Faith Community Assessment Survey

This faith community self-assessment tool is designed to help you select an appropriate pace to set your Welcoming Journey, from the cautious to the adventuresome. In conjunction with the Building an Inclusive Church (BIC) Toolkit, these may serve as helpful guides to both the pace a Welcoming Journey should take and your faith community's overall temperament when considering disputed subjects.

Your Assessment Score

Scoring is from 1 to a possible 5 points and is question-specific; for questions that do not seem applicable or may be unknown, score those with a "3." Each person participating in the assessment process should take the assessment individually, as one person may experience their community differently based on roles and circumstances. If using the downloadable PDF, each person should total the score on the Worksheet. (See further scoring instructions at the end of the PDF Worksheet.) If using the online assessment, input your email address for a record of your responses so you can compare with the others in your faith community.

Each Community is Unique

There is no perfect template for how to do this Welcoming Journey “correctly” in a faith community. Each core team is encouraged to adapt or develop its own curriculum and plan moving forward. Building the most suitable journey for your situation takes careful attention. Remember, as always, the building of solid relationships across ideological and affinity group lines, along with real engagement in the journey by a significant percentage of active community members are the best predictors of probable success.

How to Complete the Faith Community Assessment

Be critical and honest when you complete this Faith Community Assessment tool. It will not help you or your faith community to characterize the community differently than it really is. The best use of this Assessment is as a springboard for discussion and development of your own insights.

NOTE: As you engage with this tool, there may be terms you find unfamiliar where you may need ongoing learning. ReconcilingWorks offers a variety of resources on our website which can begin that individual learning and deepen awareness. Check out the ReconcilingWorks resource page at https://www.reconcilingworks.org/resources/.

Faith Community Assessment Form

1. Does the faith community already have a mission or welcoming statement which explicitly includes people of all sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions?

2. Are your rostered leaders and/or staff in favor of explicitly welcoming and including people of all sexual orientations and gender identities?

3. Are you aware of parents, family members, or loved ones of LGBTQIA+ persons in the faith community?

4. Are you aware of LGBTQIA+ persons in the faith community? (Those who've shared, not who you assume.)

5. Has the faith community already done or participated in blessings of LGBTQIA+ relationships?

6. How does the faith community receive and include new people?

7. Does the faith community welcome/include a diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions? [Choose from 1 to 5, with 1 being completely homogenous and 5 being overwhelmingly diverse. Use 3 for not applicable, or unknown.]

8. Is the faith community presently very homogeneous or quite diverse (ethnicity, class, ability, language, etc.)? [Choose from 1 to 5, with 1 being completely homogeneous and 5 being overwhelmingly diverse. Use 3 for not applicable, or unknown.]

9. How does the faith community handle change, conflict, or controversy? Choose from 1 to 5, with 1 being "avoids conflict" to 5 being "faces conflict head-on and keeps on loving each other!"

10. Who comes up with new ideas for ministry? (Score the highest number that applies)

11. Does your faith community have an openly LGBTQIA+ rostered leader?

12. Is the faith community educated about and currently working on other justice issues?

13. What is the prevailing faith community's understanding of the message of scripture?

14. Is the lay leadership of the faith community predominately cis-gender male or female? Choose from 1 to 5 with 1 being completely cis-gender male to 5 being completely cis-gender female. [*Cis-gender describes a person whose birth-assigned sex and gender identity are the same.]

15. Does the faith community use inclusive language in worship or while in community with one another?

16. Relationships within the faith community:

17. Assess the political temperament of the faith community. Score from 1 completely conservative to 5 completely liberal/progressive

18. Has your faith community engaged in studies on sexuality?

19. What percentage of adults who attend services/meetings typically come to an adult forum or other adult educational opportunities?

20. Is your faith community a member of a denominational synod or region that has declared itself Welcoming?

21. Do you have a female identifying rostered leader?

22. Does your town/city/state have a non-discrimination policy for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities?

23. Does your rostered leader use examples including people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in sermons, messages, or communications?

24. Have the youth of your faith community expressed an opinion on becoming Welcoming? (If no youth group, select 3.)

25. Size/type of faith community?

Reconciling Works