The goal in understanding your ministry community, or the group of people you are seeking to reach, is to evaluate their needs, connections and relevant information so that you will be able to build a relationship and serve them well.
Questions to Consider:
1. What are the top three things you could find out before showing up to a new community that would help guide your next steps? (ex. Number of people in the age group you are working with? Where do they live? Who are the main influencers?)
Here’s an example of how Cru works to understand the student population when going to a new campus:
Where are students concentrated?
What drives the students/main influencers for students?
What do they like to do?
What is the cultural/spiritual background of most students?
What is their family background?
2. What resources do we have online to help answer those questions before getting there?
Try searches like Google.com or use Facebook Insights. You can find the local University’s Facebook Page if you’re targeting students or maybe a local city page for young adults. Think about where your community would be grouped online and look through the profiles of the individuals to find their interests.
3. How can you start making connections and finding interested people before ever meeting them in person?
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