Faith Communities Today (FACT) Survey

Faith Communities Today

From March 6-31, 2023, a randomly selected sample of 1,000 United Church of Christ congregations will be invited to participate in a national study of religious life in America. It is the seventh such survey in the Faith Communities Today (FACT) series, begun in the year 2000, which provides religious leaders of all traditions critical planning information about the changing nature of congregational life and how to respond effectively. Information and findings from the FACT surveys are provided online freely at www.faithcommunitiestoday.org, and UCC results from previous FACT surveys can be found on this page below. 

This survey is also being conducted in partnership with the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations study, which is actively researching change and innovation in the American religious landscape as a result of COVID-19. Learn more about this study at: www.covidreligionresearch.org  

If your congregation has been randomly selected to participate: 

  • A PDF of the survey questions is available here if you’d like to prepare for the survey in advance. 
  • This survey should be completed by your pastor, a staff member, or a well-informed lay leader.  
  • If any of the questions do not apply to your congregation, please feel free to skip them. 
  • Your congregation will be sent a link to the survey in an email 
  • The survey will ask for your church’s official Church ID number which is also used to complete annual online Yearbook reporting (this number can be obtained from your Conference or Association and is also found in the UCC Yearbook and Directory or Access UCC).  
  • Responses about each individual congregation are completely confidential and will contribute to a better understanding of our local churches and how they do ministry. 
  • Please complete this survey by March 31, 2023.  
  • Aggregate results will be shared here online and on the Faith Communities Today website in the coming months. 
  • If you have questions regarding this survey, please email factsurvey@ucc.org. 


Thank you for your willingness to be included in this important national study! 

If your congregation has NOT been randomly selected to participate:

  • We recognize that congregations have been generous in sharing their insights through our office with data and are conducting a random sample to be representative of UCC congregations without having to request all congregations fill out the survey. 
  • All UCC congregations will be asked to participate in the 2025 FACT study – stay tuned for more information! 
  • Still interested in being part of a research study and don’t want to wait until 2025? Let us know at factsurvey@ucc.org and we can notify you of other upcoming research opportunities.  

Faith Communities Today (FACT) Reports

2023 Faith Communities Today National Survey of Congregations: Preliminary Findings

When the Pastor has Another Job: Bivocationalism Among Clergy

2015 Faith Communities Today National Survey of Congregations: Preliminary Findings