last updated April 2026
If you lead a women’s ministry, you probably send out surveys from time to time. You want to know what is helping, what is missing, and where God may be opening doors for future ministry.
But a good survey does more than collect opinions. A good survey helps you make wise decisions.
That means the goal is not to ask every possible question. The goal is to ask the right questions.
After many years in women’s ministry, these are the kinds of questions I’ve found most helpful. I’ve also learned a few lessons the hard way:
- keep the survey short,
- use clear language,
- avoid asking two questions in one, and
- only ask about information you truly plan to use.
Those simple choices usually lead to better responses and more useful results.
For multiple-choice questions, I’ve included sample answer options in brackets. You would, of course, adapt these to fit your church.
Before you begin
Before writing your survey, answer these three questions:
- What decisions do we hope this survey will help us make?
- What information do we need in order to make those decisions?
- What information would be interesting, but not actually useful?
That last question matters. Every extra question makes a survey feel longer. And the longer a survey feels, the less likely people are to finish it thoughtfully. Survey experts also recommend placing open-ended questions near the end, where they do not slow people down early.
A practical tip: if you want candid feedback, tell respondents whether the survey is anonymous. In Google Forms, settings like collecting email addresses or limiting the form to one response can affect anonymity or require sign-in, so check those settings before you send the link
1. Learn who is in your ministry
These questions help you understand who you are serving. Only include the demographic questions that will genuinely help you plan better.
How long have you been part of our church?
[Less than 1 year]
[1–5 years]
[6–10 years]
[More than 10 years]
[Prefer not to answer]
Which best describes your connection to our church?
[Member]
[Regular attender]
[Occasional attender]
[New to the church]
[Other: ____]
What is your age range?
[18–29]
[30–39]
[40–49]
[50–59]
[60–69]
[70+]
[Prefer not to answer]
Which best describes your season of life?
[Single]
[Married]
[Divorced or separated]
[Widowed]
[Prefer not to answer]
Do you have children in any of these age groups?
[Preschool]
[Elementary]
[Middle school / high school]
[College / adult children]
[Grandchildren]
[None]
Which ministries or groups are you currently involved in?
[Provide checklist of your current ministry options]
Why ask these? Because ministry is not one-size-fits-all. A room full of young mothers may face different challenges from a room full of retirees. Knowing who you serve helps you plan wisely.
2. Find out what helps or hinders participation
This is where a survey becomes useful. You’re trying to learn what keeps women from connecting and what would make participation easier.
What is the biggest barrier that keeps you from participating more often in women’s ministry?
[Schedule]
[Childcare]
[Transportation]
[I don’t know many people]
[Programs offered do not fit my current needs]
[Cost]
[Health or caregiving responsibilities]
[Other: ____]
When are you most likely to attend a women’s ministry event or study?
[Weekday morning]
[Weekday afternoon]
[Weekday evening]
[Friday evening]
[Saturday morning]
[Sunday afternoon / evening]
Which format do you prefer?
[Large group event]
[Small group Bible study]
[Short-term class]
[Retreat]
[One-time workshop]
[Online option]
[Informal fellowship]
If you have not attended retreats or special events, why not?
[Too expensive]
[The topic did not interest me]
[I did not know enough about the event]
[I did not have anyone to attend with]
[I could not fit it into my schedule]
[I needed childcare]
[Other: ____]
A small wording note here: keep each question focused on one thing. For example, don’t ask whether someone liked the topic and speaker and location in one question. That gives muddy results because she may have liked one and not the others. Survey researchers call that a double-barreled question, and it usually makes the answers less useful.
3. Discover what women need most
This section gets at ministry priorities. Use just a few open-ended questions here. Open-ended questions give rich insight, but they take more effort to answer and more time to analyze.
What would help you grow most in your walk with Christ right now?
Which topics would you most like us to address in the coming year?
For example: Bible study skills, prayer, suffering, parenting, marriage, friendship, loneliness, evangelism, theology, mentoring.
What do you think are the three biggest spiritual needs of women in our church?
What is one thing our women’s ministry does especially well?
What is one thing you wish we would improve?
Those last two questions are especially valuable. One tells you what to keep doing. The other tells you where people feel a gap.
4. Identify interest in future opportunities
If you are considering new programs, ask specific questions. Vague questions tend to produce vague answers.
Instead of this:
What ministry should we start?
Try this:
Which of these opportunities would interest you?
[Short Bible study course]
[Mentoring relationships]
[Prayer group]
[Moms group]
[Support group for caregivers]
[Service project opportunities]
[Theology basics class]
[Book discussion group]
[Other: ____]
What topics would make you most likely to attend a retreat or special event?
Would you be interested in online or hybrid options if offered?
[Yes]
[No]
[Maybe]
5. Invite women to serve
This is one of the most helpful uses of a survey. Many women are willing to help, but they do not know where they fit. Introduce this section with a gentle sentence like this:
Here are some ways women can serve in our ministry. Checking a box does not commit you for life. It simply tells us where you may be interested in helping.
Then use a checklist:
I would be interested in helping with:
[Registration]
[Greeting / hospitality]
[Food or refreshments]
[Decorating]
[Set-up / clean-up]
[Childcare]
[Transportation]
[Publicity or design]
[Photography]
[Music]
[Administrative help]
[Leading a small group]
[Mentoring]
[Sharing my testimony]
[Planning special events]
[Teaching a skill or workshop]
[Hosting in my home]
[Other: ____]
I would like more information about these ministry opportunities:
[Provide checklist]
That last question matters because some women are not ready to lead, but they are ready to explore.
6. End with one final open door
Close with just one or two open-ended questions:
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
If you would like someone to follow up with you personally, please leave your name and preferred contact information here:
That gives women room to say what none of your questions captured.
Mistakes to Avoid
Before you send your survey, check for these common problems:
- Questions that ask two things at once. Example: “How satisfied were you with the speaker and the location?” Split that into two questions.
- Leading language. Example: “How much did you enjoy our wonderful retreat?” Better to ask neutrally.
- Too many open-ended questions. They are valuable, but a survey full of blanks can feel exhausting.
- Questions you do not plan to use. If the answer will not change a decision, you probably do not need the question.
Online Survey Tools
If you want a simple, free option, Google Forms is still a good place to start. Google Forms lets you collect responses, view summaries, customize confirmation messages, and share the form by link or embed it on a website. Keep in mind that some response settings can require sign-in.
Other popular tools include Survey Monkey, TypeForm and Alchemer (formerly SurveyGizmo). Typeform still offers a free plan, and Alchemer is the current name for what used to be SurveyGizmo.
Final Encouragement
A survey will not solve every ministry question. But it can help you listen well.
And listening well is one of the best ways to love the women God has placed in your care.
The goal is not to collect more data. The goal is to understand people better, so you can serve them more wisely.
Please email me and let me know how this worked for you or ways you changed and improved it.
More resources for Ministry Leaders
Photo by Chris Alcoran and used here under Flickr Creative Commons.
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