The Toward Vitality project, which started in 2011 and was completed in 2013, has been very influential in my work and the work of others in the field of church vitality. This project was sponsored and funded by The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), The General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR), United Methodist Communication (UMCOMM), and General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) of The United Methodist Church.
During the project, six researchers (including myself) interviewed churches across the nation. The churches were recommended for the project, either by District Superintendents or by other churches, pastors, or leaders. In the end, data was collected on 148 churches.
The main information page, with links to a narrative report and a statistical report, can be found at the link below.
Relevance (Clergy and Laity):
Clergy: [usr 5.0]
Non-clergy staff: [usr 5.0]
Laity in leadership: [usr 5.0]
General laity: [usr 4.0]
Jump to the GBOD page with the Toward Vitality Research Project report.
