Sometimes people question the legitimacy of having to pay a processing fee to take a “survey.”  If someone raises this financial objection how can you respond?

Many Inventories require a processing fee.  For example, often pastors and lay counselors will require individuals or couples to complete diagnostic inventories as part of a counseling program.  Some examples of inventories that require a processing fee include:

• Prepare/Enrich—a marriage compatibility inventory;
• Meyers-Briggs—a Personality Type inventory;
• Taylor-Johnson—a Temperament Analysis.

These helpful tools are used by secular and Christian counselors to assist ordained and non-ordained counselors in their counseling ministry.  Each of these inventories requires a materials and processing fee.  For example, Prepare/Enrich is used by many pastors when they counsel couples who want to get married.  The Prepare/Enrich program is part of the counseling curriculum of many seminaries.

Each person who completes a Prepare/Enrich marriage inventory pays a processing fee of $35.  Of course the pastor does not keep this money.  The pastor forwards the fee to LIFE INNOVATIONS who funded the development of the inventory, scores the data and makes reports available to the pastor and/or counselor.

For purposes of comparison, the print version of the Prepare/Enrich inventory is 165 questions and the processing fee is $35.  The Senior Ministry Inventory is 174 questions and the processing fee is $12 (approximately 1/3 the cost).  Plus three reports are generated from the data collected by the Senior Ministry Inventory — one for the individual; a second for the congregation; and a third for the co-sponsoring judicatory.

It is helpful to remind those who have financial questions that there is a difference between a basic survey designed to discover your personal likes or dislikes, and a comprehensive Inventory designed as a diagnostic tool. Help your members understand that the diagnostic nature of the Confidential Report will save a person time, energy and in some cases thousands of dollars.