By Mary C. Frances, Executive Director
In 2016, FaithX founder Ken Howard connected with a fellow data geek and together they dreamed of all that would be possible if data that was specifically curated for faith communities could be easily accessible. They formed a joint venture and two years later began sharing and selling a product totally unique to churches, judicatories and denominations.
Certainly, there were, at the time, other demographic products out there with churches in mind so what made this so unique? Well, Ken, his partners and growing staff created some unique features such as the missional opportunity index, a ¼ mile by ¼ mile map view of demographic growth and decline that has become invaluable for judicatories and the Neighborhood Insights Report, a two-page infographic report with over 40 data points critical for congregations to understand their neighborhoods. Over the years this demographic tool has helped many forge new relationships in their communities, identify where to plant churches and where mergers or joint ministry ventures would be helpful.
And now, after almost 8 years of partnering, FaithX is striking out on our own. Datastory, our valued partner, made the strategic business decision to focus on the retail market and not faith communities. We are so grateful for all that the last 8 years of partnership have made possible, and we know that faith communities continue to need data that is tailored to their unique needs. We are committed to providing just that. Let me introduce to you MissionMaps for Faith Communities.
There is much in MissionMaps to be excited about. It is built on the newest ESRI platform available and will continue to bring you all the latest, most current data. We are also excited, though, to reassure you that the unique features you remember will still be available to you ONLY in MissionMaps for Faith Communities.
MissionMaps comes in three levels: Executive, Basic and Premier and our team will go into detail on each of those in the coming weeks. For now, I want you to know that these tools will continue to be available to you in all MissionMaps products – and ONLY in MissionMaps products:
-Missional Opportunity Index
-Neighborhood Insights Report
-Missional Context Reports
-Housing Instability Map Layer
MissionMaps Premier will offer the unique features of:
-Congregational Vitality Index analysis
-Congregational Sustainability Index analysis
-Sustainability-Vitality Margin analysis
As many of you know, while transitions can be exhilarating and exciting, they also bring challenges as necessary shifts are made. Everyone at both Datastory and FaithX are committed to a smooth transition for all and to continue to grow MissionMaps to meet the needs of your faith community and, as the saying goes, “Please pardon our dust!” Want to know more about how you can get MissionMaps? We can’t wait to work with you! Let us know at info@faithx.net
