Research Projects & Findings
The primary research project of the Cooperative Congregations Studies Partnership (CCSP) is Faith Communities Today (FACT), a series of national surveys of U.S. congregations.
This research is unique in many ways. Not only do the reports show the similarities and differences of congregational life among the faith traditions, but they also provide insightful trend line data reflecting the changing landscape of congregational life in the United States. In addition, special reports (INSIGHTS) investigate certain congregational practices and some of the major challenges facing congregations today.
To the end, CCSP seeks to conduct substantive research that provides meaningful information to congregations and their leaders. “Our goal is provide a public profile of the heart and soul of religion in America – at the local congregational level - and to offer ways to strengthen and enhance the mission of these congregations,” states David Roozen, Chair of the CCSP Advisory Committee and Director of the Hartford Institute of Religion Research. Read more about the project or see news articles from Hartford Seminary's magazine Praxis.
The FACT series was launched in 2000 with the largest national survey of congregations ever conducted in the United States. The study of 14,301 local churches, synagogues, parishes, temples and mosques provided a public profile of the organizational backbone of religion in America – congregations – at the beginning of a new millennium. CCSP will conduct a mega-survey like FACT2000 at the turn of every decade, coinciding with the U.S. Census, with the next survey scheduled for 2010.
Each survey is comprised of three “layers” of questions:
1. A repeated set of questions that can be used for trend analysis and to show changes in congregational life
2. A specific set of topical items tied to a congregational issue such as growth, conflict, volunteerism, etc.
3. A unique set of new items of immediate public interest.
Additionally, CCSP conducts smaller, topical surveys, in intervening years. FACT2005 was our first such survey. FACT2008 “A First Look” is available now and the full report will be out soon. Planning for FACT2010 is currently underway.
Use the links below or to the left to explore the findings from all the Faith Communities Today studies.
Faith Communities Today 2008
FACT2008 used key informants in each surveyed congregation, typically the senior or sole clergy leader, to complete the survey. This sample was a composite of three layers of random national samples designed to represent the universe of American congregations. The final dataset contains questionnaires from 2,527 congregations. The sampling error for such types of samples is difficult to calculate with precision. We estimate it to be +/- 4 percent.
Press Release
Research Report - A First Look
Partners' Findings
Overall Findings
Survey Methods
| FACT 2000 | FACT 2005 | |
|---|---|---|
|
The FACT2000 data include 26 individual surveys of congregations representing 41 denominations and faith groups, representing about 90 percent of worshippers in the US. More than 14,000 congregations participated in the survey. These denominations and faith groups worked together, in multi-faith cooperation, to undertake this survey. Their coming together for this purpose was unprecedented as was the data that was produced. The questionnaire used to collect the information for the Fact2000 study is available for download in .pdf format. |
The FACT2005 key informant questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 3000 congregations. 884 responses were received. Responses were weighted to known population parameters for region and faith family, and for size of congregation and rural/city/ suburban location. Sampling error for such a survey can only be estimated. We estimate it to be +/- 4% at the 95% confidence level. The questionnaire used to collect the information for the Fact2005 study is available for download in .pdf format. |
