Who are we? Who are our neighbors? How do we engage them?

These important questions should be asked as churches strive to evaluate their mission field. Once upon a time, churches would spend hundreds of man-hours having church members canvass door-to-door and create people maps of the surrounding neighborhoods. Today, state-of-the-art technology and access to multiple national databases makes our mission field knowable. And, knowing more about who our neighbors are allows the church to customize their engagement strategies based on this knowledge.

But getting the raw data is only the first stage of using modern technology to help our churches engage the lost people who are within our reach. Interpreting that data and developing mission strategies based on those reports is an important part of the strategic mapping process. CBA’s experienced missiologists have extensive local knowledge allowing them to synthesize the data and provide individualized application for the mission strategy of your church.

How does it work?

Step one is collecting data about your congregation from your church. Most likely, you already have the information at your fingertips, it just needs to be formatted and sent to CBA. Next, our data partners generate a battery of reports based on your specific church and neighborhood data. These reports are the building blocks for creating a demographic profile of the community around your church and allow us to compare your congregation with the surrounding neighborhoods. Finally, CBA mission strategists help you use the demographic, psychographic, and religious belief information from the reports to enhance your church strategy for reaching the lost in your specific mission field.

Where does the data come from?

The primary data collection tool used is MissionInsite’s FaithConnect tool.  FaithConnect provides a holistic view of your community and organization, enhanced with premium data from Experian Mosaic USA, Epsilon TotalSource Plus, Simmons Consumer Behavior Surveys and more. Detailed, housetop data (useful for mailing and visiting lists) are available to churches. Creating a personalized Strategic Mission Field Demographic Profile for your church is one of the many benefits to being a contributing member of the CBA Church network.

What do I do now? How do I begin the process?

The CBA Church Network lives for the day when every girl, boy, woman, and man within our reach experiences a living witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having a comprehensive study of your church as it relates to your community helps each church member know how to pray for, care for, and share the Gospel with their neighbors. And, it assists the church in its Gospel mission of engaging households, the marketplace, and the nations which comprise our mission community.

Contact Vince Smith (vince.smith@cbachurchnetwork.org) or Marc Ira Hooks (marc.hooks@cbachurchnetwork.org) to schedule an introductory consultation.