NextStep logo

NextStep

We guide you from the brush to a clearing.

Guessing and anecdotal advice doesn’t guide you forward. Our assessment uses benchmarks from thousands of churches so you can know exactly where the path is for your church.



In a Nutshell:
  • Sign up and complete a brief church questionnaire.
  • Send out our pre-made survey to your congregation.
  • After two weeks, we generate a comprehensive report on your church’s spiritual health.
  • Church members can carry over their results into NextStep for ongoing discipleship.
Peter Englert Image

"The NextStep for Churches Assessment provides a necessary perspective to where individuals are growing or stuck within the church you serve. I found this assessment to be a form of prayer, attempting to listen to God where I could invest the most time to help individuals and the church as a whole become who God has made them to be."

Peter Englert, Adult Ministries Director
Browncroft Community Church
Certified Explorer Img
Feature img
Free & Simple

Other assessments are complex to set up and time-consuming to implement. The NextStep for Churches assessment can take you from launch to discovery in as few as three weeks.

Feature img
Pack With Confidence

Individual stories won’t tell the full story. Who’s doing well? Who’s secretly struggling? Anonymous, year-over-year evaluation can help you accurately track your church’s spiritual growth.

Feature img
Solution-Focused

Not seeing a score on the board, or only seeing problems, can make you feel like you’re stuck. Our assessment helps you identify your church’s biggest wins and gather around a cause so you can celebrate as one big family of God.

Feature img
Birds Eye View

Guessing and anecdotal advice won’t move you forward. Our assessment uses benchmarks from thousands of churches so you can know exactly where you’re off-track and where you’re on-target.

Feature img
Actionable insights

Raw data from other assessments doesn’t have the depth and breadth to show what counts. Our assessment provides tailored, actionable insights gleaned from over 200 years of American Bible Society’s research history.

Swaying decorative cloud imageSwagin decorative inverted cloud imageseparatorseparator

Your 3-Week Mile Markers

Your church is always changing. It’s only 3 steps to learn what those changes mean.

Join The Platform

1 Mile

Create your account, invite collaborators, and tell us a bit about your church so we can best prepare your survey.

rectangle

Launch Your Survey

2 Miles

Pick your survey’s start date, share the link with your church, and get statistically viable results in 2 weeks.

rectangle

Get Your Results

3 Miles

Uncover the strengths, challenges, growth opportunities, and unique signature of your congregation.

rectangle
You Are Hereseparator

Experience the Survey

Create a free account to see the survey your congregation will complete, as well as a sample survey report after the survey wraps up.

Field Guide (or FAQs)

We get some great questions from travelers like you, so we’ve compiled them into a handy field guide.

dotted ellipseJohn Plake

Leading your church used to have a predictable rhythm. But lately, that rhythm feels interrupted. Every Sunday, your people walk into church with new questions driven by the economy, politics, and a fast-changing culture.

The old pathways have shifted, and you’re left to navigate without a compass. We know this is difficult, and you shouldn’t have to go it alone.

And that’s why we built this free assessment for church leaders. NextStep for Church is backed by the American Bible Society and their 209-year legacy of research excellence.

In just two weeks you’ll get an easy-to-read report benchmarked against thousands of other churches. It’s a clear picture of your church’s spiritual health and where your people need the most focus.

Imagine that clarity you’ll feel when you know where your people are struggling and what you can do to help them grow. It’s a game changer. Instead of reacting to the latest crisis you can watch them hit new spiritual heights.

Pastor, we built this for you. Come and see. It’s free.

John Plake, Ph.D. Chief Innovation Officer
American Bible Society