In order to love and serve our neighbors, we need to know our neighbors.
MissionInsite is the tool that helps churches ‘meet’ their neighbors, learn about them, and find good ways to connect with them. This is not the usual demographic tool which includes mostly economics and population statistics, though these of course are available and useful. You may scan the neighborhood near your church and learn about your community’s religious ideas, interests, and preferences in terms of how to best communicate with your neighbors so you can invite them to join your church family. Do you have a lot of young families near your church? Are there single mothers near you? Are there people struggling with depression, seeking help with weight loss, or struggling with issues of aging?
Careful attention to near-by neighborhoods may lead you into significant mission opportunities, knowing that the Spirit will work to prosper your new directions. There is interesting information in a section called Mosaics as it groups the people around you in age groups and shares with you characteristics of their approaches to the world. Again, this kind of information can guide you in significant ways in your ministry and mission.
Click here to go to MissionInsite. Each church will establish its own registration password. For help, email Carol Clark (cbclark05@aol.com) who can send you more help in registering and answer questions.