2008 Worship Survey results

A worship survey conducted in 2008 by the former LCMS Commission on Worship measured worship practices in LCMS congregations. Excerpts from the Reporter Insert article of September 18, 2009 are provided below for an overview of the survey.

The Criteria

The commission developed and analyzed the survey in collaboration with LCMS Research Services, which administered it.

A group of 300 LCMS congregations was specifically selected to participate in the survey -- those with both the highest number and highest percentage of adult confirmations reported for 2006. For comparison purposes, 300 other randomly selected LCMS congregations also participated in the survey that was sent, completed, and returned by mail or online. For both groups, 56 percent of the selected participants completed and returned the survey, which profiled a broad range of worship practices across the Synod.

Questions on the survey explored the congregations' diversity of worship services offered, musical styles, liturgical practices, worship planning paradigms, "people" resources, musical resources, and use of multimedia in worship.

Read the complete Reporter article on the worship survey.