lead.
- Identify the critical success factors for improving organizational climate.
- Pinpoint the strengths of your congregation’s culture.
- Discover where members would like to go in the future.
- Gauge readiness for change.
- Uncover potential resources you may be missing.
- Prepare for a search for your next pastor or priest.
“What if we want to add something to our CAT?” No problem! You can:
- Add up to two supplemental modules of your choosing (see CAT supplemental modules below)
- Add up to five additional questions specific to your church
Supplemental Questions:
Supplemental questions can be pulled from modules that were not selected or can be drafted by church leadership to help answer questions about congregational needs.
Please avoid questions regarding decisions on who will be your next clergy, decisions around who you are and are not willing to hire in leadership roles, and other important specific congregational outcomes that need further discussion.
Clergy Language:
In addition, we will modify the language of the assessment to reflect the title of your senior ordained leader. For example, “our pastor/rector,” “our interim pastor/rector,” “our former pastor/rector,” etc. We suggest using “interim pastor/rector” for interims who have been in the congregation for over 6 months and “former pastor/rector” for those pastors or rectors that have been gone for less than 4-6 months.
For the interpretation of your CAT results we recommend you have leaders of your congregation present including your church board, mission study team, strategic planning team, search team, etc.
More information
Sample of Vital Signs Report from Congregation Assessment Tool
Informational Handouts about the CAT
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
What does this cost? Cost of the CAT
How does the timeline for the CAT work? 8 Steps to your CAT
What modules can you pick from? CAT MODULES
Need more information about the clergy questions or about clergy transitions? Clergy Questions and Transitions.
What does the Transition Plan and Vital Leader Report Look like? Transition and Vital Leader Report Sample
Best Practices for an Interpretation