This page will collect the weekly Christian Thought Survey reports once the 2026 cycle begins. Each survey will focus on one doctrinal, practical, or sociological issue of interest to Christian ministers while also carrying forward participant-vote-determined questions and future survey-item suggestions.
Weekly survey structure
Each Weekly Survey will include six parts:
- One CTS-administered topic: 12 related survey items from the CTS topic bank.
- Three participant-vote-determined questions: 3 additional live survey items chosen based on the previous week's participant vote.
- A participant-nominated item ballot: 7 AI-polished ballot items selected from the previous week's participant nominations, with AI-created seed items added only when fewer than 7 suitable participant nominations are available.
- A text box: to suggest survey items to be voted on next week and possibly featured in the following week's survey.
- Last week's results summary and link: a brief summary and a link to the primary CTS website page containing the previous week's results and reports.
- A preview of upcoming topics: The topics for the next three weeks will be featured to allow for mental preparation.
Participant-nominated ballot rule: Participant suggestions are reviewed by CTS with AI assistance, polished for clarity, neutrality, credence-slider suitability, breadth, novelty, and pastoral or theological relevance, and reduced to a 7-item ballot. Active participants rank those 7 items; the top 3 ranked items become live participant-vote-determined survey items in the following week's survey.
The cycle is cumulative: participant suggestions submitted in one weekly survey are reviewed by CTS with AI assistance, polished, reduced to a 7-item ballot, ranked by active participants, and the top 3 ranked items become live survey items in the following week's survey. If fewer than 7 suitable participant nominations are available, CTS adds AI-created seed items to complete the ballot.
The regular send rhythm is a Monday heads-up email and a Thursday SurveyOL survey-link email. The Monday email names the current topic and previews the next 3 planned general topics; the Thursday survey includes that same preview of upcoming topics inside the survey itself.
Response rule: The 15 live survey items use credence sliders. The participant-nominated item ballot and suggestion text box are administrative inputs rather than survey-item responses.
Report format
- Issue: the weekly CTS-administered topic and the reason it was selected.
- Administered items: the exact wording of the 12 CTS-provided survey items.
- Participant-vote-determined questions: 3 additional live survey items chosen based on the previous week's participant vote.
- Credence results: summary statistics for slider responses across all live survey items.
- Subgroup comparisons: denominational, role, ministry-experience, or other comparisons when sample size permits.
- Participant-nominated item ballot: the ranked result from voting on last week's 7 AI-polished participant-nominated ballot items.
- Suggestion text box: a summary of suggested survey items when they can be shared responsibly.
- Previous-results summary and link: the brief summary and primary CTS website link included in the survey.
- Preview of upcoming topics: the topics for the next three weeks featured to allow for mental preparation.
- Data release: a link to raw or prepared data when privacy and formatting checks are complete.
Report index
| Date | CTS-administered topic | Participant-vote-determined questions | Participant-nominated item ballot | Status | Report | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upcoming | First weekly topic | Chosen based on participant vote | Opens after first participant suggestions | In preparation | Pending | Pending |
Raw data will not include direct email identifiers in public files. Participant attributes may be grouped or suppressed when needed to avoid accidental identification. Free-text suggestions may be edited, grouped, or withheld before publication to protect privacy and keep item wording usable. See the Privacy & Data Release page for the current policy.