Step 1: Begin with the Church 360 Surveys
Before jumping into systems development or strategic planning, the first and most essential step in the Church 360 process is to listen to your church—its leaders, members, and rhythms. That’s why we begin with a set of focused diagnostic tools: the Church 360 Surveys.
There are four Church 360 surveys available, each designed for a unique purpose and perspective within the church. These include surveys for leaders, members, specific ministry areas, and even community or guest feedback. While you don’t have to use all of them, it’s recommended that you use at least a few—and that you distribute them independently. This ensures you receive honest, unfiltered feedback from each group, providing a clearer, more accurate picture of your church’s health across key systems
1. Church 360 Survey
This is a comprehensive 70-question assessment designed for the voices that you want to play a part of your evaluation: pastors, elders, staff, key ministry leaders, and even the congregation at large. Members rate statements based on how strongly they agree or disagree, helping leadership understand the perception and lived reality of the broader body. It evaluates the health of your church across seven key systems:
- Organizational
- Numinous
- Regeneration
- Disciple-Making
- People
- Operational
- Advancement
Each system includes 10 statements scored from 1 (Poor) to 5 (Excellent). This survey provides a high-level, strategic overview of how leadership sees the church’s current state. The survey also includes:
- Demographic data (age bracket, gender, years attending)
- Open-ended questions for feedback, ideas, and encouragement
2. Quantitative Survey (Optional but Recommended)
In addition to the perception-based surveys, the Church 360 Quantitative Survey offers a numbers-based assessment that tracks your church’s growth and capacity over time. This tool captures key data points across areas like attendance, age demographics, volunteer engagement, leadership development, facilities, finances, and ministry investments. Split into two main sections—People/Facility Indicators and Financial/Asset Indicators—this survey allows you to record and compare data at Year 1, Year 3, and Year 5 benchmarks. While not every number tells the full story, tracking these metrics helps you identify patterns, measure impact, and ensure that your church’s growth is supported by the necessary structure and resources.
3. Qualitative Survey (Optional Add-On)
The Church 360 Qualitative Survey is designed to be completed by an outside voice—someone who is not part of the regular leadership or membership of the church. This could be a trusted ministry partner, coach, denominational leader, or community member who has observed your church from a distance. The purpose of this assessment is to gain an unbiased, outsider perspective that can help uncover blind spots, affirm strengths, and challenge assumptions that may go unnoticed from within. Ideally, this person should not be one of your closest ministry friends, but someone who can speak the truth in love, offer honest feedback, and bring a different set of gifts or leadership strengths, allowing them to see your church through a different lens. Most importantly, they should be someone who has nothing to lose or gainby giving you their feedback—ensuring their input is objective, sincere, and free from personal or political influence. Their outside insight is a vital part of getting a well-rounded view of your church’s current health and future potential.
How to Begin
- Create an account at church360.fillworldwide.com
- Distribute the survey to those you want to offer you feedback.
- Gather responses anonymously for honest, useful feedback.
- Compile the data to identify gaps, trends, and alignment across the seven systems.
Note: Each survey is powerful on its own, but the real insight comes when you compare perspectives. Do each see the same strengths and weaknesses? Are the systems aligned?
By starting with honest data, your church will be equipped to move forward with clarity, unity, and purpose.