Results of Robson Men s Bible Study Survey

Transcription

1 Results of Robson Men s Bible Study Survey David Laschinger, April 2018 Narrative Summary: On April 2, a 12-question survey was developed and sent by to 66 men in the Robson Men s Bible Study groups using ReachMail.com. The survey was open for responses until April 15. When the survey closed, I exported the raw data from ReachMail to Excel where it was analyzed. The purpose of the survey was to determine the reasons men attend Robson Bible Study, the preferred size of the group, location, opinion of ministry outreach, and determine their use and opinion of our website. Most questions provided quantifiable data. Comment boxes provided unquantifiable but useful information. Unfortunately, the survey neglected to ask if Saturday mornings were the best time for our study meetings or if a different day of the week or time was preferred. Thirty-nine men (59%) took the survey. The results indicate that 91% prefer to meet in individual homes and 49% prefer a group size between 10 and 14 men. They primarily come to Study the Bible, followed closely by Fellowship with Christian Men, third is Prayer Requests, next is Being able to share my troubles in confidence and lastly Coffee and donuts. Most regular attendees have told other men about our Bible studies or intend to do so. In response to supporting other ministries, most had no comment or didn t respond, but some named specific organizations with which they have a personal connection. (See details below.) Awareness and use of the website was low. No one is using it more than once a week. Almost half of the respondents were either not aware of the Bible study website or had never visited it. One respondent questioned the purpose and goal of the website and whether the leaders agree with such purpose and goal. Of the men that visit the website, a majority indicated it was very easy or somewhat easy to navigate. Individual comments indicate the website is most useful for Membership, meeting locations and times. Seven out of eight believe the website s information about Christian movies and local events is useful. One person added, I am just hoping those who are not involved [with our Bible study] will check it out and consider joining. Special Note: When comments were provided from respondents, they appear in the following Survey Details section below the corresponding question. Spelling and punctuation were corrected where needed, however, a few records contained slightly corrupted text in comments, the cause of which is not known. One person put his name in a comment and that was removed. 1

2 Survey Details: Question 1 - What is the ideal size of the Saturday morning bible study group? Ideal Size of Group It Doesn't Matter 8% 15% 2% Four men or less Between five and nine men 49% 26% Between ten and fourteen men More than fifteen men Question 2 - Where do you prefer to meet? Location for Studies 3% 3% 3% Individual homes 91% Homes but occasinoally elsewhere Change it around from week to week 2

3 Question 3 Rank the importance of the aspects of Bible Study (1 being the most important and so forth)... (Pie chart has been revised from first published version.) Important Aspects of Meeting Studying the Bible Fellowship with other Christian men Prayer requests Being able to share my troubles in confidence Coffee and Donuts Question 4 - Is it important to have donuts, coffee cake and other treats at our Bible Study meetings? Donuts and Coffee? 17% 40% 43% It doesn't matter No, I don't need the calories Yes, I love the sweet treats Comments: There is a ritual component to sharing food together. I think it is important element of bonding. It doesn't have to be sweets, but that is easiest. Having treats encourages time to gather and talk about life in general. I love the coffee; I love the sweet treats, not because I eat them, but because they add significantly to the warmth and welcome - to the ambience - of our time together. 3

4 Question 5 - Currently your donations on Saturdays support Denton Freedom House and Charles Moore ministries. Do you have a personal connection with another Christian organizations that we should consider supporting? Outreach Ministries 46% 54% No Comments: Yes, but there is no process for other ministries to be considered. Possibly, but I have not brought it up yet. Women - To -Women in Denton. Hearts for Homes (Senior housing repair ministry), Refuge for Women (Sex trafficking recovery), Shepherd's Hand (Food Pantry). First Refuge Ministries, Denton TX. My answer to this question is how much do we give each month? If you have more just to have more the donation will not amount to much? Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I would not add any more. Individuals can always support other ministries on their own. 4

5 Question 6 Have you approached other men in the community about joining one of the Bible study groups, or are you willing to do so in the future? Asking other men to join 3% 14% Yes No 83% Question 7 Would you be interested in participating in Christian outreach activities sponsored by the men besides Saturday morning groups? Participating in Outreach 23% 59% 18% Yes No 5

6 Question 8 On average, how often do you look at the Men s Bible Study website? Website Use 26% 8% 23% Three or more times a week (0) Between one and three times a week (0) 15% Between once a month and once a week 28% Less than once a month Never Question 9 - What information on the website do you find most useful and least useful? = 24 Comments: Upcoming events - activities in other groups. I am just hoping those who are not involved will check it out and consider joining. Most important 1. Who is in which group 2. what's being studied by each group. I don't visit most websites unless I'm specifically looking for something. I do not use social media and normally don't use my computer time to be looking for things to read. Bible Study Participants. Haven't used it. Membership, meeting locations, times. David this is a great idea for asking these importance questions, I thank you for doing this. What the various groups are studying most useful...yes to the above. Summary of what is happening with each group. Short personal testimonies. General need to know information. 6

7 Don't look at very often. Updates on what the groups are currently doing, as well as my own, and seeing the names of the guys in my group. Current news on the activities of the several men's groups. That is, what are they studying? Question 10 On a scale from 1 to 5, how easy or difficult did you find navigating the website? Website Navigation 18% 8% 51% 1 = Very easy 2 = Somewhat easy 23% 3 = Not easy, not difficult 7

8 Question 11 - Should the website contain information not directly related to the Robson Men's Bible Studies, such as a list of Christian movies currently playing in theaters, upcoming Christian conferences in the metro area and so forth? OK for other Information on Website? 26% 4% 70% Yes No Comments: It wouldn't hurt, but that means someone needs to be creating this content. If they have a passion to do so, that is great. If not, this will feel like a job. Might be nice to have links to other Christian resources that men could leverage. That would be helpful. Would be helpful. It would be good to have the information about Christian movies & conferences. Yes, perhaps with a question who might want to go together and sign-up. Yes, I think Christian movies and conferences would be good info. That would be nice but would mean someone has to maintain the website more often. No. I don't want to spend in more time at my computer. 8

9 Question 12 - What additional information should be added to the website? Comments: Monthly birthdays for all the men in the groups. I am aware of the website, but rarely use it. What is the purpose and goal of having a website, and do all the leaders agree on the purpose and goal? Our own events. Note: You did not provide a place for comments. I answered NO to question 7. The real answer is MAYBE. But I don't want this to be a place where everybody starts bringing their pet projects and looking for support in time, energy, or money. Let's keep it for Bible study and fellowship. If a need arises, we can address it like we do now. Edifying, uplifting, and encouraging Christian content. Possible to have the website push out new info to those who sign up for the push. Short personal testimony from an at large group member. None. See above. Other Comments: On Q 1, the group size preferred depends on what we are doing: if studying the bible, men is good; if sharing intimately our needs, 5-9 is good. BOTH causes can make for an excellent group situation. On Q 3 Studying the Bible and Fellowship were both number 1's. the system didn't let me do that. On Q 7 I say no only because I already have enough outreach in my life and cannot comfortably involve myself in more. 9

10 Website Statistics: The graphs below are weekly rolling averages showing the number of unique visitors and the number of pages these visitors viewed while on the Men s Bible Study website. (The number of page views is always the same or higher than the number of viewers.) Comments: 1. The use and viewership are declining as indicated by the dashed trend line. 2. I have no explanation for the unusual peak in February. The Understanding the Times event was in January Bible Study Website - Unique Visitors - Week Bible Study Website - Page Views - Week 10