FPCY has been chosen by the Healthy and Vital Communities of Faith Team of Hudson River Presbytery to be a pilot church in using a new Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT) that will help the Presbytery better support congregations in their ministries.
A Congregational CAT Scan The CAT was developed by Holy Cow! Consulting (www.holycowconsulting.com) and is a benchmarked assessment tool that has been used by over 3,000 congregations of all sizes and denominations. Using both qualitative and quantitative metrics, the CAT provides data-based insights into congregational climate and culture, community demographics, and areas of strength and growth. All of this information and interpretation enables church leadership to “make better decisions in less time with more confidence.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CAT? The Church Assessment Tool is an 86-question online assessment of a congregation that is completed by members of a church. The CAT takes 20-30 minutes to complete and is completely confidential. We affectionately call it a CAT-SCAN. It generates a report called Vital Signs©.
What is the purpose of the CAT? Using the Congregation Assessment Tool is like taking your church to a doctor, a travel agent and a tailor. It gives leaders a read-out on the health of the church, a sense of where members think the church should head in the future, and a description of the church as a unique body of people.
Why now? FPCY has experienced a fair amount of transition in our staff and programming in the past 5 years. We are also half-way through a capital campaign which is raising funds and renovating our facilities to better prepare for our ministry and mission in the next 10-20 years. The CAT will help us “check-in” with our members and with our goals and priorities to make sure we are on the right track into the future. Plus, as we are one of the pilot congregations, Hudson River Presbytery is covering the cost of the assessment and interpretation to our leadership.
Stay tuned for more information coming soon!