Let’s get to know each other better. Imagine you are meeting someone you would like to get to know. If you had an afternoon to hang-out, what kinds of questions would you ask the other person to get to know them?
Where do you work? Tell me about your family. Do you have kids? Where did you go to school? What do you like to do for fun? What is your favorite food? Do you have any hobbies? What kind of music do you like? Have you read anything interesting lately? What is your favorite TV show? What concerns you most about what is going on in our world? The list goes on…
These are the kinds of questions people ask everyday to get closer to people. Why do you ask people these things? What do you plan to do with all that information anyway? Why all the third degree? Easy, the more you understand the people you relate to, the better you get along with them. The more you learn to listen, the more likable you become to others.
For talking about the most important thing in life—faith in Christ, we also know it is important to get to know people. Understanding people by asking questions is a normal way to get to know people in outreach. The fact is, often, the way you make contact enough to minister to people is through conversations about their lifestyle and interests and preferences. You may not have thought much about it before, but as a ministry leader, you are a natural for understanding and using psychographics research.
Going Psycho!
Researchers know people can not only be grouped by their statistical similarities, they can also be grouped by the personal lifestyle choices they make. Psychographics is segmentation of people based on their responses to lifestyle surveys. In a way, imagine this research as similar to the “research” you might do yourself to get to know an individual.
Researchers take demographic and geographic data and cross-tabulate the responses of people to scientifically sampled research questionnaires (and other research approaches) to group people based on their lifestyle, income, living situation, etc. They then extrapolate the results of their research across the country grouping people with similar characteristics in categories or clusters.
You can access some of this information using zip codes for free. Take a look at a few of the segments developed by the researchers at Claritas. These are a couple of groups from different parts of the Oklahoma City area based on the zip codes 73129 and 73013.
Suburban Pioneers (73129)
Suburban Pioneers represents one of the nation’s eclectic lifestyles, a mix of young singles, recently divorced and single parents who have moved into older, inner-ring suburbs. They live in aging homes and garden-style apartment buildings, where the jobs are blue-collar and the money is tight. But what unites these residents-a diverse mix of whites, Hispanics and African-Americans-is a working-class sensibility and an appreciation for their off-the-beaten-track neighborhoods.
Median HH Income: $33,258
Lifestyle Traits
- Eat fast food
- Do needlepoint
- Baby Talk magazine
- King of the Hill in syndication
- Suzuki Verona
Kids & Cul-de-sacs (73013)
Upscale, suburban, married couples with children-that’s the skinny on Kids & Cul-de-Sacs, an enviable lifestyle of large families in recently built subdivisions. With a high rate of Hispanic and Asian Americans, this segment is a refuge for college-educated, white-collar professionals with administrative jobs and upper-middle-class incomes. Their nexus of education, affluence and children translates into large outlays for child-centered products and services.
Median HH Income: $70,034
Lifestyle Traits
- Shop at The Disney Store
- Go to Chuck E. Cheese
- Parenting magazines
- Nickelodeon TV
- Nissan Armada SUV
By looking at the scientific data about the people who live around you, you can get a lot of information for planning ministry. It is as if the ministry conversation has been started for you and it’s up to you to be a good listener. Look at the above list and ask yourself a few questions.
- What kinds of church activities might appeal to each group?
- What are some life issues you might want to talk about in sermons?
- What might be the communication preference of each one. (Print, TV, etc)
- What TV programs might they watch?
- For “funzies” try to think of one ministry idea that might interest them
Now go look up the zip code where you church is located and ask yourself the same questions. You can get a lot more information and use the psycographic profiles of the people in your ministry area in many ways. You can even get a cross-tabulation comparing the people in your church with your community.
Percept Demographics
One exciting resource for psychographic research for ministry is Percept. This company has partnered with the people who developed the Claritas clusters and added their own ministry-contextualized research to the mix. Look into getting a Ministry Area Profile. This organization can help you do a lot of the psychographic analysis you need for long-rang ministry planning.
Several churches I know use the psychographic analysis of their congregation to identify segments of people in their city that are most like the people in their church. They then lease a mailing list based on the demographics and target them in their marketing.
You church shouldn’t only go after people who are only like your church members. You have the Missional calling to take the gospel to the whole world. But, you can start with people who are most like you as you launch out, This is what the early church did in Acts 1:8.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The early church began taking the gospel with their own community and then worked their way out beyond to the ends of the earth. At first their understanding of other people was not very sophisticated. They saw two groups of people, “Jews and Gentiles”. Later Paul led the church to a deeper understanding of reaching all people. In a similar way, the church today tends to have a simplistic view of people who are not yet believers. We group people under headings like “Churched and Unchurched”. We need to spend more time listening and learning about people. Thankfully a lot of the research has been done.
For example, one church planter found through psychographic data his people in his target were “Shotguns and Pickups” from the Claritas clusters.
Shotguns & Pickups – The segment known as Shotguns & Pickups came by its moniker honestly: it scores near the top of all lifestyles for owning hunting rifles and pickup trucks. These Americans tend to be young, working-class couples with large families–more than half have two or more kids–living in small homes and manufactured housing. Nearly a third of residents live in mobile homes, more than anywhere else in the nation. –Claritas
The planter’s lifestyle was everything opposite of the people he was coming to town to pastor. It was a complete mismatch. So the church planter did what every missionary or cross-cultural minister would do, he adapted to the people he wanted to reach. Now, instead of heading up to Barnes and Noble for a Starbucks latte and a book on Supralapsarianism, the church planter heads to the fairgrounds for the Bass Boat show to meet people and share the gospel. He tries to adapt his sermon illustrations and messages to the lifestyle of the unchurched in his community. He doesn’t whip out the PowerPoint with line after line of theological alliteration, he tells down-to-earth stories people understand (like Jesus did).
Saddle Up for Sunday
Many great new ministry ideas can be developed from lifestyle research. In my own state (and around the country) a very progressive movement of Cowboy churches has been developed on this same principle of ministry targeting people by lifestyle. Instead of inviting cowboys to church on Sunday morning (which is a working day for most cowboys), the missionaries head up to the riding arena and hold services there on Monday nights.
The church worship leaders select music, preach sermons and develop all their plans understanding the perspective (without theologically compromising to it) of the lifestyle of the cowboy. Who knew these cowboys were such softies? Cowboys love to sing, love poetry, and can see right through you if you are insincere. If you have ever met a cowboy who loves Jesus, you would agree that in some cases, Mama’s can let their children grow up to be cowboys!
What new ministries are possible where you live?
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