By the Rev. Ken Howard, Founder and President of FaithX
How is the Judicatory Vitality Assessment different from the Congregational Vitality Assessment?
Well, the JVA and the CVA are similar in some ways but different in others.
They are similar in that:
- Both are entirely grounded in research, as is all we do at FaithX.
- Both are survey-based. Your score is based on your answers
- Both give section scores but not an overall score. Every judicatory (synod, diocese, etc.) and every congregation has areas of strength and weakness: knowing these is more important than an overall score.
They are similar in that they measure some of the same issues, but with a twist:
- Vision, Mission, and Discernment. How clear are your organization’s purpose, goals, and methods of discerning? How do you help congregations clarify theirs?
- Engagement and Empowerment, with a focus on your congregations.
- Context Awareness and Inclusion. Understanding demographics and trends at the judicatory level, and helping your congregations better understand their neighborhoods.
- Change Readiness. How nimble is your judicatory? And how do you help your congregations become more change-ready?
- Dealing with Differences and Conflict. Conflict is a natural part of life. How does your judicatory deal with it internally and externally (especially with your congregations)?
- Spiritual Life and Worship. How deeply is worship and spiritual life embedded in the life of your judicatory? And how do you help your congregations embed it in their contexts?
- Leadership and Organization. How effective are your leaders and organizational processes?
- Formation, Education, and Training. How effective are your judicatory formation practices?
- Assessment and Evaluation. How does the judicatory evaluate itself? How does it assess congregations? How does it help congregations better evaluate themselves?
And finally, there are other sections that are unique to the judicatory:
- Outreach to Congregations. How connected is the judicatory with its congregations?
- Collaborative Ministry. How does the judicatory encourage collaboration over competition? Between itself and its congregations? Between congregations?
- Infrastructure. How does the judicatory develop effective structures and processes?
- Judicatory–Congregation Trust. What is the level of trust between the judicatory and its congregations? Between its congregations?
- Providing for Leadership Growth. What kind of opportunities does the judicatory provide its leadership? The leadership of congregations?
- Ministry Development and Redevelopment. How does the judicatory discern when and where to start new congregations? To help congregations renew themselves?
We hope this snapshot is helpful to you in discerning whether to invest in a subscription to the Judicatory Vitality Assessment.
If you are a judicatory leader and you’d like more information about the JVA or are ready to start a subscription, please contact us at info@faithx.net or click on the button below.
