What Is The CVI ?
The Church Vitality Indicator™ is a congregational assessment and planning process. Church leaders discover where and how to invest their congregation’s energy and passion for the future. The CVI will help you focus congregational resources on the areas of ministry that will produce the most results.
The CVI is unlike other church assessments. It’s more than a fill-in-the-blank survey! The combination of survey and discernment lead you in a powerful planning process for your church. The CVI evaluates the intersection of your congregation’s energy, interests, and current ministry to create a framework of vision for the future. The way congregational components intersect shows leaders where the power of the congregation truly lies. The CVI process guides leaders to the congregation’s indicators of vitality.
The CVI identifies 2 vitality indicators for your congregation from among 22 possibilities. Six of these indicators - together called the Community of Faith - are common to every vital congregation. The other sixteen - together called Living the Faith indicators - help illuminate what makes your congregation unique from all others.
The CVI helps you identify the specific indicators that are most likely to give your congregation the greatest leverage for future growth and vitality. By knowing and focusing on these strengths, as well as where you can improve, you can efficiently and effectively focus your congregation’s resources for the best use.
The CVI Indicators
Community of Faith indicators emphasize a congregation's energy around their:
| • identity and purpose | • disciple making |
| • steward formation | • faith sharing |
| • the practice of spiritual disciplines | • experiential worship |
Living The Faith indicators point to the unique ways individuals in congregations come to faith and grow in faith. These indicators vary by context, experience and culture. Leaders will select your pathway and identify an indicator within that pathway. The indicators are organized into four pathways:
- Some churches are strong in Believing, through an emphasis on Biblical literacy, theological maturity, the evaluation systems used in the congregation and their members’ individual commitment.
- Other congregations focus on Belonging. These churches include the indicators of welcoming and inviting, small group activity, congregational connections and a sense of accountability.
- For some churches, Behaving is key as they work on adaptability, care giving, mission and outreach and community involvement.
- Other congregations reach people through Leading, by developing a leadership core, providing leadership development, understanding the culture and context in which they operate and providing visionary leadership.
The Church Vitality Indicator™ tools
Congregational Survey
This survey probes congregational opinion of and passion towards each of the indicators. The survey allows leaders and members to rank how strongly they agree or disagree with 66 statements about the life of the congregation. This tool can be used online or printed out.
Influence Map
A small leadership group responds to a series of questions to discern which indicators most influence the congregation. The Influence Map visualizes the interaction of these indicators. You will create two influence maps – one for a Community of Faith indicator and one for a Living the Faith indicator.
Impact Report
The Impact Reports combines the results of the Congregational Survey and Influence Maps to give a powerful picture of the congregation’s two vitality indicators out of 96 possible combinations of indicators.
Focus Area
The congregation identifies its focus area by combining its two vitality indicators. Leaders will read a description of the vital congregation they can become as they work toward this focus area. They will find planning tools, strategy guides and targeted resources to make major improvements toward new vitality and growth. Leaders can return to the focus area as often as they choose for new resources suggestions and updates.
We recommend assessing your progress after a period of time by repeating the survey and discernment process.