Learn from Surveys                                 March 2002

First, be sure that guests register. The best way is to encourage guests to fill out a tear-away form that is a part of your Worship Guide or bulletin, and then have them place it in the offering plate or box. Be sure and tell them up front what you'll do with the information. At the church I attend, we tell our guest that the pastor wants to send them a thank you letter for attending - we're not going to bug you or sell your information to the local car dealer! 

Oh, and by the way, don't point out guest by having them raise their hand for a visitor card or by standing up. Most people are very uncomfortable attending a new church for the first time. Why make the experience more difficult!

What information do you ask for? Ask for the "usuals," such as name, address, city, state and zip. Also ask who they are attending with, and if they are looking for a church home. Include a quick survey about where they heard about your church. List friend, TV, radio, newspaper, yellow pages and other _________. The other side of our form includes a place for prayer requests and decision response. Another check set of check boxes that people appreciate is one that says "call me" and one that says "do not contact me at this time."   Ask if you can add them to your mailing list.

Ok, we have information, what do we do with it? Send out a letter of thanks from the pastor. With the letter, include a post-paid reply card and ask for them a couple of questions such as "What did you like about your visit?" and "What can we improve?"  It is amazing the information that you get back! Hopefully, you'll find many glowing comments and very few needs for improvements.  

Got a special event such as a church musical or concert? Create a special response card just for the event. Along with the contact and response information, leave a couple of lines for the people to write a message to the cast and staff about the production. You'll find many people that will accept Christ and not respond to a formal invitation, but will notate their decision on the card.

How about an exit or entrance survey? Have you ever been to an amusement park and seen the surveyors with their clipboards asking questions? This is a great way to gain information about how people heard about your event, how far they'll drive to attend and why they came to your church or event. Use the information you gather to fine tune your marketing and media strategies.

Needs Assessment Surveys - What are your people dealing with? What issues concern your community? Check with your local TV broadcaster, hospital or city government. Many do annual surveys in the community to find the needs they should address. Survey your congregation or place a survey on the Internet. This information can assist your staff in preparing sermon topics and knowing when to start support groups. Here's an example from Pantego Bible Church in Fort Worth. http://www.pantego.org/surveys/index.cfm 

And my favorite survey is the Visitation Survey. A great way to get an opening to share Christ is through using a survey to get an opening to share the Gospel. Here's a website with an example: http://www.reachthelost.com Also, with the JESUS Video, mail the video in and several weeks later, follow-up with a survey. You can find an example in the Leader's Guide here: http://www.jesusvptexas.org/Mobility%20Kit.htm  

Surveys can also be used for budgeting, building new facilities, strategic planning, leadership management, spiritual gifts and assimilation. Just search the web and see the many examples.

Thanks once again for reading my ramblings! I hope these brief ideas will help you reach more people for Christ in you community. If you have other ideas, or would like to see an article on a particular subject, let me know at lmiller@msget.com. 

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