Northlawn UMC
Church demographics have probably not been high on the priority list for most church finance teams and no doubt few pastors have preached sermons on the virtues of demographics.
But for the 21st-century church, demographics are perhaps the most important tool we have for reaching a culture that is changing rapidly. Developing a strategy for accomplishing the vision God has given a church is essential to the mission of it — but where do people start?
Churches and leaders need quick and easy access to information that will provide a proper understanding of their surrounding community and the existing members of their church within the local mission field; current and future church members also need to understand how they relate to one another.
The tools churches need have now arrived. Mission Insite (www.missioninsite.com) provides churches with a flexible web-based information system that allows people to build a custom map of their community and see where the members of their church live.
Then pastor, deacons, etc. can see how effective their ministry is at reaching neighbors. They can learn about nearby neighborhoods through comprehensive socioeconomic and lifestyle data from the most recent census information available. Plus there are also many resources available through Missioninsite.com — such as mailing lists, new resident lists and even the ability to project future transitions in a specific ministry area.
Why should local church leaders take advantage of this service? For one, there is no cost to the local church. The subscription has been fully funded through the West Michigan Conference and local district budgets.
And not to worry for those who feel slightly cyber-challenged – Mission Insite believes in providing the appropriate level of client support to insure the highest and best use of their products and services.
This is accomplished by regularly offered webinars for clients as part of the supportive correspondence and training.
Getting started is equally as simple. Stay on the watch for information from the conference office that will include an attachment. The attachment will be a “How to Register handout” to guide people step by step.
There will also be workshops offered at various district events in the next few months. Once registration is complete, a church is set to do as much research as they please.
All of this will enable church leadership to know more about their mission field than ever before.
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