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Surveys That'll Fuel Your Ministry
group magazine: November-December, 1996
From: GROUP Magazine's November/December 1996 issue
Keywords: Surveys, Fuel, Ministry Surveys That'll Fuel Your Ministry 7 ready-to-copy surveys that'll get your kids talking and give you uncommon insights into their likes, dislikes, and beliefs By David Adams How well do you really know your young people? Sure, you feel close to many of them. You've heard things they'd never tell their parents. But it's a good bet you don't know their whole story. Maybe they're afraid they'll hurt your feelings. Or maybe they haven't said anything because no one's asked them. What you don't know can hurt your ministry. Use these surveys to ferret out information about key issues in kids' lives. Use them as discussion starters, as fuel for new programs, or to quench your curiosity. But remember: (1) You'll get better answers if you guard kids' anonymity, and (2) You're obligated to share the results with your kids. Survey: The Great Dating Game Circle the letter for the response that best represents your opinion. 1. The worst part of asking someone out on a date is: a. He/She might say no. b. He/She might say yes. c. You know you'll be expected to pay for everything. d. You have to figure out what you'll actually do on the date. e. Other:________________________________________ 2. I'm most attracted to people who... 3. I'm least attracted to people who... 4. It's very important not to _______________ on a first date. 5. You should never __________________ on a date, no matter how tempting it is to do it. 6. My biggest problem with members of the opposite sex is... 7. I'd never expect my date to... 8. The funnest thing I've ever done on a date is... 9. The earliest age someone should go out on a date is... 10. The three best reasons why someone should go out with me are... Survey: My Life As a Bible Scholar (No Bibles allowed while taking this survey!) 1. My one favorite book from the Old Testament is_______ and from the New Testament is... Explain your choices: 2. To me, the most important part of the Bible is... 3. The Bible is important because it tells us about... 4. The hardest thing to understand about the Bible is... 5. The thing that sets the Bible apart from other religious books is... 6. The one Bible verse that sums up my faith is... 7. It would be easier to believe what the Bible says is true if... 8. When and where I'm most likely to read my Bible is... 9. The Bible character I'd most like to be like is... 10. The Bible character I'd least like to be like is... Survey: Music and Me 1. The type of music I'm most likely to listen to is... 2. Generally speaking, _____________________ is the lamest music act in the world! 3. The best music artist I've heard recently is___________________, and the worst artist is ______________. 4. In my opinion, the three things music needs to be good are... 5. As far as I can tell, the music my parents listen to is... 6. Youth functions at my church would be better if we played more ___________________ and less ____________________. 7. I'd rather be strapped down and tortured with a hot poker than have to listen to... 8. People who don't understand my music tend to be... 9. The biggest danger of some music is that it... 10. When it comes to popular music, most people in my church are overly concerned about... Survey: Stuff Everyone Should Know 1. No one should be allowed to walk the streets unless they know... 2. No matter how exciting it sounds, __________________ is just too dangerous! 3. The best pizza in our town is at _________________, and ____________________ serves the best ice cream. 4. Most of them don't realize this, but adults look goofy when they... 5. The best, and safest, way to get from one place to another is to... 6. If I ever tell a lie, the best time to do it would be when... 7. Adults should generally never see teenagers ___________________________-it would make them too nervous! 8. I can generally get what I want from adults if I... 9. One teacher my friends should avoid if they can is ________________ because _____________________________. 10. The best place in our community to have fun in ways some adults wouldn't approve of is... Survey: How Our Church Does Things 1. Other than a member of the ministry staff, who's the most important person in our church, and why? 2. The best way to describe the attitude people in my church have towards young people is (circle one letter)... a. "They should be locked away somewhere!" b. "They should be seen, but not heard." c. "They're our kids, so we should have programs to take care of them." d. "They're the next generation and we should occasionally get their input on things that matter in the church." e. "They're an important part of our congregation, and they should be treated as partners in the work of our church." f. Other:_________________________________________ 3. The most important church decision in which I've taken an active role is... 4. What bothers me the most about the way our church does things is... 5. What excites me the most about the way our church does things is... 6. What I understand least about our church is... 7. If I could change one thing about our church property, it would be... 8. If I made the rules, the first three requirements for someone to be on the staff at our church would be... 9. In my opinion, the people who run our youth group ought to lighten up on ___________________________ and tighten up on ___________________________ 10. It's hard to feel the church takes me seriously when... Survey: Who Am I? 1. The best thing about being my friend is that I... 2. The worst thing about being my friend is that I... 3. One thing I wouldn't dare tell my parents, but would tell my friends is... 4. The most important thing I can do with my life right now is... 5. I tend to place more emphasis on ____________________ than is probably good for me. 6. I generally try to avoid people who are... 7. The one thing people do that's most likely to anger me is... 8. If I'm prejudiced against anyone, it's probably against (circle as many as apply): a. People who make a whistling sound when they breathe through their nose. b. Ugly or stupid people. (Of course, I'm not one of these!) c. People who wear too much plaid. d. People who get things caught in their teeth. e. Other:______________________________________ 9. I'll never eat __________________ no matter how many people tell me it's good! 10. When I'm gone, I want people to remember me for... Survey: What I Really Believe 1. When all is said and done, the most important thing that a person can do in life is... 2. The one thing that makes me sure there's a God is... 3. The greatest doubt about my faith, the thing that plagues me, is... 4. The one thing I'd like someone from another faith tradition to tell me is... 5. I believe the way I do because... 6. There's no way I'll ever be persuaded to believe... 7. The thing that I value most is... 8. Other than Jesus Christ, I think ____________________ is the greatest person who ever lived. 9. The hardest thing about being a Christian is having to defend the idea that... 10. The most important thing Jesus does for me on a daily basis is... David Adams is a youth minister, writer, and consultant in Indiana, where they're really, really big on surveys. |
