Centerville Community Assessment A report by Elder Monte Sahlin Ohio Conference August 2011
Goals of this Study o Profile the demographics and religion of Centerville. o Provide a community needs assessment. o Put information on the table for planning and mission strategy development.
Centerville as a Mission Field o A suburb of Dayton, Ohio o 70,000 residents in 30,000 households o Montgomery County has one Adventist for each 208 residents n For the entire USA it is 1 to 305 n New Guinea: 1 to 25 n Zambia: 1 to 22 n Jamaica: 1 to 14 n Belize: 1 to 10 n Antigua: 1 to 8
Centerville Church Study Area
Who are the people living in this community? Young Starters 9% 21 other segments 20% Suburban Mid- Life Families 35% Lifestyle Segments Traditional Wealth 15% Young Professionals 21%
Suburban Mid-Life Families 35% o Most adults are 35 to 69 years of age with high incomes, education, and professional or white collar jobs; mostly home owners. Some retired. o Needs: Day care, time for recreation, parenting skills, retirement opportunities, longrange financial security. o Religious involvement is below average, with above average preference for Eastern Religions, Unitarian, Judaism and Presbyterian faiths. Prefer churches with family life seminars and participatory music.
Young Professionals 21% o Young couples living in row houses and condos; high incomes, high education, professional occupations. o Needs: Finding friends, fulfilling marriage, aging parents, concern for social justice, finding direction in life and a satisfying career. o Religious involvement is average with greater interest in Unitarian, Episcopal, Presbyterian religions. Want a church with sports, camping; music, drama and the arts; spiritual retreats; discussion groups; intellectual worship and strong community service program.
Traditional Wealth 15% o These are the richest families in the area with roots going back several generations. High incomes, high education, middle-aged adults. o Needs: Concern for social justice, care for aging parents, time for recreation, retirement opportunities and long-term financial security. o Average religious involvement, but much less likely to believe in a God who is involved in life. High percentages prefer Episcopal, Judaism, Orthodox, Unitarian and Congregational churches. Want churches that provide music, drama and the arts; thoughtful worship.
Young Starters 9% o Young adults in their 20s and 30s, mostly college educated; paying high rents. o Needs: Finding a satisfying career and life direction, affordable housing, aging parents, neighborhood gangs. o Below average religious involvement, yet above-average preferences for Judaism, Unitarian and Catholic religions. Want churches that offer recreation, music and the arts, 12- step groups, spiritual retreats and contemporary music.
Solid red Traditional Wealth Vertical lines (red & blue) Suburban Midlife Families Blue crosshatch Young Professionals Yellow Young Starters Green lowincome families Heavy black lines outline the study area. Solid black lines are boundaries of the study area.
Population Growth & Decline 71,934 70,246 69,438 63,701 Centerville is no longer a growing community. 1990 2000 2010 2015* *Data for 2015 is projected.
Age Groups 26% 21.3% 5.6% 6.8% 17.3% 12% Centerville National Under 5 Under 18 Age 65 and older
Ethnic Minorities 12.3% 14.5% Centerville National 5.2% 4.3% 3.5% 1.7% Asian Black Hispanic
Immigrants 19.6% 12.5% 5.2% 8.4% Centerville National Foreign born Speak another language at home
Housing 76.1% 67.1% 23.9% 32.9% Centerville National Owner-occupied Renter-occupied
Education 48.4% 49.6% 47.0% 27.4% Centerville National Secondary diploma College degree
Married 62.9% 52.2% 54% 48.2% Centerville National Men Women
Special Needs 19.3% 12.6% 14.2% 10.1% Centerville National Disabled Veterans
Median Household Income $62,233 $42,257 $70,668 $52,599 Centerville National 2000 2010
Occupations Blue collar workers 13% Service workers 8% Management & Professional 35% Office & sales 44%
Poverty 13.2% 8.1% 6.2% 9.6% Centerville National Individuals below poverty line Families below poverty line
Unemployment 11% 10.8% 10% 5.8% 6.2% 6.3% 6.0% 7% 5.7% 5.9% 3.9% 4.4% 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Source: Ohio Labor Market Review
Cost of Housing $1,526 $1,486 $766 $500 Centerville National Median monthly mortgage Median monthly rent/lease Source for rental data is U.S. Board of Realtors
Religious Preferences of Local Residents Evangelical 16% Other 6% No religion 15% Protestant 32% Catholic 31%
Religious Involvement of Local Residents 32% 35% 30% 30% 38% 35% Centerville National Strongly involved Somewhat involved Not involved
Change in Religious Involvement of Residents 21% 20% 25% 24% Centerville National Increased involvement in last 10 years Decreased involvement in last 10 years
Blue line = boundary of study area
Purple line = boundaries of study area
Beliefs about God 80% 85% 56% 64% Centerville National There is a God God is active
Social Values 91% 91% 83% 83% Centerville National Preserve traditional family values Environment is a national crisis
Community Services 47% 50% 62% 63% Centerville National Government should provide Churches should provide
Ethnic Change 37% 36% 36% 36% Centerville National America should open the doors it is a threat to our heritage
Top Needs in the Community o 56% Achieving financial security o 48% Maintaining personal health o 33% Dealing with stress o 33% Finding time for recreation o 27% Achieving a fulfilling marriage o 27% Finding health insurance o 26% Finding good schools o 25% Better quality health care
Purple line = boundaries of study area
Interested in a Christian school for their children Purple line = boundaries of study area
Needs in the Community 2 o 22% Day-to-day financial worries o 22% Neighborhood crime and safety o 22% Finding a satisfying job/career o 21% Finding retirement opportunities o 20% Care for aging parents o 18% Finding friendship o 17% Dealing with child/teen problems o 16% Finding direction in life
More Needs in the Community 3 o 15% Dealing with substance abuse o 15% Developing parenting skills o 14% Dealing with ethnic prejudice o 13% Finding a job o 12% Problems in the schools o 12% Dealing with social injustice o 11% Finding a good church
Low-priority Community Needs o 9% Finding spiritual teaching o 8% Obtaining an education o 8% Affordable housing o 8% Domestic violence and abuse o 7% Finding child care o 6% Providing adequate food o 5% Concern about gangs o 4% Dealing with divorce
Church Programs People Want o 33% Family activities & outings o 30% Bible study & prayer group o 30% Active retirement program o 28% Youth activities o 26% Doctrinal classes o 24% The arts, music, drama, etc. o 20% Family counseling o 18% Marriage enrichment events o 14% Care for the terminally ill
Church Programs People Want o 11% Spiritual retreats o 8% Sports or camping o 8% Food & clothing resource center o 7% Parent training classes o 7% Church-sponsored school o 6% Day care for children o 3% 12-step group o 2% Divorce recovery
Church Program Preferences Index 7 4-8 -11 Recreation Personal development Social services Spiritual growth
Interested in a Bible study group Purple line = Boundaries of study area
Worship Style Preferences 41% 39% 25% 27% 14% 11% 20% 23% Emotionally uplifting Intellectually challenging Both Not interested Centerville National
Worship Style Continued 26% 26% 28% 26% 27% 27% 20% 21% Traditional formal Contemporary informal Both Not interested Centerville National
Worship Music Preferences 28% 24% 20% 19% 31% 31% 20% 25% Traditional Contemporary Both Not interested Centerville National
Worship Music Continued 32% 32% 22% 18% 24% 23% 21% 26% Performed by others Participatory Both Not interested Centerville National
Mission Emphasis 38% 37% 25% 22% 22% 26% 15% 14% Spiritual growth Community service Both Not interested Centerville National
How I prefer for churches to contact me Direct mail Radio spots Newspaper ads Cable TV No Yes Phone for a visit Telemarketing Door to door 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Survey of the General Public in Major Metropolitan Areas Know something inaccurate 12% Know one true fact 7% Know nothing about it 15% Never heard of the Adventist Church 66% Source: Center for Metropolitan Ministry
Analysis o Research has shown that growth in Adventist churches comes from: n Community involvement n Strong spiritual life n Intentionality (goals, planning) n Positive atmosphere in the congregation n Activities for the unchurched on Sabbath
The Adventist Paradigm for Outreach & Evangelism o Christ s method alone will give true success in reaching people. He mingled with men as one who desired their good, showed sympathy for them and ministered to their needs. He won their confidence. Then, He bade them, Follow me. Ellen White, The Ministry of Healing, p 143
Christ s Method Community assessment Community visibility Community service Friendship Evangelism Discipleship Program
Discussion Questions o How well known and visible is the Centerville Church in the community? o What has been done to plow the ground in Centerville through serving the needs of the community? o What relationships do church members have in the community that can be a bridge to possible candidates for Bible studies?
Recommendations o Continue and expand the CHIP outreach. It clearly fits the needs of the community in Centerville. o Consider starting recreation programs such as volleyball, softball, etc. These can be effective arenas for friendship evangelism. o Provide friendship evangelism training for all church members.
o Contact information for Monte Sahlin n montessahlin@gmail.com n (937) 748-9075 2011, Center for Creative Ministry