Canvass your neighborhoods!

To keep from withering in the desert of traditional Christianity, relevant, growth-minded churches must learn what it is their neighborhoods want in a church. Many missional churches go out to the highways and byways, surveys in hand, to find out how they can best serve their communities, how they can supersize their offerings and maximize their spiritual profitability.

The results are in

If church marketing groups had targeted Jesus and his disciples, this might be one result:

Jesus, your associate Jude Iscariot asked us to implement a survey to see how your group was perceived, both internally and in the larger community. We put together some focus groups, did some informal surveys and crunched the numbers. Your results are in.

Among disciples, your group shows high marks. Most disciples believed your group was on the right track. Most were excited about your mission, although a fair number weren’t sure just what the mission was. A majority liked how you related to the unchurched and minorities. A few thought you needed to emphasize scripture more and a few thought you needed to provide better child care services.

External surveys showed a wide divergence of opinion on your group. Most thought you were dangerous (half because of stirring up disfavor of Roman authorities; and half because they thought your religious ideas bordered on blasphemy). Most had a favorable view of your miracles, but the parables and teachings received low marks.

Our recommendation is that you seek to implement a strategy to modify your group culture, in order to help you attain the reputation you are seeking to build. You need to do more to impact your community in a positive way, to get some public relations help and to use available media to your advantage.