By Mary C. Frances, Executive Director
When I was in my last parish call, I was fortunate to receive a detailed demographic report from the office in my denomination that deals with such matters. I spent hours poring over the pages and pages of information. Median age, median income, race, education and more. The whole thing was at least 20 pages long, single spaced! Eventually I realized that it just wasn’t going to do me any good. First, I didn’t really understand what to do with this information. Second, I didn’t know where some of these population groups were. I understood there was a growing Latino population in town, but I didn’t know where they were. I knew that the number of people experiencing homelessness was growing but aside from the few who came to the door of the church, how would we find them? I just didn’t know and, perhaps more importantly, I didn’t know how to find out.
Today we have clarity on these issues and so much more. We now have demographic reports that are clear, concise and point to community strengths, weaknesses and risk factors. The Neighborhood Insights Report from FaithX provides over 40 relevant data points – in just two pages! And when we dig deeper into those data points, we can determine how and where a community is growing or not, where there is affordable housing or not, and predominant population groups based on age, race and gender. We can also determine at a glance if there are concerns about medical coverage, the growing need for daycare or how many people in your neighborhood are falling into poverty. These numbers are vital to moving beyond anecdotal evidence to understanding the joys and concerns of the community in which we are planted.
Not too long ago, I shared one a Neighborhood Insights Report with a congregation doing some strategic goal setting before embarking on a capital campaign. The report showed that the community around the church was very wealthy while just 10 minutes away the community was struggling, on the brink of poverty. Many people drove through that neighborhood to get to church but hadn’t seen it. They thought of it as the route they drove not the people who lived there. As we dug into the demographics, there was a shift in understanding. They realized they needed to stop driving through and…well, stop. Maybe it was time to get to know the people who lived there as neighbors, not just people on the street. Their strategic plan changed because the Neighborhood Insights Report brought a deeper understanding of community to this congregation.
It’s not everyday that we get to celebrate these kinds of shifts. The shift is important, and yet we still don’t know the outcome, what that will look like, or how this shift will change the congregation or the community. But shifts are important, so we celebrate when we can. Is your congregation ready to explore a shift or two? Let us know info@faithx.net.
