Results from Gallup's latest annual Congregational Engagement Index survey continue to reinforce the finding that engagement is the most influential driver of a faith community's spiritual health. The most recent survey, conducted in November 2005, shows that engagement levels among members of U.S. congregations are stable, and the relationship between engagement and the outcomes that matter -- life satisfaction, inviting, serving, and giving -- remains strong.
The November 2005 survey, which included 1,000 members of churches, synagogues, or other faith communities, shows that 29% of congregation members are "engaged." This percentage is essentially unchanged from 32% in the 2004 survey, and in line with results since 2001. The percentages of "not engaged" and "actively disengaged" members also remained relatively stable, and are currently at 53% and 18%, respectively.
Gallup's survey measures the degree to which Americans are actively involved in, and emotionally attached to, their faith communities. Engaged congregation members are loyal and have a strong psychological connection to their congregations. They are more likely to be spiritually committed, to invite friends, family members, and coworkers to congregation events, and to give more of their time and money.
Those who are not engaged may attend services regularly, but they are not psychologically bonded to their congregation -- their connection to the congregation is more social than spiritual. Actively disengaged members come in two types: the apathetic and the negative. The apathetic member may attend once or twice a year, if at all, and the negative member may attend regularly and voice his or her unhappiness with the congregation just as often.
To measure the degree to which Americans are engaged with their faith communities, Gallup asks respondents to rate each of 12 survey items on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. The 12 items are:
1. As a member of my congregation, I know what is expected of me.
2. In my congregation, my spiritual needs are met.
3. In my congregation, I regularly have the opportunity to do what I do best.
4. In the last month, I have received recognition or praise from someone in my congregation.
5. The spiritual leaders in my congregation seem to care about me as a person.
6. There is someone in my congregation who encourages my spiritual development.
7. As a member of my congregation, my opinions seem to count.
8. The mission or purpose of my congregation makes me feel my participation is important.
9. The other members of my congregation are committed to spiritual growth.
10. Aside from family members, I have a best friend in my congregation.
11. In the last six months, someone in my congregation has talked to me about the progress of my spiritual growth.
12. In my congregation, I have opportunities to learn and grow.
Copyright © 2001 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Among engaged members, the relationship between the four outcomes that are indicators of the spiritual health of a congregation -- life satisfaction, inviting, serving, and giving -- has remained constant.
Sixty-five percent of engaged members strongly agree that they are completely satisfied with their lives, while 43% of members who are not engaged and 21% of actively disengaged members can say the same.
Two in three engaged members "strongly agree" that they have invited someone to participate in their congregations in the past month. Slightly fewer than one in three members who are not engaged strongly agree, and only 1 in 20 actively disengaged members strongly agree.
Engaged members continue to outpace members who are not engaged or are actively disengaged in the money they give to their faith communities. Engaged members gave a median of 5% of their annual incomes to their congregations in the last year, while those who are not engaged gave 3.3%, and those who are actively disengaged gave 2%.
Individual spiritual commitment remains high among engaged members. Full spiritual commitment is defined as giving a "strongly agree" response to all nine items that best measure individual spiritual commitment (see "Does Congregation Membership Imply Spiritual Commitment?" in Related Items). Forty-five percent of engaged congregational members are fully spiritually committed -- compared with 13% of those who are not engaged and 4% of the actively disengaged.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,000 adult members of a church, synagogue, or other religious faith community, aged 18 and older, and 500 nonmembers, conducted in November 2005. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
