May 12, 2023
Dear Carmel Presbyterian Church Family,
It is a good practice for churches to periodically ask themselves “How we are doing, and what is the health of our church like? Where are we strong, and where do we need to improve?” This is especially true whenever a church is in transition. The Session of our church has requested that a church health survey be conducted at CPC as part of our preparation for calling a new Senior Pastor, and we’ve been making plans to do that.
The tool we will be using is called the Transforming Church Insight, and it is offered by Leighton Ford Ministries. They have been using this survey with churches for the last 15 years, and they have a large database of over 5,000 congregations, so we can measure ourselves against other churches and see how we’re doing.
On May 21st the TCI survey will be made available for you to complete. It will be online, and it will be completely anonymous and confidential. Once the survey period ends and Leighton Ford Ministries provides us with a final report, we will make the results available to the whole congregation. And once the Pastor Search Team has been formed to look for a new Senior Pastor, this information will also be made available to potential candidates who are considering a call to CPC.
Surveys like this are most helpful and meaningful when many members and friends in congregation participate. The conclusions that are drawn are more accurate, and the actions we may take will be more relevant. So I want to make a personal request that you fill out the survey when it becomes available. And if you are intimidated about filling out a survey online or you need help doing it, we will be happy to assist you and make it as easy as possible. Mark the date on your calendars – May 21st. You will be hearing more as we get closer to the survey launch date, and you will also hear from us again after the survey period begins.
The Session of our church is excited to learn what this important tool reveals, and I’m personally eager to see the results. I hope you are too. God is doing a new thing at CPC, and it’s exciting to be part of it. May the Lord bless us richly as we step into the future with courage and boldness and with an accurate assessment of our church health so we can become the strongest and most spiritual vital congregation for Christ we can possibly be. To God be the glory!
In His joy,
Peter Barnes
Transitional Pastor
Carmel Presbyterian Church