Ministry With Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research

Communities
Written By Emmanuel Gospel Center

Photo credit: Hamilton Photography via Lightstock

Ministry with Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

Are you seeing all that can be observed about your community?

From community-based participatory research to social-network analysis, there are various ways Christians can learn more about the communities they serve.

In this presentation, we explore several approaches to community research:

  • Spiritual and religious assessment

  • Historical-research approach

  • Demographic approach with mapping

  • Community-based participatory research

  • Assets-based approach

  • Needs-assessment approach

  • Community-indicators approach

  • Leadership studies and stakeholder analysis

  • Case studies of organizations and best practices

  • Social-network approach

  • Systems-analysis approach

A number of these approaches can be used as part of an overall community-building or community-development process that leads to community transformation.

This presentation is part of the larger series, Community Research and the Church. In the next segment, we explore the nature of community research and how it relates to biblical research and Christian ministry.

Resources
What happens when church buildings close?
What happens when church buildings close?

Churches faced with aging buildings, lack of parking, and aging, dispersed membership may find selling their buildings necessary—or even advantageous. What happens to the buildings when they do?

Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues
Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

Community Research and the Church
Community Research and the Church

A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.   

Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community
Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this illustrated guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students
College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston
Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

Are you looking to get a better understanding of the city of Boston with all its history, neighborhoods, and eccentricities? Rudy Mitchell, researcher of Boston's neighborhoods and churches for over 30 years, gives his top 5 recommendations for books about Boston.

Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth
Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth

Want to know where to plant a church in Boston? You might consider Boston’s newest or soon-to-be-built residential growth sites. We’ll take a look at eight neighborhoods where growth is—or soon will be—taking place, based on public and private development plans. 

Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]
Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]

The Church has a critical role in prevention, intervention, and healing from gender-based violence (GBV). These resources can help.

Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?
Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?

The City of Boston has released “Imagine Boston 2030,” a comprehensive vision to prepare for an expected population surge by the city’s 400th anniversary in 2030. Can the church articulate a similar vision for what the Kingdom of God could look like in Boston 13 years from now?

Tips for Developing Church Leadership
Tips for Developing Church Leadership

Starting a new church, but short on leaders? A few years ago, we interviewed a number of Greater Boston’s church planters to ask how they were developing new leaders for their churches. Here are some of their tips for raising new leaders.

Perspectives on Boston Church Statistics: Is Greater Boston Really Only 2% Evangelical?
Perspectives on Boston Church Statistics: Is Greater Boston Really Only 2% Evangelical?

A frank look at the sources, accuracy, limitations, and weaknesses of some commonly used church statistics in Boston. As convenient and convincing as statistics are, they can be misunderstood, misapplied, and generate misinformation.

Emmanuel Gospel Center
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The Nature of Community Research
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Community Research and the Church