Zeitschrift für Evaluation: Issue Evaluation Research in Church-Related Fields of Practice

In view of the complex challenges and problem constellations currently facing churches and church-affiliated institutions, impact orientation, impact analyses, and evaluation within the framework of impact-focused research emerge as promising strategies for addressing these demands. This article introduces and defines key concepts, outlines relevant methodological approaches, and presents the Impact Radar – a participatory methodological toolkit designed to support church organizations and services in developing context-sensitive and practice-oriented strategies through the active involvement of local stakeholders. The overarching objective is to enhance the capacity to assess which programs and interventions in church practice generate what kinds of effects, under which conditions, among which target groups, and to what extent. Moreover, the paper explores how methodological approaches can be leveraged to facilitate both optimization and conceptual development.

Keywords
Impact orientation, theory of change, participation, ecclesial practice, impact evaluation