2017 Denominational Survey Results

The results from the 2017 Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) survey are in.

As part of the denominational ministry plan, Our Journey 2020, the CRCNA has contracted with Calvin College’s Social Research Center to administer a denominational survey every year.

All CRC-affiliated adults and older youth are welcome to respond to this survey every year as they are led. In order to ensure a healthy number of responses to the survey every year, however, CRC leaders have randomly assigned every CRC church to one of five “cohorts”.

Each cohort includes about 20 per cent of all active congregations. Each congregation will be asked to engage in active recruitment of responses to the survey just once every five years, according to their cohort.

In other words, every member of every CRC is welcome to participate in the survey every year, but each church will only be sought out and encouraged to respond once every five years.

In 2017, 216 churches were invited to recruit responses to the survey. A total of 1,596 people from 77 churches responded. A report outline the findings of this survey is attached.

This survey reports provides a glimpse of what congregations are thinking on various topics and shows where the denomination can assist them in such areas as discipleship or collaboration. It is a baseline against which future changes in the desired futures of Our Journey 2020 can be measured.

It is important to note, however, that this report represents only a small slice of the CRC. While it can point to some trends, it should not be used to make broad statements or lasting conclusions.

The 2018 survey will be launched in January 2018. Stay tuned to crcna.org/survey for more information.