Church SWOT Analysis – A Comprehensive Guide

• A SWOT analysis should paint a picture of the environment your church operates in.
• The members of your church are a great resource for ideas about what your strengths and weaknesses are.
• Examining where your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats intersect will help your church understand what goals should be set as strategic planning progresses.

Need a spreadsheet, document, or presentation template for your SWOT? Read this post:
SWOT ANALYSIS TEMPLATES FOR 15 DIFFERENT SMALL BUSINESSES

Church SWOT analysis – “Where do we even begin?”

If you’re not familiar, SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A church SWOT analysis is an examination of the environment the church operates in. The internal environment is represented by strengths and weaknesses. The external environment by the opportunities and threats.

Strengths and weaknesses are things within your church’s control

In order to control them, though, you’ll have to be brutally honest with yourselves when listing them. Don’t include things you wish you did well or should be doing well. Don’t gloss over weaknesses because you’re embarrassed by them or because they are something you should be better at. We all have things that we are among the best at, and we all have things that hold us back. Creating a sound strategy for your church requires that you capitalize on your strengths and don’t ignore the “elephant in the room” when it comes to your weaknesses.

Opportunities and threats are outside of your control

They’re the hand you’ve been dealt and are forced to play. There is probably less of a temptation to fib with these external factors than with the internal ones. However, keep yourself and the other decision-makers honest when listing opportunities and threats. Don’t let political correctness, stubbornness, or any other sort of artificial block keep you from being completely objective in this process. Also, be thorough in your analysis. Sometimes opportunities and threats lurk below the surface. They aren’t easily seen with a passing glance. You’ve got to focus a bit harder to see what’s really there. It’s really quite simple: an opportunity is anything external that could help your church and a threat is anything external that might harm it.

If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll have a very accurate picture of the reality you operate in. It might make you a bit uncomfortable but you’ll be equipped to actually make improvements and protect what you already have.

Brainstorming a SWOT will be easier if your church has a clear mission statement. Read this post:
IDEAS ON DRAFTING AN EFFECTIVE CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT

How to perform a church SWOT analysis

More brainstorming!

You started brainstorming when you came up with a church mission statement, time to do some more. Gather the other leaders in your church and start jotting down ideas.

What if you find yourself in an awkward position where another one of the leaders in the church is a weakness? Mentioning this might rustle jimmies and bring the whole strategic planning process to a halt. How to proceed then?

Use your best judgment. That’s a vague answer, I know, and I’m sorry. If the buck stops with you, then you’re, fortunately, in a position to address this weakness. If not, then you’re just going to have to use whatever means you have at your disposal. That may mean that you can actually correct this weakness. Or, it may not. If not, you’ll have to consider if you can work around it. If you can’t work around it, then you may have to consider separating yourself from it.

That’s not written to be melodramatic. It’s written to remind you that you always have options.

Start consuming information

Understand your opportunities and threats as best you can. Get on the internet. Communicate with your peers. Do your scuttlebutt. Don’t rely on assumptions if you can help it. Get the whole picture.

Time to start narrowing things down

At this point, you should have a big ol’ mess on your hands. Consolidate similar ideas.

Disregard the lesser strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We want to focus on the major factors here.

If you’re not familiar with the Pareto Principle read about it here. The “law of the vital few,” as it’s called, states that (typically) 80% of the effects are caused by 20% of the causes. What’s that mean for your church in general and your SWOT analysis specifically? It means that we want to simplify things and narrow our focus to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that will have a big impact. A big long list of SWOT factors is overwhelming. You won’t even know what to do with it.

So, how many of each should you list? Here comes another vague answer (apologies again). There is no hard and fast rule. If it seems like too much, then narrow it down. If you feel like something critical is missing, then add something back. The strategic planning process should be reviewed every year. So, if something is on the fence, leave it off the list. Simplify. Address the more pressing factors and consider adding it next year.

The last step of the church SWOT analysis

Try to understand how these factors can interact with each other. For instance, how will your strengths and weaknesses interact with your opportunities and threats?

If your church has strengths that are on the same wavelength as your opportunities then you have what is referred to as “low hanging fruit.” If you’re not already taking advantage of these situations, then you need to right now. Strengths are usually long-term, but opportunities can be fleeting.

Where strengths match up with threats, you know that you have a margin of safety. As long as the strengths aren’t stifled, you should maintain your protection.

What about opportunities you can’t take advantage of due to weaknesses? This is a problem. You’ll have to think about how you can shore up these weaknesses. Can you hire someone? Is there someone from the congregation that is willing able to contribute their strengths? Can you partner with someone? As I said, opportunities are fleeting. Don’t let them slip through your hands if you can help it.

Finally, where weaknesses and threats meet up –  you need to assess how much risk you’re taking. Again, can you shore up these weaknesses? If not, can the threat be neutralized by some other means? This can be a scary exercise. Ignoring this reality won’t help anyone, however.

As you probably gathered, the point of this exercise is to understand your environment so that you can limit your downside and take advantage of the upside as much as possible. If your downside is limited, then there is only upside left.

Ready to meet your Church’s goals this year? Read this
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Information to gather before preparing your church SWOT analysis

It might help to gather some information before starting the steps necessary to prepare a SWOT analysis for your church. This list is not by any means all-inclusive. Hopefully, though, it will give you an idea of where to start.

Traffic count

I’ve found that several major metropolitan areas keep traffic count data. What’s traffic count? It’s exactly what it sounds like. The Department of Transportation (or some similar entity) counts the number of vehicles, on average, that use a particular stretch of road over a predetermined period of time. I’ve found that usually, the counts are displayed in the number of vehicles per day.

Where can you find this? Each state/city is different. Just Google “[my city] traffic count” for starters, and see what you find. Here is an example of a traffic count map for the state of Wisconsin.

What to do with this data? Determine your visibility – your exposure to passers-by. If you get heavy traffic in front of your church, then make sure you’re marketing to all those eyeballs. Put up a billboard, get a marquee, or otherwise ensure that those people know who you are and what you have to offer.

Church attendance tracking

Even though churches aren’t for-profit businesses, they’ve got to know their data. You’re making uneducated decisions otherwise. If you don’t know what your attendance numbers are, then I really think you should rectify that.

How to track church attendance? Software exists to help you with this. To be completely forthcoming –  I’ve never used any of this software and I can’t speak to its value. Every piece of software has its shortcomings, but it probably beats tracking it by hand.

What’s an example of church attendance tracking software? Here was the first result when I Googled “church attendance tracker.” I suggest you do the same and find the software that’s best for your church. There were plenty of results to choose from.

Conduct a church census

This might seem a little intrusive – and it is. There’s no way around it. So, I would suggest limiting the frequency of this step to once every couple of years. A church census is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the gathering of demographic data about the members of your church.

What should you include on a church census?

Obviously, you don’t want to get too personal. For one, it’s not necessary. For two, it’s intrusive to the people you’re trying to help. So stick to the essentials.

You’ll probably want to know the age of your members. Knowing their professions would also be beneficial. Since families will likely fill out a census form together, you’ll be able to piece together who’s married to who and who is somebody’s child. This is a good chance to gather contact information too. You don’t want to abuse that, but it’s very valuable information to have. Think about what you’d really like to know about your members and limit the questions to that information. Maybe slip in an option for those who want to volunteer and would like to be contacted.

What’s an example church census look like? Here’s an example I found online. Use it as inspiration, but make it your own. The more authentic and less pushy your form is, the better your response rate will be.

How do I get members to fill out a church census?

You’ll have to decide what works best for your church. My opinion is that you want to be just the right amount of pushy. Keep gently reminding members that you’d like their participation. But don’t be obnoxious by any means. Use your good judgment here. Let them know you’d appreciate their participation, but it is not required. A 6 week or so campaign should do it. You don’t want to drag this out.

Keep in mind too that you won’t get 100% participation. 80% would be remarkable, so keep your expectations in check.

What do I do with this information?

If you have dedicated CRM (customer relationship management) database software to handle this information, then great – put it in there. If you don’t that’s fine. Assuming the data isn’t overwhelming, you can use Microsoft Excel or Access. It’s important to get this information in digital form, however. You want the ability to search for this information and be able to filter it so that you can use it to paint a demographic picture of your congregation.

A church survey

Your congregation is your customers. If their needs aren’t being met, they will eventually go somewhere else to get their needs met. Don’t just assume that you know what your members think. Conduct a state-of-the-church survey on a regular basis (annual, semi-annual).

A survey is a great way to confirm the items you brainstormed in your SWOT analysis. Do you think you have great leadership? Okay, what’s the congregation think? Do you think that too few members are volunteering? Ask questions that can help you uncover why. You get the point.

If the results of your survey run contradictory to what you thought you knew about your church, then you had better reconcile why there’s a difference. Making decisions that run contrary to your members’ perceptions is risky. So, don’t be so sure you’re right. Just ask.

Make sure the questions in your survey are pertinent. Don’t ask trivial questions. You want to keep the number of questions reasonable; say 10-15. We’ve all taken surveys that seemed to go on forever. They’re annoying. Keep it short and keep it limited to the things you have to know.

Like I said, your SWOT analysis is a great place to start for survey question ideas. Google “church survey” and you’ll find plenty of other examples if you’re stuck. Here are some great ideas to get you started.

How to distribute the census and surveys

If you want paper copies – before and after service is a great time to ask for feedback. People are already in a church mindset, so the timing is perfect. Just make sure it’s not pushy and that nobody will feel singled out if they opt not to participate.

If you have members’ addresses, you can mail out the survey. Keep in mind that doing so will incur additional costs.

Gathering digital responses will be more efficient. It’s up to you to decide what’s appropriate for your congregation. Do whatever gets you the highest response. Here’s a good post on choosing the right digital survey platform. Just remember – if you collect your members’ information digitally, you have a duty to protect that information. Make sure the platform you use is secure, and make sure you have policies in place to ensure that their valuable personal information isn’t compromised.

Good, old-fashioned, talking

Another good way to get your finger on the pulse of your environment is to simply ask the opinion of people you respect.

Ask your family what your strengths and weaknesses are. Ask your professional network what opportunities and threats exist. Let them know that you are genuinely interested in improving and you appreciate their candor. Listen to what they have to say.

Whether it’s flattering or hard to hear, it’s valuable. So let them say their piece and don’t take anything they say personally.

Ideas to get you thinking

If this is your first time taking part in a church SWOT analysis, then you might not know where to begin. Here are some ideas on potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for your church. This list is by no means exhaustive, it’s merely meant to help get your mind on track.

Possible strengths

• Your church is on a high-traffic road
• Your church’s membership is stable or growing
• Most of your members have been with the church for a long time
• A pool of retired members with skills that could help the church
• Your church is welcoming to newcomers
• Your church has a good reputation in the community
• A strong source of donations
• Great leadership
• A self-sufficient attitude
• A rich and lengthy history
• A sense of family
• Church members who speak the same language as locals in the community
• A quality mission statement
• The capacity to accept a lot of new members

Possible weaknesses

• Church membership is declining
• The church has low attendance from children and young people
• A “welcoming process” for new members that is lacking
• A congregation that is inflexible and stubborn to change
• Low turnout at community outreach events
• Your church doesn’t do a good enough job of “inviting” people in
• Members that aren’t getting value from church
• A reluctance to challenge the status quo
• Volunteers that are worked too hard
• Antiquated technology
• A shortage of handicap facilities
• Lack of a strategic plan
• The inability to budget effectively

Possible opportunities

• The population of your geographic area is growing
• Local youths who are in need of church services
• Your church is near a college
• Members with influence in other organizations throughout the community
• Offering services at different times than Sunday morning
• The internet and social media
• Hosting community events in otherwise unused facilities

Possible threats

• Your church is in a smaller town that has an older population
• Laws and regulations that inhibit actions
• Competition for new members
• An anti-religious culture/environment
• Economic hardship in the community

How the factors might interact in your church SWOT analysis

Keep these in mind as strategic planning progresses. Especially when it comes time to formulate a strategy in general and set goals in particular.

Obviously, your church’s SWOT factors are going to be different, and therefore the interactions between factors are going to be different. The examples below simply serve to help illustrate how the separate factors can interact and generate ideas about steps that can be taken to help your church reach its goals. To get the gears turning in your head, so to speak…

Strengths & Opportunities

This is where the stars align. We’re matching what your church does well with external factors that can help it achieve its goals. We don’t let these sorts of opportunities slip through our fingers.

Your church is on a high-traffic road + The population of your geographic area is growing = Ensure your signage is effective

Your building and your signage is the bridge between your church and everybody who passes by on foot or in a vehicle.

Just because your organization is a church, it doesn’t mean that you get a pass on marketing. Marketing is just as important for churches as it is for businesses and for individuals. We all have to be mindful of the image we are projecting out into the world. If we want attention, we’re probably going to have to grab it.

Here are some tips on how to make your signage effective. Beyond that, make sure your building and your grounds are well kept. Real estate that is run-down conveys a very negative image. Also, consider taking advantage of a marquee to attract attention and pass along messages that you think will resonate with the general public

Your church is welcoming to newcomers + Hosting community events in otherwise unused facilities = Offer church facilities at a reduced price to members

Many churches offer the use of their facilities to members for very reasonable prices. What I am suggesting is that your church uses these facilities as a marketing (there’s that word again) tool.

Don’t just take the stance that “the facilities are there for people if they want to use them.” Look at your facilities as an opportunity to get non-members in your church and to show them why you’re so great.

What you don’t want is for people to say “My nephew had his graduation party at some church on the East side of town.” Rather “My nephew had his graduation party at the East Side Church of Christ and man, what a great venue. I can see why my sister and brother-in-law like going there so much.”

Make sure that non-members can find out what your church is about when attending functions in your facilities. Have information available for anyone that might want to learn more. Let all who attend know about upcoming events and opportunities, e.g. singles events, volunteering, kids’ activities.

Make sure that your reputation as a welcoming church is obvious to all who attend. The more people you win over in informal circumstances like these, the more you’re probably going to win over during services.

So look at the calendar for your available facilities. Is it full? If so, great. Make sure you’re putting your church’s best foot forward during these events so that you can attract the types of members you want. If your calendar isn’t full, ask yourself why. Is your Building Use Policy too restrictive? Are the cost and the hassle too high? Do members even know that these spaces are available to rent?

Here’s a good resource for renting out church facilities.

Strengths & Threats

Nobody likes to be faced with threats. But, they are part of life. By utilizing the things you do well to neutralize threats you can lessen their impact.

A pool of retired members with skills that could help the church + Economic hardship in the community = Classes, and workshops to help community members earn more and spend less

Match members of your congregation with those in the community who might be able to benefit from their expertise. For instance, retired members who have years of experience in financial matters such as budgeting, self-employment, taxes, and investing could be a lifesaver for those who are experiencing economic hardship.

Offering classes like these reinforce your good reputation in the community. It gives you the opportunity to really help people and it helps them to become self-sufficient. It gets people into your church and gives you the opportunity to show them the benefits of being a member.

Someday these people will likely bounce back from tough times. Many will remember who was there for them in those tough times. Using volunteer time and expertise to help others is a big part of church life. Not every contribution needs to be in the form of money or food. The gift of knowledge might be the most valuable thing your church has to offer.

Here’s an example of the breadth of classes offered by one church. Obviously, the topics covered stretch far beyond those that are strictly financial. The point remains – experts are being matched with those in need.

The capacity to accept a lot of new members + Competition for new members = The chance for your church to set itself apart

Everybody in the world might want to come to your church, but if you don’t have room for them – they won’t. As will be addressed in a later post, you have to have the capacity to handle your peak demand, not just your average demand.

Obviously, overbuilding can create its own set of problems, but if you have more church than members now, you might have a competitive advantage. While other churches are clamoring for new members without anywhere to put them – your church will seem comfortable by comparison.

Think about it this way – would you rather try to pile into a compact car with five other people? Or, would you rather share a ride with one other person in a large SUV?

Weaknesses & Opportunities

Opportunities are typically fleeting. Not being able to take advantage of them is a tragedy. If your weaknesses are preventing you from taking advantage of opportunities, then shoring up those weaknesses is a must.

The church has low attendance from children and young people + Local youths who are in need of church services = Local youths attending church somewhere else

Youngsters are a different breed. You and I both were when we were young. If you want attendance from the youngsters then you’ve got to incentivize them to come. You’ve got to meet them where they are.

Admittedly, some of the things I was into as a kid had no place at church. But, don’t think that you can’t reach them at all. I’ve worked at after-prom parties for my daughters’ school that was relatively vice-free and the kids seemed to have a very good time.

The particulars of planning activities for young people are outside of my expertise. A church is an organization that is supposed to appeal to every demographic, including pre-teens, teens, and young adults.

I can’t envision any benefit to excluding these groups. So, if your church is losing the young crowd to other churches, then I believe you should consider steps to rectify the situation. Here’s a pretty good article I found on the subject.

Members that aren’t getting value from church + The internet and social media = The ability to provide extra value to members and nonmembers

If an individual’s experience with church consists strictly of going to service on Sunday and being subjected to the same thing they have one million Sundays before, the experience is going to get a bit stale.

Take advantage of technology and get the most you can out of social media. Share inspirational material that expands upon what you preached at church. If you add value to people’s lives, they’re going to become more engaged.

I’ll hazard to guess that a lot of your congregation is addicted to social media. Sorry to say it, but it’s probably true. From my experience, social media has its benefits, but it can also be a cesspool of negativity. Be a diamond in the social media dump.

Here’s the trick, though. Be authentic. Don’t just say what you think people want to (or should) hear. Have a real human being handle your social media. Authenticism will attract more people than tired old talking points.

These guys are the ones that inspired me to start this blog. They are also a great resource.

Weaknesses & Threats

When a threat is on the horizon and you have no answer for it, you’re in trouble. You’re not alone though. Every individual and every organization has weaknesses. Everybody is exposed, to a greater or lesser degree, to threats. The key is to protect your downside.

A reluctance to challenge the status quo + An anti-religious culture/environment = Time to come to terms with reality

It’s my opinion that many people in America and other first-world nations have opted to forego the worship of God in favor of the worship of government and scientists. In a lot of ways the Church has no one to blame but themselves.

It wasn’t that long ago that people would lament being preached at by the fanatically religious Christians. Now, ironically, the ones I see telling me what to think and say are those who are fanatically “progressive.” I’m getting out of my lane here – this is a site about solving business (profit and non-profit) problems. Not a soapbox.

Anyhow, it seems to me that the pendulum has swung in the other direction. I’m not saying to change your beliefs. But, if you want to win people over, you’ve got to meet them where they are. Highlight the good the church is doing. There’s a lot, I know. Don’t just read Bible verses to people – I don’t think it will resonate. Expand on what the Bible says. Apply to real, everyday life in 2018.

Those in your church that want to stick with the “way it’s always been done” might be holding you back. There’s a lot of value in religion, but you might have to employ a little more subtleness when conveying that value. 

Here’s a trick I credit to Aubrey Malphurs, Church Consultant – if you find yourself faced with a stubborn (possibly older) member, ask them what they’d be willing to change to have their (grand) children seated next to them at church. When framed this way, you might find that they are a little more willing to be flexible.

The inability to budget effectively + Economic hardship in the community = You need to practice what you preach

Your church is going to thrive more in strong economic times than weak ones. That’s obvious. However, handling your church’s finances in a responsible manner is a necessity no matter the economy. Seeing a place of worship crumble in poor economic times is only going to make those who are losing hope become more despondent.

The beauty of numbers in general and finance, in particular, is their inescapable reality. Short of committing fraud, you can’t make things appear or disappear out of thin air. Embrace the reality you’ve been blessed with and make the most of it.

An expert’s thoughts on church SWOT analyses

Charles Niedringhaus with United Methodist Communications

What are some of the hardest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and/or threats to come to terms with?

I have found that the hardest barriers to SWOT analyses have centered around honesty, focus and organizational commitment. A church or any organization doing a SWOT needs to provide an honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses. Often people don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings so everything becomes a strength. If worship isn’t inspiring or if sermons seem repetitive and lifeless, call it out as a weakness. If children’s ministries lag or member participation is lackluster, call it out. A SWOT has no meaning if the organization isn’t honest about its current state of affairs. Sometimes you might have to clarify why it’s a strength or weakness. Is it related to facilities, resource distribution, leadership or church demographics. Looking at strengths and weaknesses simply says what you do well and what you might not do as well as you’d like. It’s information that can help during the planning process.

A second barrier is focus. While it comes into play more with setting objectives, most churches find it difficult to focus. Individual churches do not have to be all things to all people. Yes, we want to be the spiritual home of all those who are around us, but that’s impractical. Individual churches have different strengths and weaknesses that may or may not play into the needs of those in the community. Churches also have limited resources, so focus allows us to play to our strengths, make changes where we need to, and use our resources more effectively.

Organizational commitment is essential if the church is going to make the plan work. Having a core of dedicated people is great, but unless the church as a whole gets behind the planning committee’s work, you may create a great plan that sits on the shelf. Be sure to build in opportunities for people to contribute to the plan in order to build internal support for the process.

One last thing, planning is a process; it doesn’t stop with a document. A plan should be dynamic and change as circumstances change. This shouldn’t be a once-a-decade “cookie-cutter” exercise. There isn’t one solution to the ills of a church; there are many, but, often, people limit the opportunities they are willing to consider. We get calls from people who ask how they can resurrect their youth programs and attract families with children. Sometimes the likelihood of revitalizing a church with no children is extremely limited making it impractical to expect in a short time frame. In cases like that, sometimes the best path is the one least traveled – being led to focus on something involving other underserved individuals that fit in your “wheelhouse”.

Do you have any other sources of information you would suggest being gathered before preparing a SWOT analysis?

Demographic information is available through your annual conference office. If they are unable to support you, contact the Local Church Services team at United Methodist Communications, localchurchservices@umcom.org. I would recommend working with your annual conference if possible because they may have other resources and support available beyond demographic data. If your church’s internal information is difficult to access, visit www.umdata.org. The site has information based on what your church has submitted to GCFA through 2017. United Methodist Communications also offers a local church assessment survey. Contact umcomresearch@umcom.org for information.

Wrapping up the church SWOT analysis

Holy cow, that’s a lot of info. I write a lot of info because there is a lot to think about (it is a “comprehensive” guide, after all). If your church is new to strategic planning or SWOT analyses, your head might be spinning.

Maybe you’re thinking “this is too much trouble.” Like I said in the church mission statement post – you don’t have to follow this guide “to a T.” There are lots of other great sources of information out there. If something suits you better, use it.

There’s really no downside to going through this thought exercise. Even if you can’t get anyone else in the church to buy in. It’s hard to imagine that you would be worse off afterward if you did follow these steps.

Don’t expect perfection. Especially the first time you draft a church SWOT analysis. You’ll make mistakes and you’ll learn from them. Next year – you’ll improve, as will you the year after that…

Whatever you do, just make sure that you feel good about the direction your church is heading.

What are some of the hardest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and/or threats to come to terms with?

How about some good resources (available to everyone) for understanding opportunities and threats?

Do you have any other sources of information you would suggest being gathered before preparing a SWOT analysis?

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