We talk a lot about the importance of understanding the context of your community. That means understanding the people who live there, their pain points, their needs, and their opportunities.

Sometimes the concept of “community” gets misunderstood. Assumptions are made about what a community is and what it needs. In the church, you have communities that exist both inside and outside the congregation. For nonprofits, it’s the same. You have a community of donors, and you also have a community of people who need to be helped and cared for.

One of the mistakes we sometimes see organizations make is placing too much emphasis on just one of these communities. This can happen during a research phase when an organization is looking to create change or pursue growth. While it’s sometimes necessary to focus on one group for a particular reason, it’s important to maintain a balanced perspective. It is important to gather data, conduct interviews and focus groups, and have conversations in a way that helps you see the full picture and truly understand what’s happening.

A Story to Consider

Several years ago, we observed a Christian school that was entering a season of growth. They had never had their own building. Instead, they had always rented space or partnered with other organizations to use facilities. The school’s DNA was deeply relational, theologically grounded, and community-focused.

As they began dreaming about growth, excitement rose. People saw the opportunity to fundraise, buy land, and finally build a dedicated space. The school started doing research to determine what kinds of programs, classes, and extracurricular activities people in the outside community wanted. Their goal was to create an attractive offering for potential new students.

This research provided information that was utilized to help increase enrollment and shape future planning. But while the research was a key tool in the decision making of the school’s growth plan, something was unintentionally overlooked. The core values that historically had made the school successful: being relational, being theologically grounded, and being community-centric. While the school internally held these values, they were not central in the planning conversations. The school had unknowingly let outside research cloud its understanding of what made the school special.

The mission of this school shifted. Instead of focusing on building Christ-following leaders and preparing the next generation, the school began to center its energy on funding and sustaining growth opportunities. As a result, even though enrollment increased and the programming expanded, the culture, the DNA of the school, changed. Much like many institutions that started as central destinations for faith education, it had now become a school for anyone with new facilities that happened to have some Bible classes. It became something very different from what it had originally been.

They used a one sided approach

This is why we emphasize taking a holistic approach. It helps ensure you don’t lose what’s most important. When we understand perceptions from both the inside and outside of an organization, we lower the risk of compromising our mission or losing what makes us distinct. It helps us stay aligned with the unique calling God has placed on our work.

Three Things to Consider in Seasons of Change

If your ministry is going through a time of change, self-evaluation, or you’re in the process of gathering data, here are some practical things to consider:

1. Get Data From the Right Sources

It’s easy to assume that census data or purchased demographic data will be enough. It’s also easy to lean on your own internal research such as geographic reach, participant engagement, giving trends. But that alone might not give you the full story.

Be careful not to influence the data or draw conclusions prematurely. One major pitfall is confirmation bias, where we make decisions based on our assumptions and then search for data to support them. When this happens, we tend to ignore the data that could actually give us the clearest, most objective view.

2. Take a Holistic Approach (Even If You Think You Don’t Need To)

We’ve seen churches, schools, nonprofits, and mission organizations make missteps simply because they didn’t look at the big picture. When decision-making isn’t as informed or strategic as it needs to be, it’s hard to make meaningful progress.

Get help with this. Even if you’re not hiring a consulting firm, coach, or agency, invite people outside of your organization to help you in this process. They can reveal blind spots you may not see. It requires vulnerability and a teachable spirit, but it pays off in the long run.

3. Don’t Rush the Process

We all want research, strategy, and creative execution done quickly. But this kind of work takes time. Rushing often leads to cutting corners… and when you cut corners, you miss important things.

We usually recommend a minimum of three or six months for discovery. This gives you time to ask the right questions, talk to the right people, and gather the data needed to move forward in a thoughtful way.

Ministry moves quickly

As ministry leaders we want to see lives changed. But keep in mind that your perspective is shaped by the bubble you’re in. Before a pastor enters a church, they have an outside perspective. Once they’re part of the church, that perspective shifts. The same is true for school administrators and nonprofit leaders. Once you’re on the inside, it’s harder to see what’s happening outside the bubble you are in.

Being self-aware means realizing that the people you’re helping as well as those trying to help you may not be the same as you. Their needs, situations, frustrations, and priorities may be very different. Recognizing that helps you become more effective in your communication, your strategy, and your ministry.

Where to Go From Here

If you’re looking for help in evaluating your ministry and building self-awareness for informed decision-making, here are a few helpful resources:

The Barna Group
Barna is a great resource for data, articles, and research. Their subscription service gives access to cultural insights, ministry trends, discipleship data, and more. If you don’t already use their tools, we highly recommend it.

MissionInsite
MissionInsite is a cloud platform from ACS Technologies that provides in-depth community insights. These aren’t just demographic reports. They also include data on faith receptivity, values, priorities, and cultural considerations. These reports are affordable and well worth using on a regular basis.

The Keen Edge Process
For ministries ready to take a holistic approach, we recommend our Keen Edge process. This is a deep, multi-stage journey that includes discovery, strategy, and creative execution. It’s designed to help you connect more effectively with your mission, message, and the communities you serve. The process can take up to a year and requires an investment of time and resources, but it has proven valuable time and again for ministries that want to grow with integrity and impact. If you’re interested in learning more about this process, let us know. We’d love to talk with you.