Church Health Assessment (CHA)
This robust and statistically reliable instrument compiles congregational members’ perceptions on nine different areas, resulting in a report that provides church leaders with a unique, personalized, objective dashboard for their church.
Although other similar tools exist for congregational assessment, this is the only tool available today that is tested for reliability and specifically designed for Churches of Christ. It takes the guesswork out of measuring congregational attitudes and perspectives. The CHA measures the following key factors:
Vision, mission, and goals
Ministry and activity effectiveness
Family life stages
Spiritual formation and discipleship
Worship
Congregational culture, communication, and conflict
Leadership
Church relationships
Finance and facilities
The instrument gathers numerical ratings and open-ended comments from participants, and summarizes member involvement and demographics. Its online platform makes it reasonably priced and simple to administer, and the report for church leaders is user-friendly.
Learn More
In the following Mosaic articles, learn about overall trends emerging from the data, and read more about the experience of engaging with this tool.
What the Church Health Assessment Is Teaching Us by Suzie Macaluso
Elders’ vs. Members’ Perceptions and the Church Health Assessment by Suzie Macaluso
We Needed a Trusted Advisor by Beth Ann Fisher
What the Church Health Assessment Is Teaching Us About Generational Differences by Suzie Macaluso
What the Church Health Assessment Is Teaching Us About Leadership Strengths and Weaknesses by Suzie Macaluso
Consultants
The Siburt Institute actively works with a number of consultants who are trained and authorized to use the CHA. You can find these consultants’ profiles and contact information here.
Researchers
Carley Dodd and Suzie Macaluso, statistical and social researchers, developed the CHA for the Siburt Institute. Their process included gathering a focus group of church consultants and leaders, identifying the nine key factors listed above, and developing survey questions to measure each factor.
Dr. Carley Dodd
CARLEY DODD
Dr. Carley Dodd is a retired professor of communication and former dean of the graduate school at ACU. He has been president or chair of several professional organizations and a consultant or trainer for over 80 corporate, church, and non-profit organizations, including Fortune 500s. Carley was named the Outstanding University Teacher of the Year in Texas and the ACU Teacher of the Year, and received the Top 30 Intercultural Scholars Award from the University of Shanghai. He has authored/co-authored around 140 articles and scholarly papers and 12 books. Carley serves as an elder at the Southern Hills Church of Christ. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. from ACU and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.
Dr. Suzie Macaluso
SUZIE MACALUSO
Dr. Suzie Macaluso is an associate professor of sociology and the director of the Pruett Gerontology Center at ACU. She worked as a research assistant designing a national survey of Catholic Parishes for the Center on Pastoral Life at Notre Dame and has consulted with the Presbyterian Church, USA in the construction of denominational surveys. Suzie was selected as the Undergraduate Research Mentor of the year by her students at ACU. She is a published author with a specialty in church relations and scale construction. Suzie is an active member of the Minter Lane Church of Christ. She holds a B.S. from Cascade College and a graduate certificate in survey research, an M.S., and a Ph.D. from Purdue University.
Contact
For more information or to order this service, contact Ola Mae Bulkley.