Gathering Data for Starting Ministry

Before starting any new project, it is crucial to understand the project’s scope. Budgeting a million dollars to renovate a building to install a new elevator would be inappropriate if church members didn’t need to access the upper floors of the building for services or other activities or if installing a ramp might meet the required needs in some other way. Knowing the types of medical limitations found among your congregation that are also present in the immediate community can help you plan for the kind of structural or program changes that might best accommodate the greatest number of visitors and members.

Step 1. Identify the Focus of the Ministry

Before starting any ministry project, asking God’s direction through prayer is the first step. Medical and crisis assistance programs develop tentacles that get entangled in other areas of ministry very easily. By first identifying what God wants specifically for your church, you can narrow your focus, saving time and money.  

Step 2. Determine What Information You Need to Know

The second step is to decide what you need to know. Gather a team to brainstorm information currently known to be relevant to the proposed ministry. The information gathered at this step is comprehensive planning data to help the project manager identify the scope of what is currently known and unknown about the topic.

Suggestions on possible attendees would include,

• paster,
• accountant,
• whoever knows the most about who is absent from church and why (could be church secretary?),
• building maintenance,
• someone who knows about the insurance coverage for the church,
• children’s and teens’ ministry representative,
• special needs/disability coordinator,
• counseling services,
• community outreach,
• Church elders/trustees,
• A/V equipment crew,
• housekeeping services.

The list above is a large group to gather at once, but if you can do it together, brainstorming would be better. If not, individual interviews will work. You want to know how an accommodation might impact each committee member’s area if a change was necessary for someone who was hearing impaired, blind, unable to use their hands or legs, who needs to move around continuously, needs an interpreter, needs someone to accompany them into the bathroom, is incontinent, or makes involuntary noises, etc.

The goal of this survey is to determine interests and general needs. 

Sample Survey

We are researching the creation of a new ministry program called Compassion Ministry. The purpose of the ministry is to support individuals facing personal struggles due to illness, loss, hardship, or other life crises. Please help us determine the need for such a ministry at _________ by completing the following brief and confidential survey. Enter your details regarding how to complete it and submit it). Thank you in advance for participating in this process.

1. In the past year, has anyone in your household experienced any of the following personal crises? Check all that apply:

2. Considering the above, do you feel you had adequate resources available through your family, friends, community, or others to meet your needs in managing these events?

3. If your answer was no, what additional resources did you need? Check all that apply.

Thank you for your time and participation. If you have any additional comments or concerns you would like to share, please enter them below.