Conducting Primary Research by Going Door to Door

Churches need to be constantly asking the question, "who lives in our neighborhood and how can we reach out to them?" Secondary research, also known as desk research, will help you answer that question. Church leaders can consult data from the U.S. Census Bureau or a demographic provider such as MissionInsite. However, I recommend you push away from your desk and go out into your neighborhood to conduct primary research as well.


Primary research, also called field research, involves the collection of data that does not already exist. The Census Bureau, for example, does not ask questions about religious affiliation. You can gather that information from some households by going door to door around the church.


Bill Hybels is one of the best known practitioners of door to door research. Before launching Willow Creek Community Church he went door to door in South Barrington, IL. He asked residents one question, "what do you like least about the church?" He was frequently told "churches are always asking for money." As a result of this primary research Willow Creek does not pass the offering plate during the seeker services on Sunday.

Of course Pastor Hybel's learned more than just the answer to his one question. Church members volunteered where they already went to church. Some of the unchurched peppered him with questions, telling him what issues were foremost on the minds of the unchurched. Conversations at the door, even brief ones, can be very rich.

His perambulating had another benefit as well. He was able to announce the formation of a new church, one the unchurched might want to join. After all they had already met the pastor.

Casual Primary Research
You can also conduct casual or incidental primary research. Let's say you are sending out teams of two people to invite people to Easter service. Each team takes a stack of doorhangers. If someone is home they hand them the doorhanger and invite them to church. The resident might say thanks but I already attend a church, mentioning the name of the church. If no one is home, put a doorhanger on the door and move on to the next house.

Be sure to debrief the teams when they return to your church. What did they hear and learn? This casual primary research will be quite interesting and valuable.

What is Planetizen?

Church planters and all those in the church concerned about the built environment will find useful information in the newsletter Planetizen. It is delivered free to your inbox on Mondays and Thursdays.

For example, if your church is located in a Rust Belt city you will find in the February 14 issue of Planetizen that these cities are attracting a younger population. Cities like Youngstown, OH are coming back to life, especially in their downtowns, according to an article "The Rust Belt Has Arrived."

In that same issue is an article about Gainesville, FL and how it is becoming more livable. Roll up your sleeves and help your city become more liveable by learning from Gainesville. The city is emphasizing walkability and neighborhood scale.

Planetizen will also help you keep up with issues regarding religious expression and zoning. A couple in Vermont put up a 24-foot-tall cross on a hilltop on their property. The state is saying it is out of character with the natural beauty of the rural neighborhood and should come down. Do you want to support this couple?

One more example. Todd Litman, blogging on Planetizen asks "what would Jesus plan?" Specifically what transportation plans would social justice advocates make? Answer, affordable housing in accessible urban areas and more emphasis on non-motorized transportation.

To receive Planetizen go to www.planetizen.com.

How Many Unchurched People in Your Area?

Do you know how many unchurched people live in your county? What about which religious bodies are growing the most in your metro area or state? Thanks to the Glenmary Research Center and also The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) you can get answers to these questions and more.

The Glenmary folks publish Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States. The first edition was published in the early 1980s. Two other editions have appeared, with the most recent being Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. The next edition Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States 2010 should be available June 2012. Call 513-881-7497or send email to grc@glenmary.org to be put on their mailing list to receive notice of publication.

You can also view this information on-line at www.thearda.com. ARDA is an Internet-based archive that stores and distributes information from over 200 major data collections in American religion. It is supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., and is housed at The Pennsylvania State University.

If you go to thearda.com click on the US Congregational Membership tab at the top of the page. From there select reports. There you can search by county, metro area, state or even the entire United States.

Here is what I found for Howard County in Indiana. In the year 2000 45% of the population was unchurched or unclaimed. This is lower than the state figure of 50%. Kokomo is more churched than the state as a whole. Kokomo is the largest city in Howard County. I also found that between 1990 and 2000 the Catholic Church grew the most, adding almost 2,300 members. The Friends declined the most, closing six meetings and losing 1,129 adherents.

What is happening in your ministry area?

2010 Census Data is Coming

Last year we all filled out our forms for the 2010 census. Now the question is, when will we see the results? Churches are curious to see who is living within their parish ministry area.

The President gets the first look. The law says the President must see the numbers within nine months of Census Day (April 1, 2010).

The Census Bureau has already released the 2010 data for each state. For example, the 2010 population of Oregon is 3,831,074, an increase of 12% over the 2000 population.

The law also requires the earliest release of 2010 data for use in redistricting. This data will roll out by April 1, 2011 by state and includes race, ethnicity, voting age and housing unit tallies at the local level. The first states to roll out will be Virginia, New Jersey, Louisiana and Mississippi. This will be the first opportunity for churches to gather information about their local community.

After the need to feed the redistricting process, the rest of the census 2010 data will begin to flow. Look for these files to come from April 2011 through September 2013. Your local newspaper will likely alert you to the release of data of interest to you.