Barna Group Active Faith (past week) Respondents who report participating in all of the following in the past seven days: attending a church service, not including a special event such as a wedding or a funeral; praying to God; and reading from the Bible, not including at a church or synagogue Practicing Faith Respondents who identify as Christian (or another faith), say their faith is very important in their life and who attended a religious service or gathering in the past month Practicing Christians: meet criteria for practicing faith and described themselves as Christian Practicing Catholic: meet criteria for practicing faith and described themselves as Catholic Practicing Protestant: meet criteria for practicing faith and attend a church affiliated with a Protestant denomination Practicing Mainline Protestant: meet criteria for practicing faith and attend a Protestant church affiliated with a mainline denomination Practicing Non- Mainline Protestant: meet criteria for practicing faith and attend a Protestant church not affiliated with a mainline denomination Practicing Other Christian: meet criteria for practicing faith, described themselves as Christian and attend a church of unspecified denomination Practicing other faith: meet criteria for practicing faith and identify with a faith other than Christianity Part 3 Faith Views & Beliefs Belief About God Respondents were asked to identify which one of the following six descriptions comes closest to what they believe about God: 1. Everyone is god. 2. God is the all- powerful, all- knowing, perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today. 3. God refers to the total realization of personal, human potential. 4. There are many gods, each with different power and authority. 5. God represents a state of higher consciousness that a person may reach. 6. There is no such thing as God. Orthodox view of God: believe that God is the all- powerful, all- knowing, perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today Other view of God: aggregate of those who believe God is a term used to represent a higher state of consciousness that a person may reach; God refers to the total realization of personal human potential; the belief in many Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 9
Barna Group distinct gods who each have their own power and authority; and the belief that everyone is God Do not believe in God: say there is no such thing as God Bible Has Accurate Principles Respondents were asked if they agree or disagree that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches. Agree strongly: those who selected the highest level of agreement on the scale Total agree: those who agree strongly combined with those who agree somewhat Disagree strongly: those who selected the highest level of disagreement on the scale Total disagree: those who disagree strongly combined with those who disagree somewhat Good Works Result in Heaven Respondents were asked if they agree or disagree that, if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in heaven. Agree strongly: those who selected the highest level of agreement on the scale Total agree: those who agree strongly combined with those who agree somewhat Disagree strongly: those who selected the highest level of disagreement on the scale Total disagree: those who disagree strongly combined with those who disagree somewhat Commitment to Jesus Christ Respondents were asked if they have ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today. Jesus Committed Sins Respondents were asked if they agree or disagree that, when He lived on earth, Jesus Christ was human and committed sins like other people. Agree strongly: those who selected the highest level of agreement on the scale Total agree: those who agree strongly combined with those who agree somewhat Disagree strongly: those who selected the highest level of disagreement on the scale Total disagree: those who disagree strongly combined with those who disagree somewhat Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 10
Barna Group Responsibility to Evangelize Respondents were asked if they believe they, personally, have a responsibility to tell other people their religious beliefs. Agree strongly: those who selected the highest level of agreement on the scale Total agree: those who agree strongly combined with those who agree somewhat Disagree strongly: those who selected the highest level of disagreement on the scale Total disagree: those who disagree strongly combined with those who disagree somewhat Born Again Segments People who are born again say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and believe that, when they die, they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus as their savior. Respondents are not asked to describe themselves as born again, and being classified as born again does not depend on church or denominational affiliation or involvement. Belief Segments Evangelical Christian: meet the born again criteria described above plus seven other conditions. These include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non- Christians; believing Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all- knowing, all- powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent on church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended and respondents are not asked to describe themselves as evangelical. Non- evangelical born again Christian: meet the born again criteria above but not all of the seven other criteria to be classified as an evangelical Christian Notional Christian: identify as Christian, but do not meet the born again criteria Other faith: identify with a non- Christian faith, or identify as Christian but report beliefs not aligned with historic, orthodox Christianity No faith: identify as agnostic or atheist, or as having no faith Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 11
Barna Group Bible- Minded Segments These categories are the aggregate of respondents beliefs about and reading habits of the Bible. Read Bible + accurate (agree strongly): read the Bible within the past seven days and who agree strongly that the Bible is accurate Read Bible + less accurate: read the Bible within the past seven days but do not agree strongly that the Bible is accurate Do not read Bible + accurate: have not read the Bible within the past seven days but who agree strongly or somewhat that the Bible is accurate Do not read Bible + less accurate: have not read the Bible within the past seven days and who disagree strongly or somewhat that the Bible is accurate Part 4 Key Market Factors This section includes information on the percent of residents who fit each of the categories as defined below. Ethnicity Population percent of practicing Christians or unchurched, by ethnicity Hispanic: practicing Protestant Hispanic: practicing Catholic Hispanic: unchurched Caucasian: practicing Protestant Caucasian: practicing Catholic Caucasian: unchurched Black: practicing Protestant Black: practicing Catholic Black: unchurched Practicing Christian Families Practicing Christians by the following: Moms: women, married or unmarried, with children under 18 at home Dads: men, married or unmarried, with children under 18 at home Single parents: unmarried men or women with children under 18 at home One or both parents previously divorced: households with children under 18 where at least one parent, whether currently single or married, has been divorced Married, no children under 18: married couples with no kids under 18 at home Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 12
Barna Group Political Segments, ages 18-39 Population percent among residents ages 18 to 39 who are: Republican, practicing Christian: registered Republican, meet criteria for practicing Christian Independent, practicing Christian: registered Independent, meet criteria for practicing Christian Democrat, practicing Christian: registered Democrat, meet criteria for practicing Christian Not registered, practicing Christian: not registered to vote, meet criteria for practicing Christian Political Segments, ages 40 plus Population percent among residents 40 and older who are: Republican, practicing Christian: registered Republican, meet criteria for practicing Christian Independent, practicing Christian: registered Independent, meet criteria for practicing Christian Democrat, practicing Christian: registered Democrat, meet criteria for practicing Christian Not registered, practicing Christian: not registered to vote, meet criteria for practicing Christian Part 5 Demographics/Psychographics Male Category (male) percent who meet the following criteria: Catholic: percent (of males) in the market who identify as Catholic Mainline: percent (of males) affiliated with a Protestant mainline denomination Non- mainline: percent (of males) affiliated with non- mainline Protestant churches Charismatic: percent (of males) who attend Assembly of God, Pentecostal or Foursquare churches Non- Christian: percent (of males) who do not identify as Christian Unchurched: percent (of males) who have not attended a church service other than for a special event such as a wedding or funeral, in the past six months Practicing Christian: percent (of males) who identify as Christian, say their faith is very important and attended a religious service or gathering in the past month Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 13
Barna Group Female Category (female) percent who meet the criteria above Age Under 40 Category (under 40) percent who meet the criteria above Age 40 Plus Category (40 and older) percent who meet the criteria above Married Category (married) percent who meet the criteria above Have Children Under 18 Category (parents with children under 18 living at home) percent who meet the criteria above Ethnicity White Category (white) percent who meet the criteria above Ethnicity Non- White Category (non- white) percent who meet the criteria above Upscale Percent of adults with an annual household income of $75,000 or more who also hold a college degree, and who meet the criteria above Registered Republican Percent who are registered to vote as a Republican at current address, and who meet the criteria above Registered Democrat Percent who are registered to vote as a Democrat at current address, and who meet the criteria above Part 6 Practicing Christian Profile This section provides category/demographic breakdowns for practicing Christians (identify as Christian, say their faith is very important and attended church in the past month). Gender Practicing Christians by male vs. female Generation Practicing Christians by generational segment Millennials: born between 1984 and 2002 Busters (Gen- X): born between 1965 and 1983 Boomers: born between 1946 and 1964 Elders: born between 1945 or earlier Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 14
Barna Group Family Profile Practicing Christians by marital segment Married Never married Currently divorced Widowed Have ever been divorced: currently divorced or have been divorced in the past Have children under 18: parents of children under 18 living in household No children under 18: do not have children under 18 living in household Ethnicity Practicing Christians by ethnicity White/Caucasian Black/African American Hispanic/Latino All non- white Education Practicing Christians by highest level of education attained High school or less: high school graduates, those who attended high school but did not graduate and those who attended a trade or vocational school as an alternative to college Some college: attended college but did not graduate College graduate (four- year degree): graduated from a four- year college, have done some graduate studies or received a graduate degree Household Income Practicing Christians by annual household income, before taxes Low income (under $30K) Middle income ($30K to $75K) Upper income ($75K+) Political Ideology Practicing Christians by political ideology Conservative: identify as mostly conservative when it comes to political issues Moderate: identify as somewhere between conservative and liberal when it comes to political issues Liberal: identify as mostly liberal when it comes to political issues Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 15
Barna Group Voter Profile Practicing Christians by political party affiliation Not registered: not registered to vote at current address All registered voters: registered to vote at current address Registered Democrat: registered as a Democrat at current address Registered Republican: registered as a Republican at current address Registered Independent: registered as an Independent at current address Key Faith Characteristics Practicing Christians by key faith segments Born again: say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and believe that, when they die, they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus as their savior Notional Christian: identify as Christian, but do not meet the born again criteria Part 7 Unchurched Profile This section provides category/demographic breakdowns for unchurched adults (those who have not attended a church service, other than a special event such as a wedding or funeral, in the past six months). Gender Unchurched by male vs. female Generation Unchurched by generational segment Millennials: born between 1984 and 2002 Busters (Gen- X): born between 1965 and 1983 Boomers: born between 1946 and 1964 Elders: born between 1945 or earlier Family Profile Unchurhed by marital segment Married Never married Currently divorced Widowed Have ever been divorced: currently divorced or have been divorced in the past Have children under 18: parents of children under 18 living in household No children under 18: do not have children under 18 living in household Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 16
Barna Group Ethnicity Unchurched by ethnicity White/Caucasian Black/African- American Hispanic/Latino All non- white Education Unchurched by highest level of education attained High school or less: high school graduates, those who attended high school but did not graduate and those who attended a trade or vocational school as an alternative to college Some college: attended college but did not graduate College graduate (four- year degree): graduated from a four- year college, have done some graduate studies or received a graduate degree Household Income Unchurched by annual household income, before taxes Low income (under $30K) Middle income ($30K to $75K) Upper income ($75K+) Political Ideology Unchurched by political ideology Conservative: identify as mostly conservative when it comes to political issues Moderate: identify as somewhere in between conservative and liberal when it comes to political issues Liberal: identify as mostly liberal when it comes to political issues Voter Profile Unchurched by political party affiliation Not registered: not registered to vote at current address All registered voters: registered to vote at current address Registered Democrat: registered as a Democrat at current address Registered Republican: registered as a Republican at current address Registered Independent: registered as an Independent at current address Key Faith Characteristics Unchurched by key faith segments Born again: say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and believe that, when they die, they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus as their savior Notional Christian: identify as Christian, but do not meet the born again criteria Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 17
Richmond-Petersburg, VA Market Size: 559,980 Part 1 Faith Identity & Allegiance Part 2 Activity & Religious Behavior POPULATION PERCENT (% of entire market) POPULATION PERCENT (% of entire market) Overall Faith Importance Pop. % Index (000) US % Church Attendance Pop. % Index Agree strongly 69 111 386 62 Churched 66 106 370 62 Total agree (strongly/somewhat) 89 110 498 81 very active (weekly) 45 107 252 42 somewhat active (monthly) 11 100 62 11 Faith Identity Pop. % Index (000) US % minimally active (past 6 months) 10 111 56 9 Self-identified Christian 85 104 476 82 Unchurched 34 89 190 38 Catholic 9 43 50 21 dechurched (not in past 6 months) 30 103 168 29 Protestant 66 140 370 47 never churched 5 56 28 9 Other Christian 10 71 56 14 Self-identified non-christian 15 83 84 18 Church Size* Pop. % Index Other faith 5 83 28 6 100 or less 51 131 243 39 No faith 6 60 34 10 101-499 35 85 167 41 Not sure 3 100 17 3 500-999 9 90 43 10 * among self-identified Christians Denomination Pop. % Index (000) US % 1000+ 5 50 24 10 Baptist 35 206 196 17 Faith Engagement (past week) Pop. % Index Methodist 9 180 50 5 Pray to God 89 110 498 81 Lutheran 1 25 6 4 Read the Bible 49 123 274 40 Non-denominational 4 67 22 6 Volunteer at church 16 84 90 19 Mainline 12 80 67 15 Volunteer at non-profit 24 126 134 19 Non-mainline 18 60 101 30 Attend adult Sunday school 23 128 129 18 Charismatic/Pentecostal 3 100 17 3 Attend small group 26 144 146 18 Commitment to Christianity* Pop. % Index (000) US % Donations Pop. % Index (000) (000) (000) (000) Absolutely committed 65 118 309 55 Donated to churches (%) 58 104 325 56 Moderately committed 32 91 152 35 Donated to non-profits (%) 92 110 515 84 Not too / not at all committed 3 30 14 10 * among self-identified Christians Homeschooling (% of parents) Pop. % Index (000) US % Faith Tribe Pop. % Index (000) US % Homeschool at least one child NA NA NA 8 Casual Christian 73 100 409 73 Captive Christian 17 155 95 11 Jewish 1 50 6 2 Active Faith (past week) Pop. % Index (000) US % Mormon <1 NA NA 1 Attend church + pray + read Bible 36 120 202 30 Pantheist <1 NA NA 2 Muslim 2 200 11 1 Skeptic 7 70 39 10 Practicing Faith Pop. % Index (000) US % All practicing Christians 49 114 274 43 Christianized Pop. % Index (000) US % Practicing Catholic 8 80 45 10 High 24 114 134 21 Practicing Protestant 39 134 218 29 Moderate 40 125 224 32 Practicing mainline Protestant 11 157 62 7 Low 37 77 207 48 Practicing non-mainline Protestant 24 133 134 18 Practicing other Christian 2 50 11 4 Practicing other faith 1 33 6 3 Secularized Pop. % Index (000) US % High 5 42 28 12 Moderate 34 106 190 32 Low 61 109 342 56 US % US % US % Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 18
Richmond-Petersburg, VA Market Size: 559,980 Part 3 Faith Views & Beliefs Part 4 Key Market Factors POPULATION PERCENT (% of entire market) POPULATION PERCENT (% of entire market) Belief About God Pop. % Index (000) US % Ethnicity Pop. % Index Orthodox view of God 79 118 442 67 Hispanic - Practicing Protestant <1 NA NA 2 Other view of God 20 71 112 28 Hispanic - Practicing Catholic 2 67 11 3 Do not believe in God 1 20 6 5 Hispanic - Unchurched 1 20 6 5 Bible Has Accurate Principles Caucasian - Practicing Protestant 21 124 118 17 Pop. % Index (000) US % Caucasian - Practicing Catholic 4 67 22 6 Agree strongly 52 127 291 41 Caucasian - Unchurched 25 96 140 26 Total agree 68 108 381 63 Black - Practicing Protestant 12 200 67 6 Disagree strongly 12 75 67 16 Black - Practicing Catholic 1 100 6 1 Total disagree 29 88 162 33 Black - Unchurched 5 125 28 4 Good Works Result in Heaven Pop. % Index (000) US % Practicing Christian Families Pop. % Index Agree strongly 28 97 157 29 Moms 10 143 56 7 Total agree 53 98 297 54 Dads 5 83 28 6 Disagree strongly 29 104 162 28 Single parents 2 67 11 3 Total disagree 41 100 230 41 1 or both parents previously divorced 2 67 11 3 Commitment to Jesus Christ Pop. % Have personal commitment 80 118 448 68 Married, no children under 18 13 93 73 14 Index (000) US % No personal commitment 20 63 112 32 Political Segments, ages 18-39 Pop. % Index Republican, practicing Christian 2 67 11 3 Jesus Committed Sins Pop. % Index (000) US % Independent, practicing Christian 1 50 6 2 Agree strongly 24 109 134 22 Democrat, practicing Christian 2 67 11 3 Total agree 40 91 224 44 Not registered, practicing Christian 2 100 11 2 Disagree strongly 41 105 230 39 Total disagree 52 104 291 50 Political Segments, ages 40 plus Pop. % Index Responsibility to Evangelize Pop. % Republican, practicing Christian 9 100 50 9 Index (000) US % Independent, practicing Christian 4 100 22 4 Agree strongly 35 121 196 29 Democrat, practicing Christian 7 78 39 9 Total agree 56 114 314 49 Not registered, practicing Christian 2 100 11 2 Disagree strongly 25 83 140 30 Total disagree 43 88 241 49 Born Again Segments Pop. % Index (000) US % All born again 50 122 280 41 All non-born again 50 83 280 60 Belief Segments Pop. % Index (000) US % Evangelical Christian 9 129 50 7 Non-evangelical born again Christian 43 123 241 35 Notional Christian 37 88 207 42 Other faith 6 86 34 7 No faith 6 60 34 10 Bible-Minded Segments Pop. % Index (000) US % Read Bible + accurate (strongly) 34 126 190 27 Read Bible + less accurate 14 108 78 13 Do not read Bible + accurate 27 90 151 30 Do not read Bible + less accurate 25 81 140 31 (000) (000) (000) US % US % (000) US % US % Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 19
Richmond-Petersburg, VA Market Size: 559,980 Part 5 Demographics / Psychographics Part 5 Demographics / Psychographics CATEGORY PERCENT (% of each category) CATEGORY PERCENT (% of each category) Male Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Have Children Under 18 Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Catholic 11 55 29 20 Catholic 11 50 18 22 Mainline 18 129 47 14 Mainline 14 108 23 13 Non-mainline 43 154 113 28 Non-mainline 43 134 72 32 Charismatic 2 67 5 3 Charismatic 4 100 7 4 Non-Christian 14 64 37 22 Non-Christian 15 83 25 18 Unchurched 30 73 79 41 Unchurched 31 89 52 35 Practicing Christian 49 129 129 38 Practicing Christian 54 120 90 45 Female Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Ethnicity White Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Catholic 7 33 21 21 Catholic 9 45 43 20 Mainline 23 144 68 16 Mainline 23 135 111 17 Non-mainline 42 131 125 32 Non-mainline 40 133 193 30 Charismatic 4 100 12 4 Charismatic 3 100 14 3 Non-Christian 16 107 47 15 Non-Christian 14 82 67 17 Unchurched 38 109 113 35 Unchurched 33 94 159 35 Practicing Christian 49 102 145 48 Practicing Christian 47 109 227 43 Age Under 40 Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Ethnicity Non-White Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Catholic 12 63 20 19 Catholic NA NA NA 30 Mainline 9 82 15 11 Mainline NA NA NA 8 Non-mainline 36 133 60 27 Non-mainline NA NA NA 22 Charismatic 5 125 8 4 Charismatic NA NA NA 4 Non-Christian 29 112 48 26 Non-Christian NA NA NA 24 Unchurched 42 100 70 42 Unchurched NA NA NA 41 Practicing Christian 31 89 52 35 Practicing Christian NA NA NA 46 Age 40-Plus Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Upscale Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Catholic 8 38 31 21 Catholic NA NA NA 24 Mainline 26 144 102 18 Mainline NA NA NA 16 Non-mainline 46 144 181 32 Non-mainline NA NA NA 23 Charismatic 3 100 12 3 Charismatic NA NA NA 1 Non-Christian 9 64 35 14 Non-Christian NA NA NA 26 Unchurched 32 89 126 36 Unchurched NA NA NA 39 Practicing Christian 57 119 224 48 Practicing Christian NA NA NA 40 Married Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Registered Republicans Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Catholic 14 64 41 22 Catholic 12 60 17 20 Mainline 21 131 62 16 Mainline 25 139 36 18 Non-mainline 40 125 118 32 Non-mainline 41 108 59 38 Charismatic 4 133 12 3 Charismatic 4 100 6 4 Self-ID non-christian 13 87 39 15 Self-ID non-christian 8 89 12 9 Unchurched 30 91 89 33 Unchurched 32 128 46 25 Practicing Christian 54 110 160 49 Practicing Christian 62 105 90 59 Registered Democrats Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Catholic 9 39 16 23 Mainline 19 112 33 17 Non-mainline 43 143 75 30 Charismatic 2 67 3 3 Non-Christian 14 82 24 17 Unchurched 30 86 52 35 Practicing Christian 42 89 73 47 Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 20
Richmond-Petersburg, VA Market Size: 559,980 Part 6 Practicing Christian Profile Part 7 Unchurched Profile CATEGORY PERCENT (% of all practicing Christians) CATEGORY PERCENT (% of all unchurched) Gender Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Gender Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Male 48 112 124 43 Male 40 75 77 53 Female 52 91 134 57 Female 60 128 116 47 Generation Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Generation Cat. % Index Millennials (ages 18 to 30) 3 30 8 10 Millennials (ages 18 to 30) 15 83 29 18 Busters (ages 31 to 49) 24 80 62 30 Busters (ages 31 to 49) 25 74 48 34 Boomers (ages 50 to 68) 39 108 100 36 Boomers (ages 50 to 68) 32 94 62 34 Elders (ages 69+) 34 142 88 24 Elders (ages 69+) 28 200 54 14 Family Profile Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Family Profile Cat. % Index Married 59 95 152 62 Married 50 104 96 48 Never married 11 65 28 17 Never married 17 59 33 29 Currently divorced 8 100 21 8 Currently divorced 15 136 29 11 Widowed 14 156 36 9 Widowed 13 217 25 6 Have ever been divorced 27 113 70 24 Have ever been divorced 30 111 58 27 Have children under 18 33 97 85 34 Have children under 18 30 100 58 30 No children under 18 67 102 173 66 No children under 18 70 100 135 70 Ethnicity Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Ethnicity Cat. % Index White / Caucasian 60 92 155 65 White / Caucasian 77 112 148 69 Black / African-American 30 176 77 17 Black / African-American 16 160 31 10 Hispanic / Latino 5 36 13 14 Hispanic / Latino 3 21 6 14 All non-white 35 106 90 33 All non-white 22 73 42 30 High school or less 41 93 106 44 High school or less 42 91 81 46 Some college 28 97 72 29 Some college 21 75 40 28 College graduate (4-year degree) 31 111 80 28 College graduate (4-year degree) 37 142 71 26 Household Income Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Household Income Cat. % Index Low income (under $30K) 25 89 64 28 Low income (under $30K) 30 97 58 31 Middle income ($30K to $75K) 48 102 124 47 Middle income ($30K to $75K) 37 90 71 41 Upper income ($75K+) 27 108 70 25 Upper income ($75K+) 34 121 65 28 Conservative 40 93 103 43 Conservative 31 155 60 20 Moderate 49 120 126 41 Moderate 48 98 92 49 Liberal 9 90 23 10 Liberal 16 70 31 23 Voter Profile Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Voter Profile Cat. % Index Not registered 11 110 28 10 Not registered 8 36 15 22 All registered voters 90 100 232 90 All registered voters 92 118 177 78 Registered Democrat 25 71 64 35 Registered Democrat 31 94 60 33 Registered Republican 32 97 82 33 Registered Republican 26 144 50 18 Registered Independent 14 93 36 15 Registered Independent 20 105 39 19 Key Faith Characteristics Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Key faith characteristics Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % (000) US Cat. % (000) US Cat. % Education Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Education Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % (000) US Cat. % Political Ideology Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % Political Ideology Cat. % Index (000) US Cat. % (000) US Cat. % (000) US Cat. % Born again 68 103 175 66 Born again 30 167 58 18 Notional Christian 32 97 82 33 Notional Christian 42 91 81 46 Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 21
Barna Group Comparative Regional Data Mid-Atlantic Faith Identity: Christian Regional: 80% National: 82% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 89 2 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 87 3 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 86 4 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 85 5 Baltimore, MD 84 6 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 84 7 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 83 8 Pittsburgh, PA 82 9 Philadelphia, PA 77 10 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 75 Faith Identity: No Faith Regional: 10% National: 10% 1 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 15 2 Philadelphia, PA 13 3 Pittsburgh, PA 10 4 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 10 5 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 9 6 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 9 7 Baltimore, MD 8 8 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 8 9 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 6 10 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 6 Faith Identity: Other Faith Regional: 6% National: 6% 1 Philadelphia, PA 7 2 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 7 3 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 6 4 Baltimore, MD 5 5 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 5 6 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 5 7 Pittsburgh, PA 4 8 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 4 9 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 2 10 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 1 Christianized: High Regional: 19% National: 21% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 39 2 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 25 3 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 24 4 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 22 5 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 21 6 Baltimore, MD 19 7 Pittsburgh, PA 18 8 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 17 9 Philadelphia, PA 16 10 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 16 Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 22
Barna Group Secularized: High Regional: 13% National: 12% 1 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 17 2 Philadelphia, PA 16 3 Pittsburgh, PA 12 4 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 12 5 Baltimore, MD 11 6 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 9 7 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 6 8 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 6 9 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 5 10 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 5 Church Attendance: Somewhat Active (Monthly) Regional: 12% National: 11% 1 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 16 2 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 14 3 Pittsburgh, PA 14 4 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 14 5 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 13 6 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 13 7 Baltimore, MD 12 8 Philadelphia, PA 11 9 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 11 10 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 10 Church Attendance: Very Active (Weekly) Regional: 41% National: 42% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 51 2 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 48 3 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 46 4 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 45 5 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 45 6 Baltimore, MD 44 7 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 44 8 Pittsburgh, PA 41 9 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 38 10 Philadelphia, PA 35 Church Attendance: Minimally Active (Past 6 Months) Regional: 9% National: 9% 1 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 12 2 Baltimore, MD 12 3 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 11 4 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 11 5 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 11 6 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 10 7 Philadelphia, PA 9 8 Pittsburgh, PA 7 9 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 7 10 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 7 Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 23
Barna Group Church Attendance: Dechurched (Not in Past Six Months) Regional: 29% National: 29% 1 Philadelphia, PA 34 2 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 30 3 Pittsburgh, PA 29 4 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 27 5 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 26 6 Baltimore, MD 26 7 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 25 8 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 24 9 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 23 10 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 22 Faith Engagement: Pray to God (Past Week) Regional: 81% National: 81% 1 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 90 2 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 89 3 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 89 4 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 84 5 Baltimore, MD 83 6 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 83 7 Philadelphia, PA 80 8 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 79 9 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 78 10 Pittsburgh, PA 78 Church Attendance: Never Churched Regional: 9% National: 9% 1 Philadelphia, PA 11 2 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 11 3 Pittsburgh, PA 9 4 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 9 5 Baltimore, MD 7 6 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 7 7 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 7 8 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 7 9 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 5 10 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 4 Faith Engagement: Read the Bible (Past Week) Regional: 38% National: 40% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 55 2 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 49 3 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 47 4 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 45 5 Baltimore, MD 39 6 Pittsburgh, PA 38 7 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 37 8 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 36 9 Philadelphia, PA 35 10 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 32 Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 24
Barna Group Faith Engagement: Volunteer at Church (Past Week) Regional: 19% National: 19% 1 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 29 2 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 28 3 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 26 4 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 24 5 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 23 6 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 19 7 Baltimore, MD 18 8 Philadelphia, PA 17 9 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 16 10 Pittsburgh, PA 15 Faith Engagement: Attend Adult Sunday School (Past Week) Regional: 16% National: 18% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 29 2 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 26 3 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 25 4 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 24 5 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 23 6 Baltimore, MD 22 7 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 20 8 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 20 9 Pittsburgh, PA 14 10 Philadelphia, PA 10 Faith Engagement: Volunteer at Nonprofit (Past Week) Regional: 20% National: 19% 1 Pittsburgh, PA 25 2 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 25 3 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 24 4 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 22 5 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 21 6 Baltimore, MD 20 7 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 17 8 Philadelphia, PA 15 9 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 15 10 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA NA Faith Engagement: Attend Small Group (Past Week) Regional: 17% National: 18% 1 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 26 2 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 24 3 Baltimore, MD 23 4 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 23 5 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 21 6 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 20 7 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 13 8 Philadelphia, PA 12 9 Pittsburgh, PA 12 10 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 11 Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 25
Barna Group Practicing Faith: Christian Regional: 43% National: 43% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 61 2 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 53 3 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 52 4 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 49 5 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 49 6 Baltimore, MD 47 7 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 46 8 Pittsburgh, PA 45 9 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 39 10 Philadelphia, PA 37 Practicing Faith: Non-Mainline Protestant Regional: 16% National: 18% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 36 2 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 24 3 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 23 4 Baltimore, MD 19 5 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 19 6 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 15 7 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 15 8 Pittsburgh, PA 13 9 Philadelphia, PA 12 10 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 10 Practicing Faith: Catholic Regional: 10% National: 10% 1 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 19 2 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 14 3 Pittsburgh, PA 11 4 Philadelphia, PA 10 5 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 9 6 Baltimore, MD 9 7 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 9 8 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 8 9 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 6 10 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 1 Belief about God: Orthodox View Regional: 65% National: 67% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 80 2 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 79 3 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 78 4 Baltimore, MD 71 5 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 71 6 Pittsburgh, PA 67 7 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 66 8 Philadelphia, PA 62 9 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 62 10 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 61 Practicing Faith: Mainline Protestant Regional: 9% National: 7% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 13 2 Pittsburgh, PA 11 3 Baltimore, MD 11 4 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 11 5 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 10 6 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 9 7 Philadelphia, PA 8 8 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 8 9 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 8 10 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 8 Responsibility to Evangelize: Agree Strongly Regional: 26% National: 29% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 45 2 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 35 3 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 33 4 Baltimore, MD 28 5 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 27 6 Pittsburgh, PA 26 7 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 25 8 Philadelphia, PA 24 9 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 24 10 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 21 Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 26
Barna Group Born Again Regional: 39% National: 41% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 60 2 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 52 3 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 50 4 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 48 5 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 43 6 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 39 7 Pittsburgh, PA 38 8 Baltimore, MD 38 9 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 36 10 Philadelphia, PA 32 Bible Minded: Read Bible (Weekly) + Accurate (Strongly) Regional: 25% National: 27% 1 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA 48 2 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 34 3 Johnstown-Altoona-St. College, PA 34 4 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 32 5 Baltimore, MD 25 6 Harrisburgh-Lanc-Leb-York, PA 25 7 Philadelphia, PA 24 8 Pittsburgh, PA 24 9 Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, PA 22 10 Washington, DC-Hagerstown, MD 21 Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 27
Barna Group Appendix A: About the Research The data reported in this resource are based on telephone and online interviews with nationwide random samples of 60,808 adults conducted over a seven- year period, ending in February 2014. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is plus or minus 0.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All non- institutionalized adults in the 48 contiguous states were eligible to be interviewed and the distribution of respondents in the survey sample corresponds to the geographic dispersion of the U.S. adult population. Some interviews were conducted in Spanish, but the vast majority of the interviews were completed in English. All telephone interviews were conducted by Barna Group. All households were selected for inclusion in the sample using a random- digit dial technique, which allows every telephone household in the nation to have an equal and known probability of selection. Households selected for inclusion in the survey sample received multiple callbacks to increase the probability of obtaining a representative distribution of adults. Regional quotas were used to ensure that sufficient population dispersion was achieved. There were also minimum and maximum ranges placed on the distribution of respondents within several demographic variables that were tracked during the field process to ensure that statistical weighting would not be excessive. When a particular attribute reached one of the parameters, the sampling selection process was varied to preclude individuals who did not meet the necessary demographic criterion, with the interviewer seeking a person from the same household who fit the desired criterion. Up to 30% of telephone interviewing was conducted on cell phones. Online interviews were conducted using an online research panel called KnowledgePanel based on probability sampling that covers both the online and offline populations in the U.S. The panel members are randomly recruited by telephone and by self- administered mail and web surveys. Households are provided with access to the Internet and hardware if needed. Unlike other Internet research that covers only individuals with Internet access who volunteer for research, this process uses a dual sampling frame that includes both listed and unlisted phone numbers, telephone and non- telephone households, and cell- phone- only households. The panel is not limited to current Web users or computer owners. All Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 28
Barna Group potential panelists are randomly selected to join the KnowledgePanel; unselected volunteers are not able to join. The survey questions pertaining to faith and demographics were analyzed in reference to two different geographic perspectives: by DMA and by state. The label DMA stands for Designated Market Area and represents a unique geographic area that also serves as a commonly accepted media market as defined by The Neilsen Company. DMAs have been configured so that the entire U.S. is assigned to one, and only one, of 210 DMAs. These are based on the television viewing habits of the residents in each county. While there are 210 DMAs, Barna has representative data for 117. These are the areas in which Barna had a sufficient number of completed surveys with people from a given market. In most markets, we had a sample of 150 or more; a few smaller markets had a minimum of 100. We used the same minimum- level criteria for the states analyzed in this report. Some calculations include data from The Nielsen Company/Local Television Market Universe Estimates and the U.S. Census Bureau. Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 29
Barna Group B: About Barna Group In its 30- year history, Barna Group has conducted more than one million interviews over the course of hundreds of studies, and has become a go- to source for insights about faith and culture. Currently led by David Kinnaman, Barna Group s vision is to provide people with credible knowledge and clear thinking, enabling them to navigate a complex and changing culture. The company was started by George and Nancy Barna in 1984. Barna Group has worked with thousands of businesses, nonprofit organizations and churches across the country, including many Protestant denominations and Catholic parishes. Some of its clients include the American Bible Society, CARE, Compassion International, Habitat for Humanity, NBC- Universal, The Salvation Army, Walden Media, the ONE Campaign, SONY, Paramount, Thrivent, USAID and World Vision. The firm s studies are frequently cited in sermons and talks, and its public opinion research is often quoted in major media outlets such as CNN, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, the Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, the New York Times, Dallas Morning News and the Los Angeles Times. Learn more about Barna Group at www.barna.org. Copyright 2014-2015 by Barna Group. All rights reserved. 30
Writing Session Summaries
COMMUNITY Every person has a small group where they feel loved, cared for, prayer for, accepted and challenged. Beginning with unity through corporate worship, fellowship through open groups (Sunday Bible study, WMU, Choir, FLO, Community Missions, etc.,) and ending with intimate, closed groups (home Bible study, prayer group, needs-based/support group, social circle, book study, online communities/small groups) SMART GOAL Educate importance of small group connectivity Monthly visitor meeting, New Member orientation, Special class Communicate schedule of small group opportunities some open and fluid, some specific and targeted Personal invitation Types Needs based, Social support, Prayer, Formation (Bible, Spiritual Practices, Faithful Living) Abortion survivor support group, teen pregnancy, SOS, Smile, Caregivers, LGBT, AA Create an honest and open environment where people seek small group connections based on vulnerability, needs and struggles Sharing the Faith, online devotion, podcasts-people sharing their vulnerability, experience, growth, etc. Communicate: God s Grace, Love, Mercy, Forgiveness * No matter focus of small group, creators/leaders are provided guidance in conveying above message* through group discussion a core value at heart of recovery, growth and progress Small groups offer: Inclusion, Love, Prayer Connection, Vulnerability, Safe place, Deep burdens of the heart, Pastoral Care, are Organic, Organization and mechanism for creation of Small Groups Monthly meeting for visitors and members to: Educate and communicate that our goal is for everyone to be loved, cared for, prayed for and challenged. List of current groups, and prospective groups beginning and connect point Groups during Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter Groups are Community, Social, Formational, Worship, Prayer Small group leaders/members meet 2-3 times per year to share success, struggles, logistical and theological ideas to foster continued small group success sustained, growth, multiplied Community to community: spot in telecast, webcast, use social media to share vision of importance/plan for everyone being in a small group and why
COMPASSION We love our city and it shows! Our church is the spiritual hub/nerve center for Christian compassion throughout RVA by identifying needs and equipping individuals/teams to meet those needs. We invite and encourage people to become disciples whether serving or being served.. FBC operates a Center of Compassion to equip our members and the greater community for broader participation in meeting the physical social service, and spiritual, evangelism needs of our community. Actions to include those we minister to in life of the church Actions to include stepping out into the community amongst those whose needs we seek to meet FBC more broadly communicates the compassion needs and opportunities for service with our city as organized through FBC, showing involvement (images on web, Facebook, other) invites and encourages others involvement All small groups and individuals have a mentality of participation in the Compassion Ministry Recognition that this ministry is much larger than homeless, i.e., Lambs Class, Essex Village, Glen Lea, SMILE, Depression Groups, Caregivers Future Needs are: Boomers aging, health needs focus, physical abilities limitations Pockets of need in RVA adopt geographic zip codes Other: Before/After school care Day Care for At Risk Children FBC is hub for urban ministry in RVA with major outreach to outside community for service, target Millennials
FORMATION All FBC members have a deep, rich, personal relationship with Jesus Christ Customized spiritual journey and coaching/mentoring opportunities for all members Do you know Jesus? Are you in a small group? Do you have a mission? What are my spiritual gifts and how do I use them? Center for spirituality and Christian discipleship Not only for our church but for parishioners at large? Explore God create a space for those who claim spirituality but do not claim GOD Deeper theological exploration or study Certificate program, training: by 2020 graduated 75 members through center programs FBC provides the opportunity for education and resources in understanding/applying/implementing the practice of FAITHFUL LIVING HEAD: What is Faithful Living? What does the BIBLE tell us about how to live? Faithful Living 101 HEART: How am I living faithfully and where do I need to change/improve? How is my relationship with Christ impacting my Faithful Living? How is my Faithful Living impacting my relationship with Christ? HANDS: How is Faithful Living applied to my home, work, family, marriage/family enrichment, friends and community? What do my actions, words, behaviors look like? By 2022, 500 of our members have earned an FBC certificate in personal discipleship. Includes Children and Youth, create a resource for Faithful Living for all ages a different way of living A tool to recruit families Graduate seniors with commissioning service that continues their personal mission in college Catechism Standards of Learning curriculum By 2022 a culture of expectation is created -- Disciples disciple leading to 1000 certificates by 2025 Maintain spiritual gifts database to match members to service within/outside church. How can you/we use your spiritual gifts to make disciples? <FBC Rome; Joel Snyder s program> illustrative of above per Bill
INVITATION <EXTERNAL> In 2022 through invitation, there are 100 small groups scattered across RVA, shepherded by FBC trained pastor to lead, love, pray and disciple group members. Campus ministries partners Retirement communities Little Pastors of various small flocks not preachers but caregivers and connectors to small groups Training process Invite people already on the roll Make connections through digital media Small Groups Network connected to the HUB FBC house church network - not necessarily members Facilities used for meetings all things RVA as invitational to outside organizations (already doing this but expand) connecting to the city more Reconciliation invite people of RVA into conversation, lead to make change <INTERNAL> In 2022 every visitor on Sunday and at events is personally greeted Volunteers greet/welcome visitors not greeters and/or ushers only Those volunteers are assigned areas/quadrants of the church to personally greet/connect Volunteers are diverse in ethnicity, gender, age All visitors are connected and feel welcome Do you know Jesus? Do you have a small group? What is your mission? Fellowship/Reception/Hospitality gathering area contiguous to Sanctuary (remove walls at Library area to spill into Boulevard hallway) Community outreach for families FBC has large community playground open to neighborhood Increased % of FBC Preschool family attendance Full day pre-school? VBS & other programs offer opportunity for connection point to families Upward Basketball families invited to our church Way of reaching out to invite to special programs beyond worship, Wednesday night we re having XYZ dialogue, join us Full Day-Care facility (Marshall Street location?) for neighborhood at risk kids SMILE kids? Sliding scale payment plan
WORSHIP Worship at RFBC encourages and enables all to celebrate God, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. We share the cohesive/integrated nature of the worship service and invite awareness of the connections. Tell them what they will hear Let them hear Tell them what they heard charge Use of technology, social media, TV, Webcasts, Podcasts We are more intentional about inviting people to get involved in service We report out about service projects and mission trips, e.g. bikes mission project/11 th grade Alternate places, times <by 2018 there is a weekly service other than on Sunday mornings> Active in-person interaction with webcast/telecast congregation lay leaders and Deacons visiting/leading/sharing Communion with friends of FBC ; Lakewood Manor, other retirement/assisted living, Colleges Micro Churches? Alternate worship styles All ages present (akin to 5:00 Christmas Eve Service) OK to be noisy/messy In a space that fits scale/size of group Chapel/Gym Not on weekend to accommodate travel/work schedules of members (Thurs/Friday?) Variety/rotation of speakers to fit all ages and include lay leaders Not limited by time More interactive during service Rotate TV Bible Study Class to other classes to help connect TV viewers with expanded FBC community and to more than only Worship Service
One Sunday Report to Congregation Sept. 11, 2016
Clint : Charles : Clint : Michael : Clint : Anne : Julie : Lee : Clint : Your 2020 Vision task force has been working through the summer, processing the results of three congregational visioning sessions held in April, May, and June. You have shared your memories of the church s past, evaluated its current ministries, and dreamed big dreams for the future. We have listened. You have also prayed the Prayer of Discernment, asking that our vision for the future would be nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else than God s will. And so it shouldn t surprise you that the dream we have discerned builds on the bedrock of our faith. It begins with these words... God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. We looked at demographic information across Central Virginia. We looked at pages and pages of statistics from the City of Richmond, and the counties of Henrico, Hanover, and Chesterfield. One of the most arresting images we saw was a map of the region with the homes of our members and friends marked with little red squares. It looked as if someone had scattered a huge handful of seeds across the greater Richmond Metropolitan area. And so we wrote... His Son scattered the seeds of love around the world and across our city. And then it hit us... We are those seeds. God s love is in us. And love is bound to grow.
Charles : Michael : Anne : Julie : Lee : Charles : Building on our mission of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Richmond, Virginia, and using the existing ministry areas of Formation, Invitation, Worship, Compassion, and Community, we began to gather your dreams under five different headings: Love is bound to grow deeper through Christian Formation... Love is bound to grow wider through Christian Invitation... Love is bound to grow higher through Christian Worship... Love is bound to grow tender through Christian Compassion... Love is bound to grow stronger through Christian Community... More than 52 percent of you said that Christian Formation is an area where the church should place even more energy and passion. You said that love is already present in Christian Formation through the variety of Sunday Schools and small group Bible studies available to all ages. In these places, relationships flourish, keeping us engaged and connected to Christ and to one another. Michael : You said that our love could grow deeper by something as simple as actively communicating the many formation opportunities that are open to everyone. We should offer studies for those who are new to the Bible, as well as those who have been pouring over it for years. And we should implement spiritual literacy focuses for children, youth, and adults that include a rich understanding of the Bible s foundations and the individual spiritual gifts that gives each believer a unique part to play in God s kingdom. 38 percent of you told us that we need to pour more effort into the ministry of Invitation. Nearly 30 percent of you listed invitation as one of your top three passions. You said love is present in the way we intentionally and lovingly greet each other and our guests, and that our International Student Outreach showcases our ministry of radical hospitality. You also praised
the healing to many provided through our successful Divorce Recovery ministry, and you said our media ministry was important for spreading the the love of God to Richmond and the world. One of your dreams for Invitation to grow wider is to practice hospitality virtually through social media, television and webcasts. Another big dream is to have a network of small groups scattered throughout the Richmond region, led by our members, who invite people to join through personal invitation. You said we should place special emphasis on our TV Ministry friends and our neighbors in the Fan and Scott s Addition. Anne : Three-quarters of the congregation said that Worship is a ministry we are doing very well. Our members appreciate and uplift our traditional style of worship and the preaching from our pulpit. We provide musical opportunities for all age groups, and through our lectionary study, we worship with nearly a billion other Christians around the world. Here are a few of your dreams to grow love higher. Laypeople leading aspects of the worship service, including a weekly Children s Sermon. Home small groups worshiping through our broadcasts and online media. A lay-led, alternate worship service for those who cannot attend Sunday morning worship, allowing more people to be a part of our family of faith. Julie : We love our neighbors and it shows through our Ministry of Compassion. You said this is a ministry that we do very well. 43 per cent feel that even more energy, attention and commitment should be poured into it. Special mention was made of the existing outreach to our homeless, the investment we ve made in strengthening our local schools, and our mission partnerships; those here in Richmond, in the United States and abroad. Other programs you want to continue are support of those going through divorce, strong support of single mothers and for those struggling with depression. In our future, you see Richmond s First Baptist Church as mission central. In that future each of us understands our individual gifts and skills and that leads to active service to others through a passion for, and a connection to, a ministry or mission. You want to expand and deepen our commitment to a neighborhood elementary and middle school pouring in love and attention on its children, teachers, administrators and parents. And you want to create a thriving community supported garden at our Charlotte Acres property to engage and benefit families in need. Lee : We embrace our Ministry of Christian Community where love is bound to grow stronger. Richmond s First Baptist Church is a place where every person is loved, accepted and valued.
We celebrate the strength of our diversity and find our unity in Jesus Christ. Here, we love, forgive, care for, encourage, and pray for one another. The number one reason we gave for why we stay here was just this -- 38 percent of us said we loved the Community and Fellowship we find here. Fellowship is one of the top four core values we identified, and 41 percent of us chose various ministries of Community to be retained, enhanced, and supplemented. You mentioned our active congregational care ministry and a desire for greater focus on marriage and family enrichment. You asked for improved ways of knowing what small group and support options are available, through additional online and print communication. Additionally, this process showed that many of you would like additional opportunities on Wednesday nights for small group discipleship and fellowship. Clint : The next step in the vision process is to form teams to start making dreams like these and many others come true, beginning in October. Please keep these teams in your prayers in the days and weeks ahead and remember: We are those seeds that have been scattered across Central Virginia. God s love is in us. And love is bound to grow. Thank you.
Summary Report to Congregation Nov. 20, 2016
Richmond s First Baptist Church November 20, 2016 Bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Richmond By scattering seeds of love across our community In early 2015, ministerial, Deacon and lay leadership began praying and intentionally seeking God s vision for our church at this time and place. Dr. Bill Wilson and the Center for Healthy Churches was selected as our guide for a long-range planning process named 2020 Vision. The Center s process builds on a church s strengths so they can be used as the foundation for future direction. Core to this is CHC s emphasis on the input of the entire congregation: God s vision will be realized as the work of discerning is shared by staff and laity alike. To engage everyone, the congregation came together for three Sundays in April, May and June. The members gathered around tables in Flamming Hall and the gymnasium to share their history with FBC, what the church is doing well today and, building on those things, dream what the church should do in the future to bring God s kingdom to Richmond. On FBC One Sunday, September 11, the 2020 Vision Facilitation Team presented a summary of the conversations and research into the future of the Richmond region organized by our current ministry areas -- Formation, Worship, Invitation, Compassion and Community: More than 52 percent of the congregation said the church should place even more energy and passion into Formations and Bible knowledge and literacy. 75 percent said that we are doing Christian Worship well. We should look at adding home small groups and a service at an alternate time for those who cannot attend Sunday morning worship. About 30 percent listed Christian Invitation as one of its three top passions. 38 percent said we need to pour more into the ministry, especially in fast-growing Scott s Addition. 43 percent said that even more energy and commitment should be poured into our Christian Compassion ministry. Ideas included further reach out to neighborhood schools and a community farm at our Charlotte Acres property. 38 percent of members said the No. 1 reason for why they stay involved at FBC is the love of the Community and fellowship. Growth ideas included a greater focus on marriage enrichment and Wednesday night fellowship.