2006

Northbrae Community Church

Ministries Evaluation

Questionnaire Responses

Why Northbrae?

1.     We come (primarily) to Northbrae for spiritual/religious purposes and for sense of community for self, spouses, children.

2.     We continue to attend Northbrae (primarily) because of sermons, music and sense of community.

3.     We value most the openness to other religions and appreciate non-dogmatic Christianity.

4.     We desire to know more about spirituality, especially meditation, including possibly a meditation style unique to Northbrae.  Also, we would like to know more about other traditions

5.     We believe overwhelmingly that the most important part of the worship service is the sermon, while hymns and music and reflection time are also important.    

Attendance

The majority of us who responded to the questionnaire attend Church regularly (almost every Sunday), attend special events, and find that other responsibilities keep us from participating in more activities.

Activities

1.     We are split between participating in and not participating in Communion, and between prayer being private and group functions.

2.     The majority of us believe that music is excellent, although there are multiple requests for more sing-able hymns and/or fewer or shorter choir performances during the worship service.

3.     Most of us are interested in fellowship gatherings, with small groups being preferable to larger ones and less elaborate over more elaborate activities.

Education

1.     A large majority of us support a thematic emphasis of world religions and basic human values. A slightly smaller number of us desire Christian focus and application to social issues.

2.     For children’s program, we prefer traditional classroom and experiential learning styles, although some of us selected alternative approaches and some of us are interested in our children memorizing certain Biblical verses, such as 23rd Psalm, Lord’s Prayer and Beatitudes.

3.     An overwhelming majority of us desire rites of passage ceremony for our children, because it would help children understand the components of faith and help the community honor the children.

4.     We prefer rituals that include entry into adolescence and children’s participation in community activities.

5.     Some of us are interested in teaming up with other churches and synagogues for Sunday School programs for various events. 

6.     For adult education, we prefer group discussions and lectures.

Other Comments

1.     We believe advertising our Church to be important, with emphasis on interdenominational orientation and de-emphasis on being a "community church".

2.     Lack of broader participation by our members in activities is causing the core individuals doing all the work and threatening burnout.

3.     What is the vision of Northbrae spiritually, educationally and community-wise? No simple answers here.