For Churches – Church Health Assessment

Answers to this self-evaluation tool help churches understand the state of their health and reveals its location on the lifecycle.

The assessment’s power lies in aligning the perception with reality.

The most significant discovery we’ve made over the past 25 years of research and practice is how the lifecycle impacts your church.

Discovering these facts often creates a sense of urgency to revitalize and gets a church moving the right direction.

The assessment is free. Once submitted, we will analyze the findings and send you a complementary report.

We also provide a self-paced do-it-yourself workshop. It’s comprehensive and will take two to three hours to complete. Set aside a block of time and invite your leaders. Their input will improve the accuracy of the assessment and its findings.

Read how one church used the findings of their assessment to revamp their vision.

For Pastors – Holy Satisfaction Survey

In the American evangelical church, Holy Satisfaction among pastors is an important church health and growth dynamic to consider as the second quarter of the 21st century dawns.

Why?

Because the lack of Holy Satisfaction is hurting the witness of the Gospel, hurting the influence of the Bible, and hurting the growth of the kingdom of God.

To put it another way, the rise in disappointment among pastors has become a serious threat to the advancement of the Gospel in the United States.

What is Holy Satisfaction?

Holy Satisfaction is that deep sense of contentment that a pastor experiences when the challenging work of ministry proves fruitful. Perhaps it could be described as pastoral shalom, the peace that comes from knowing that your efforts truly count, that the name of Jesus is being lifted high, and that God is being glorified. An important Scripture verse in this conversation is Isaiah 53:11. It’s a verse that speaks powerfully to the dynamic of Holy Satisfaction. It reads:

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied, by his knowledge shall the ​righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their ​iniquities. Isaiah 53:11 ESV

Isaiah 53 offers a Messianic prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the World, the Suffering Servant, the Wounded Healer.

This verse speaks of the anguish of his soul. As pastors, we can identify in part with the anguish of the soul in one who serves, in one who sacrifices. Of course, our anguish can’t possibly compare with that of the LORD, but it’s real, nevertheless. Isaiah informs that from the anguish of Jesus Christ he sees its results, and in these results, he is satisfied.

He experiences a Holy Satisfaction. Jesus is satisfied because his anguish is the result of bearing the sin of many who will, therefore, be found righteous, holy, justified.

As pastors, though, we often know the anguish, but we don’t know the Holy Satisfaction. The price that we pay for being in pastoral ministry often leaves us wondering whether the investment of our lives is truly making a difference.

Consider John Calvin’s take on Isaiah 53:11:

[Isaiah] declares that Christ, after having suffered, shall obtain the fruit of his death in the ​salvation of men. When he says, “he shall see,” we must supply the words, “Fruit and ​Efficacy.” This is full of the sweetest consolation; for Isaiah could not have better expressed ​the infinite love of Christ toward us than by declaring that he takes the highest delights in our ​salvation, and that he rests in it as the fruit of his labours, as he who has obtained his wish ​rests in that which he most ardently desired; for no person can be said to be satisfied but he ​who has obtained what he wished so earnestly as to disregard everything else and be ​satisfied with this alone.” Calvin’s Commentaries, Volume VIII

But we often wonder:

• “Where’s the fruit?
• Where’s the salvation of men?
• Where’s the efficacy of our ministries?
• Where’s the sweet consolation?
• When will we take the highest delights?
• When will we rest in the fruit of our labors?

The State of the Pulpit Today

Holy Satisfaction of this genre seems to be in decreasing supply among evangelicals in the U.S.

• Baby Boomer pastors have reached society’s retirement age and are opting out.
• Younger generations are seeing drop-offs in the number of men and women entering pastoral ministry.
• The trend of second-career pastors has reversed, such that first career pastors are leaving ministry to engage other professional pursuits as their second careers.

The First Step to Understanding Holy Satisfaction

It’s time to take the pulse of Holy Satisfaction in this country. Once understood, the challenge can be addressed, and the tide can be turned. Pastoral laborers are needed in the harvest as much or more than ever, and, by the grace of God, and by working smart and hard, these pastors could see and be satisfied. They could experience Holy Satisfaction.

May God be glorified!

How the Survey Works

The surveys responses offer pastors, network leaders, and denominational leaders valuable insights into pastors’ satisfaction with the commitment levels of their congregation, church leadership, and their own personal ministry.

These valuable insights will help pastors and leaders identify hidden gaps in contentment—bridging what pastors might have sensed, but couldn’t place a finger on it.

Discovering these facts creates “aha” moments, thus giving words to what pastors have felt. These moments may lead to identifying pastoral skills that need to be refined or developed, or could lead to discussions about revitalizing the church to get it moving in the right direction. 

How to Get Started

The survey is free.

Once you complete your survey, you will receive the results and a packet of free advanced pastoral training resources from us.