Ministerial Search Survey Results
The 2026 UUCG Ministerial Search Committee tasked a Congregational Listening Team with gathering member input to inform the search for a new minister. A 53-question survey, adapted from a standard UUA survey format, was delivered online to approximately 200 members and friends on the UUCG email list. Fifty-two members and fourteen non-members completed the survey. The goal was to have at least 70% participation from our membership and that was achieved.
While the survey was anonymous, members checked their names from a list if they had completed the survey.
About half of the survey participants attend church with some regularity; attending Sunday services is the dominant connection most folks had at 43.8%, followed distantly by social justice activities (15.6%) and choir/music and men’s/women’s groups (7.8% each).
As a smaller congregation, volunteers are an important part of creating a welcoming and functional community. The most common contributions are committee/board work (28.6%), Sunday service roles (23.2%), and church school (21.4%), with choir and greeting also well represented.
Role of New Minister
Priorities for the Next Minister
Participants were asked in the survey to consider the three most important roles of a minister in one question and in another to list the most important roles. Since the question was asked twice, slightly differently, the following does not include percentages, but the answers are similar.
- Leading inspiring worship services, offering compassionate pastoral care, and engaging/fostering community were the top answers.
- Guiding social justice work, leading the congregation, and increasing membership form a second cluster.
- Other roles deemed valuable included developing volunteers and lay leaders, adult faith formation, and stewardship and fundraising.
Congregational Health & Observations
Participants were asked to rank these questions on a 1-5 basis with 1 as a low score and 5 as the highest. Almost 50% said their spiritual needs were being met with a 4-5 score. Twenty-eight percent scored this question with a 1or 2, with the remainder in the middle. Most participants felt that the congregation was in the middle as regards to being open to change but indicated that the congregation was adapting in meaningful ways to changing conditions in the world.
The majority of participants felt that we were making progress on DEI issues, and over 80% felt the congregation was friendly and inclusive. Seventy-eight percent of the congregation ranked our financial stability at a 3 or above.
Demographics & Giving
The survey profiled race/ethnicity (BIPoC identity, multiracial families), gender, sexual orientation, disability and chronic health status, relationship status, children in RE, education, and faith background/years as a UU.
Annual pledges span widely — about 15% give nothing and 19% give under $299, while smaller shares pledge into the $1,500–$9,999 ranges, showing a broad but modest giving base.
Participants noted their faith backgrounds, their length of time as a UU and their primary theology, which varied widely.
Bottom Line
- Worship Comes First: The congregation’s near-unanimous ask is a minister who leads inspiring worship services, backed by strong emphasis on pastoral care and an ability to build community.
- Strong Core, Opportunity for Growth: UUCG benefits from a highly engaged core of volunteers who sustain worship and congregational life, while recognizing the opportunity to broaden participation among newer and less active members.
Interested in seeing more data? Look below to access the PowerPoint slides created by the Listening Team.
