Got Views? Tell Us!

Everyone Surveyed

by Lt. Colonel Raymond Peacock – 

Commissioner David Edwards has announced a survey will be conducted in every corps across the territory on one of the three Sundays of March ’98.

Each corps will select its own Sunday among the first three, March 1,8, or 15. Every adult attending morning worship on Survey Sunday will be handed a several page survey to fill in and return to their corps officer that same day.

The purposes of the survey are: 1. To obtain a demographic profile of corps across the territory; 2. To assess the level of involvement and commitment to the Army; 3. To assess spiritual vitality personally and corporately and determine areas where teaching is desired; 4. To assess opinions and attitudes about corps worship, programs and culture; 5. To gain insights regarding ownership and impact of MISSION2000; 6. To identify factors contributing to and impinging on corps growth; 7. To gain information that will be helpful to the Vision 2020 Guiding Coalition.

J. David Schmidt and Associates has constructed the survey with help from the Terloc/MISSION2000 council, territorial and divisional leaders. J. David Schmidt and Associates are committed to helping Christian churches and ministries face changing times effectively. They have consulted with the Billy Graham Association, the Willow Creek Church, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, The Salvation Army – Eastern Territory, just to name a few.

The surveys will be compiled into territorial and divisional totals and shared first with divisional and territorial leaders at the Territorial Executive Leader’s Conference in June of 1998. Divisional leaders will share them with officers and soldiers within their division throughout the summer and fall of ’98, particularly in connection with divisional visioning rallies to be announced by every division. The results can be broken down and made available on a corps by corps basis for a nominal fee. Corps, divisions, and the territory will find the results of the research survey helpful in evaluating the impact of MISSION2000 and constructing action plans and visioning statements for Vision 2020.

Schmidt made a forceful and intuitive presentation to the recent Territorial Administrative Leaders Conference (TALC) held in January. His presentation was based on the story of Jesus’ healing the blind man as contained in John chapter nine. David Schmidt provided eight observations regarding vision provision and five reactions to Jesus’ miracle and applied them to the need for our territorial research survey and visioning process. Several points made were: “It’s important to ask the right questions,” “It’s important to see what God can do,” “Jesus created vision,” Jesus used ordinary things to do the extraordinary,” and “Jesus abandoned protocol.” Schmidt suggested “abandoning protocol” is the “sizable issue” that may come from the survey and visioning process. To David, protocol refers more to attitude than to written, stated policies. He called this “not the visible, but the unseen protocols” that impede our finding new ways forward and hinder our spiritual development.

The announcement of the survey was one element of the recently held Territorial Administra-tive Conference held at THQ. The theme of the four day gathering was “New Ways Forward.” Major Diane O’Brien and Ivor Bosanko composed a new chorus overnight.

Corps throughout the territory are encouraged to learn and sing the chorus in connection with the visioning process that will take place this coming year.

Commissioner David Edwards asks “that every adult who gathers for worship on Survey Sunday will prayerfully and carefully fill in the survey and return it to your corps officer in order that the objectives of the survey can be met and information vital to future corps direction can be provided.”

Download this page as a PDF