A church-wide initiative will provide ministry leaders with common research and metrics to better measure human flourishing and church flourishing.

BOULDER, Colo. — Gloo, the leading technology platform dedicated to connecting the faith ecosystem, and Barna Group, a visionary research and resources company, announced a new initiative called State of the Church 2025. The initiative aims to provide departmental leaders and their communities with regular research results. and measurement tools to better advance human flourishing and the prosperity of the Church.

“State of the Church 2025 is a new vision, a new way of thinking about the oldest work to which we could be called: building the work of Jesus in the world,” said David Kinnaman, CEO from the Barna group. “As we listen to Church leaders and analyze the data, it is clear that leaders need new methods and resources to advance their mission. That’s why we’re excited to regularly share research, stories, and measurement tools that help Christian leaders understand current social and spiritual trends in the Church and in their own contexts.

The initiative will include monthly research publications, success stories from the faith community and practical content. It will also include “State of Your Church,” a suite of tools including assessments and dashboards to help network leaders and local church leaders see the state of their own church.

“The Big C Church has gone too long without a common way to measure what really matters,” said Scott Beck, CEO of Gloo. “Using a common set of metrics such as human flourishing and church prosperity helps church leaders and their members to know And to be known – so that each person can become what they were born to be.

About measurements:

• Human flourishing: Work from the Barna Group and Harvard University highlights seven dimensions of thriving that provide a holistic view of well-being and quality of life. These areas include finances, physical and mental health, calling and purpose, relationships, contentment, and spiritual formation.
• Thriving Church: Decades of Barna Group research highlight 15 unique areas that provide a framework for understanding departmental health. These include dimensions such as culture of prayer, trusted leadership, and stability of resources, to name a few.

The State of the Church was first launched in 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, and was primarily focused on research. Gloo and Barna moved quickly to meet the needs of church leaders by providing tools to help them stay close to the needs of their congregants while navigating a changing landscape.

“Our goal, then and now, with this joint research and action, is to help leaders be even more effective in knowing and discipling their people so that the Church can thrive in our culture complex and rapidly evolving,” Kinnaman said.

The initiative kicks off with the first research publications and a free Church toolkit in October, followed by regular research, new content, tools and two major events in January and March 2025.

State of the Church Highlights

• Monthly research based on key themes released throughout the year
• Surveys and evaluations based on common measures
• Dashboards of results, insights and next steps to help leaders know and serve their people
• Personalized results and next steps for devotees
• Monthly stories from the faith community on what’s working
• Practical content of the application

“The initiative’s tools — whether it’s research, assessments and dashboards, or content — are all designed to be used in the context of relationshipsbecause that’s where people grow the best,” Beck said. “But no single organization could support these growth journeys. That’s why partners from across the faith community have come together to provide help to church leaders and their congregants in the form of content, resources, services and more. This is truly a church-wide initiative.

Learn more at stateofthechurch.com

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Gloo is the trusted technology platform that unlocks the collective power of the faith ecosystem. Gloo connects ministry leaders to resources, people, ideas and funding so that their people and communities thrive and their organizations prosper. Gloo does this with the highest standards of trust and scalable business models. Gloo serves more than 75,000 churches and more than 1,000 resource partners.

Barna Group is a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture. Since 1984, Barna has conducted more than two million interviews across thousands of studies and has become a go-to source for information on religion, leadership, vocation, and generations. Barna is an independent, private, nonpartisan organization based in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.

Contact:
Jenny Bryant
Gloo
5713984664
[email protected]

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