IDENTIFY WHO is going take the assessment. This is called the Assessment Roll.
The words to keep in mind when developing this list are “invested and able.”
A person demonstrates their investment in the future of the church through some combination of worship attendance, participation/leadership in ministry/education, and/or financial support.
An able person is someone with the maturity and experience in the church to understand the importance of the assessment and who can accurately interpret the questions. They must also possess the ability to complete the assessment in one sitting.
The Assessment Roll is typically a list of adult members and active non-members with the following categories removed:
- Those who live permanently out of town
- Those who have neither contributed nor attended in the last 12 months
- Those who are physically or emotionally unable to cope with the assessment
- Those under 16 years of age
IDENTIFY WHEN you will run the assessment, typically a 3-4 week window.
IDENTIFY HOW you are going to deliver the assessment. You will likely be using a combination of a unique web link distributed by email and paper copies. Some churches with webmasters enjoy posting a password protected page on their website.
Compile a list of members on the Assessment Roll that have current email addresses (it is unlikely that you will have one for everyone). Develop an email blast template with these addresses.
You may want to make arrangements for church computers to be available to those who do not have access to computers at home. If your church has wireless internet capabilities, some folks will be willing to share their laptops to set up “computer labs” at designated times.
PAPER ASSESSMENTS You may need to make paper copies from the pdf provided for the few who cannot take the survey on-line. For more on paper assessments and how to handle them please click here.