“When I consult with congregations in pastoral transition, I often get a general question about developing some kind of survey for the parish. (The people who ask the question have a bit of trepidation, as if they fear being recruited to do the job.) I respond with specific details about the Church Assessment Tool and what deep forms of insight it’s going to give. Not every congregation loves the act of hearing an interpretation, but any who take it seriously will find a vast field of organizational intelligence they can use to help select the priest they know will bring what they know they actually need rather than what they believe they should want based only on impressions, aspirations, or conventional wisdom. They learn that it really is possible to make better decisions in less time, and with less anxiety.”
