new beginnings assessment - Indianola Presbyterian Church

NEW BEGINNINGS ASSESSMENT
Indianola Presbyterian Church
Columbus, Ohio
Presbytery of Scioto Valley
February 12, 2015
The Rev. Dr. Cheryl Ann Elfond
Assessor
CONTENTS
Indianola Presbyterian Church
Columbus, Ohio
INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................Page 3
CONGREGATIONAL HISTORY..........................................................................Page 6
THE CURRENT CONGREGATION .....................................................................Page 12
THE COMMUNITY...........................................................................................Page 18
ONLINE PRESENCE .........................................................................................Page 24
FACILITIES EXAMINATION ..............................................................................Page 25
FINANCIAL REVIEW ........................................................................................Page 37
SUMMARY ......................................................................................................Page 42
FUTURE STORIES ............................................................................................Page 44
A FINAL WORD ...............................................................................................Page 48
Appendix A: APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY NOTES .................................................Page 49
Appendix B: REDEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES..................................................Page 57
Appendix C: MOSAIC HOUSEHOLD TYPE DESCRIPTIONS ...............................Page 58
Appendix D: EXECUTIVE INSITE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
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INTRODUCTION
Indianola Presbyterian Church has played a
vital role in the community surrounding The
Ohio State University for over 100 years.
Church participants at Indianola have
consistently found a community that is
open to the expression of doubts as well as
faith, attentive to providing meaningful
worship experiences through music, prayer
and the spoken word and dedicated both to
faith-based inquiry into the pressing
questions of the day and to social action
that flows from inquiry.
As the immediate neighborhood has changed over the years from owner-occupied
residences to rental property primarily for students, Indianola has sought to minister to
material and spiritual needs. The Indianola Children’s Center is a prime example of a
ministry that seeks to address current needs for childcare and learning opportunities for
preschoolers in an atmosphere that emphasizes “peacefully growing children.” Despite
vandalism and thefts that mandate increased security, the church has sought to be
welcoming to students, for instance, through the annual Midnight Breakfast and
providing space for conversational ESL and a quiet place to study during finals.
While some specific challenges may be unique to Indianola, other challenges like
declining membership and worship attendance are common to many Christian
churches.
This assessment is designed to help participants at Indianola Presbyterian Church take a
fresh look at your life as a faith community in the immediate vicinity of The Ohio State
University in Columbus, Ohio. We will be reviewing the history of your congregation
with a special focus on the past ten years or so. We will be reporting on the building
itself, on your finances and your relationship to the community around you. You will
find lots of good news about your church to be shared and celebrated in this report as
well as challenges to be faced as a relatively small church in an urban neighborhood full
of university students. At the end of this written assessment you will find several future
stories designed to stimulate your dreaming and visioning about how your church might
expand your mission and ministry with God’s help.
WHY NEW BEGINNINGS?
Christian congregations have a calling from God: We are to develop faithful and
effective ministry that shares the Gospel experience—namely God’s unconditional love
and justice—with a hurting world.
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While the message of God’s love remains constant, ministry today doesn’t look like firstcentury ministry. In fact, today’s ministry doesn’t look like ministry even a decade ago!
Often, once-thriving congregations find themselves in declining health or at least stuck
in patterns that seem to be leading toward decline. They need help to discern God’s
unique call again; help to regain their vitality; or help to direct their remaining assets
into the ministry channels they determine to be most appropriate to their mission.
To renew their passion, struggling congregations also may need a little help looking
objectively at their situation. A small book called The Elephant in the Room: Silence and
Denial in Everyday Life by Eviatar Zeruvabel (Oxford University Press, 2006) describes
how organizations conspire to hide from the truth. They are afraid to (or don’t want to)
see realities that represent unwelcome change. They need someone who cares what
happens to them, but who is far enough removed to offer a credible reality check on the
landscape around them. Out of that need, New Beginnings was born.
The Presbyterian Mission Agency Office of Church Growth -- a ministry of the
Presbyterian Church (USA) -- has a passion for seeing new life in congregations. With the
power and presence of the Holy Spirit, we hope this assessment helps your
congregation in three ways. The first intent of this assessment is to help your
congregation come to clarity about decisions you need to make in terms of the use of
your assets/resources for mission. The second intent is to give your congregational
leaders tools for defining a future story in mission that is true both to historic
commitments and relevant for 21st century need. The third intent is to help your
congregation begin to make the shift from an attractional model of ministry (where
people “come to church” as a place to get their needs met) to a missional model of
ministry where disciples are empowered to “go from the church” to live as Christian
witnesses in the world. New Beginnings is a discernment tool designed to empower your
congregation with an assessment and reflection process to help your congregation be
intentional about discerning God’s call for future mission.
To be sure, this is NOT a “fix-it” manual. This report does not claim to tell congregations
what they “should” do about their future. While members of the national staff are
available to be in conversation with the congregation through this process, the
congregation ultimately makes the decision about its future without interference. You
do it in conversation with other leaders and congregations who face similar
circumstances. YOU are the experts about your community and congregation. New
Beginnings just holds up a light to make that God-given message a little easier to read.
WHERE DID THIS REPORT COME FROM?
Your congregation’s leaders and your presbytery worked closely with the Rev. Dr.
Cheryl Ann Elfond, an assessor trained by the Office of Church Growth, who wrote this
assessment. The onsite New Beginnings Assessment was held on Thursday, February 12,
2015, at the church. It included a complete tour of the facilities and property, as well as
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a meeting with financial officers of the church to discuss finances. The assessment visit
also included a “windshield tour” of the community to confirm the demographic data.
That evening, the Rev. Tracy Keenan, a representative of the Presbytery of Scioto Valley,
conducted an Appreciative Inquiry session with about 42 participants. These folks
discussed their engagement with the church, their perceptions about congregational life
today and their opinion about the congregation’s position on the Congregational LifeCycle scale. The onsite visit amounted to about six hours of “face time” with the
congregation.
Additionally, data in this report came from congregational records and from the past ten
years of the congregation’s reports to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Information
collected includes demographic data about the participants in the church, their
approximate tenure in the congregation, income and expense reports for the past three
years and a current balance sheet. This information about your congregation is
collected, sorted, and measured to give all of us a better idea of the factors that impact
your congregation’s ministry in this time and place.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
The Leadership Training Event will provide a context for the report and help
congregational leaders strategize further conversations within the congregation. Some
of those who participate in this training then agree to lead House Meetings (small group
conversations) in the next phase of the New Beginnings process.
House Meetings (held in homes or at the church) should engage at least 50% of the
worshipping congregation to discuss the report. The schedule for your House
Meetings is determined by your church. Participants will engage the conversation to
discuss what they believe is God’s mission for the church. Through conversations about
these following questions, you will begin to name and claim what you feel God is calling
you to do and be in your community:
1. About what are the people in our congregation deeply passionate?
2. At what do we need to be the best, given our particular context for mission?
3. What resources do we have that will ensure that the ministry is sustainable?
But, your first step is to take a look at the congregation’s current context and
condition. You will find in this report an analysis of your congregation now, and a
number of options that seem most appropriate for the congregation moving forward.
This process is ultimately designed to help the congregation have a healthy—and
holy—conversation that engages all interested members in creating a New Beginning
together. Your national staff and your presbytery leaders stand ready to support your
New Beginning.
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CONGREGATIONAL HISTORY
Indianola Presbyterian Church was founded in 1909. The Rev. Dr. William Oxley
Thompson, President of the Ohio State University at that time, was involved with the
organization of Indianola. He served as Interim Pastor at Indianola for a little more than
a year after leaving the presidency of OSU and was elected Moderator of the General
Assembly in 1926. A more than life-size bronze statue of Dr. Thompson stands on a
pedestal on the campus oval in front of the main library.
The church has occupied the same main sanctuary building built in 1915-16. Framed
pictures from 1916 show the procession from the church house to the new church
building dedication as well as a Sunday School Picnic. An educational wing added in
1953-55 was named after Dr. Thompson. This wing is spacious, but was not nearly as
elaborate as the initial plans outlined because of a shortage of funds. Shortly thereafter
a church-owned house across Waldeck Avenue that had been used for Sunday School
classes and as a manse was torn down and that property became the church’s main
parking lot.
Over the years since that time the church has purchased three houses adjacent to the
church property. They have been used for various ministries, e.g., transitional housing
for troubled teens, a Taiwanese church start-up and a feminist newspaper. They are
currently are being rented out to students with the net cash flow covering the church’s
two mortgages.
In the mid-1990s a revitalization project restored the sanctuary after significant water
damage, and installed modern lighting, remodeled Thompson lounge, moved the church
offices and installed a heat pump system for the church offices and the pastor’s office.
Another revitalization project in 2003 installed modern forced-air heating and airconditioning in the sanctuary building and a new boiler for the Thompson Hall building,
remodeled or updated entrances, hallways, restrooms, Fellowship Hall and the nursery,
and tuck-pointed a significant portion of the stonework.
At what some members consider the height of the ministry, Indianola boasted 1,500
members with two worship services on Sunday morning and with people filling all three
balconies. The congregation called the Rev. Marideen Visscher as an associate pastor in
1965, the first ordained clergy woman in Ohio and the first woman to be called as a
pastor in central Ohio. Since that time 7 women from Indianola have been ordained to
the ministry including one ordained on January 25, 2015.
While any congregation has no end of stories, achievements and legends to share, we
pay particular interest to the last decade or so of the congregation’s history. During this
time the congregation adopted the slogan, “Inquiry, Prayer and Action,” as shorthand
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for their mission statement. A preschool that began renting space in the church building
on an emergency basis in about 2002 has since become a non-profit ministry of the
church known as The Indianola Children’s Center. ICC, as it is known, provides
preschool, day care, and a pilot project for before and after school program in
cooperation with Graham Primary School. In 2014 ICC turned the playground into a
Certified Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom.
Today, the church averages 81 in worship, oversees the Indianola Children’s Center,
sponsors a “Welcome Back Students” Midnight Breakfast, plays a key role in UKirk@OSU
(campus ministry) along with Covenant and Overbrook Presbyterian Churches by
providing office and meeting space as well as funding and participates actively in BREAD
(a faith-based social action agency), Neighborhood Services, Mid-Ohio Workers
Association, the CROP Walk and the LGBT Pride parade.
BY THE NUMBERS
Your congregational history includes lives, words, songs and achievements that defy
measurement. But this report, you may already have noticed, dwells on data – numbers,
numbers, and numbers! Why do we seem so interested in numbers? In part, we pay
attention to numbers because they help us track changes over time; they show growth or
decline in giving or attendance, along with other information that signals the trends of the
last decade that seem to impact your congregation. Numbers are not the only measure of
vitality. Yet numbers provide insight into the direction the congregation is heading.
We also track numbers because the size of a congregation determines the best
approach to ministry in that context. Church consulting colleagues at the Alban Institute
point out that size makes all the difference in the world in how a congregation operates.
And if your congregation, for example, was once a large church that has since become a
small church, this information may be critical to understanding the way forward. Most
likely, your solutions today will not be accomplished the way they were in days of
your former glory. Understanding this is half the battle in regaining your footing as
you strive to be faithful to the congregation’s call.
SMALL CHURCHES FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIPS
Small “family-sized” churches (50 or less people in average weekly worship) tend to
resemble extended families and thus emphasize fellowship, relationships, intimacy,
belonging and member involvement. People matter more than performance, so high
value is placed on volunteering, rather than on professional skills one may possess for the
work that needs to be conducted. Churches with fewer members actually rely more
heavily on lay volunteers. These small churches tend to be lay-led organizations, and thus
they may be reluctant to hand over too much authority to the minister. The perception of
the minister’s job is to love the members – and that relationship trumps even mediocre
preaching. In the estimation of small congregations, ministers need interpersonal skills
more than academic credentials or leadership qualities. The small-church minister is but
one leader among many—and, in many cases, may not be the most influential.
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BIGGER ISN’T BETTER—JUST DIFFERENT
Congregations that are “pastor-centered”
(with 51-to-150 people in weekly worship
range) tend to hand over more
responsibility for care of the congregation
to the pastor. In these congregations, the
pastor’s presence at meetings and
activities is very important. The pastor
brings most proposals to the church
board for decision. Most decisions involve
the pastor in one way or another. Lay
leaders are primarily those who are
empowered by or taught by the pastor.
Congregations that are “program centered” (150-to-400 worshipper range) have
expectations that are different from smaller congregations. Those who attend programsize churches tend to seek quality over relationships. They want well-run programs,
well-organized activities and professional leaders. Many leadership roles are filled by
paid staff people (musicians, children and youth coordinators, bookkeepers, facilities
managers, etc.). In smaller congregations, these roles would be filled by trained
volunteers. The governance structure of the large church is often very large with several
clearly defined committees and/or ministry teams.
First, with an Average Worship Attendance of 81, this congregation is a PASTORCENTERED church. To learn more about this topic, and your church’s size, we
recommend reading Alice Mann’s books, The In-Between Church: Navigating Size
Transitions in Congregations, and Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size
Transition. If you are experiencing utter frustration that what used to work DOESN’T
work any more, you may be facing a size shift. But chances are, there are other
dynamics at work in your congregation as well, including: changing demographics in
your neighborhood, inability for differing generations to agree on the way mission and
ministry should be done, and outdated modes of decision-making and organization. To
understand the specific dynamics at work in your congregation, a number of other
factors should be addressed.
TEN-YEAR TRENDS
In order to look at ten-year trends, we turn to the data that can be found in the past 10
years of your congregation’s annual reports to the denomination. It can be found online at http://www.pcusa.org/search/congregations/
First, let’s look at Average Worship Attendance over the last ten years. Trends in
attendance offer other clues about the health of the congregation.
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As demonstrated in the chart below, the congregation has experienced a DECLINE in
Average Worship Attendance (AWA) and Membership over the past 10 years. Average
Worship Attendance (AWA) is the most helpful measurement of member engagement
in a congregation, so we pay special attention to this figure.
Your congregation’s growth/decline trends do not happen in a vacuum. It should be
noted that the community in which the church serves has grown by 7.8 percent from
2000 to 2014. Despite the undeniable fact that much of the population is transient, this
reflects a possible disconnect to the community that should raise a red flag for the
congregation.
Congregational giving is also an indicator of member engagement. We pay attention to
this number because as participants deepen their level of engagement with the church,
their giving usually follows. Often times this indicator lags behind the Average Worship
Attendance figures. That is, AWA may decline or grow at a faster rate than giving.
During the past ten years, the congregation has reported CONSISTENCY in contribution
income. This is the total income reportedly received by the church. This is
demonstrated on the chart below.
Income figures alone do not tell the whole numbers story. It is important to measure
the congregation’s giving against the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to see if giving has kept
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pace with inflation over the past ten years. Because of inflation, it may be possible for a
congregation to increase its revenue, but actually have fewer funds available for
ministry.
The chart below demonstrates that congregational EXCEEDED or KEPT PACE with the
CPI from 2004 through 2009. This indicates growing commitment by participants in the
church during that 6 year period. However, the chart below also demonstrates that
congregational giving HAS NOT KEPT PACE with the CPI in the 4 years since 2009. This
indicates declining engagement.
NEW PEOPLE
The final measurement of engagement in the past ten years is the number of additional
people the church has welcomed. It is important to note the relationship between adult
baptisms and transfers. Comparing these two figures demonstrates the congregation’s
passion for both reaching new Christians AND welcoming those who have already made
their commitment to Christ. Healthy congregations show evidence in both areas.
The chart below shows evidence of GAINS, but only one ADULT BAPTISM. This
indicates that the congregation has more experience caring for those with some
maturity in faith rather than seeking those who have not yet experienced the Gospel
message themselves.
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When we consider membership and average worship attendance over the
congregation’s past ten years, there is little doubt that the congregation is in a declining
situation. Contributions did keep pace with the CPI through 2009 but have not kept pace
since then. Reversal of these trends will be necessary if the congregation expects to
exist into the future. The church is in need of dramatic adaptation in order to effectively
reach out into the community again.
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THE CURRENT CONGREGATION
The congregation provided information on each participant, defined as, ‘those who
attend four times per year or more.’ We use this data to paint a partial picture of the
current congregation and to compare the congregation to its immediate neighborhood.
While detailed information about the neighborhood comes later in the report, this
section will compare the data on the congregation with U.S. Census data from a church
demographic service partner. Looking at data about itself and its community helps a
congregation clarify who it is, where it is, what the needs are in the community and
what opportunities exist for vital ministry. We will also look at where participants live in
relationship to the church building. These figures help us determine the “match” you
have with the community around you. Do members live where the congregation is
located? If not, how does this faith community stay in touch with the needs of the
neighborhood? In some cases, congregations exist in an entirely different location in the
city from where their members’ homes are concentrated. They have continued to
decline in membership as they have attempted to “commute” into worship and serve a
neighborhood from which they have grown apart.
The first graph shows the ages of participants in the congregation and the ages of those
who live in the community. The blue bars show the percentage of participants in the
congregation in each category. The red bar is how that compares with the total population
of the United States, and the green bar is the breakdown compared to the community. The
data related to the red and green bar comes from the U.S. Census Bureau.
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The chart shows that 37.8 percent of the congregation is of the Boomer generation or
higher, while 11.23 percent of the wider community is in that category. This
measurement is important to the future of the congregation as it speaks to how well it
is connecting with those in the community.
It is also important to look at the split between older and younger generations within
the congregation itself. Vital congregations will normally experience a 50-50 split
between the younger and the older groups. The split at Indianola is 62-38 in favor of the
younger groups. This is somewhat unusual since established congregations typically
show an imbalance in favor of the older groups. It might be interesting to explore the
implications of this imbalance.
The next chart illustrates the Racial/Ethnic Gaps of the congregation related to the
community in which it is a part. This data also comes from the U.S. Census. NOTE: It may
severely undercount the Hispanic population in your area. This data is only broken into
five basic groups and does not show more detailed nuance within each group. Some of
that nuance is available in the Full Insite Demographic report from Mission Insite that
will be given to church leaders in electronic form.
Congregations are still highly segregated on Sunday mornings, which means that gaps
are likely to appear in this arena. However, if the congregation is in a changing area, and
has declining members of their racial/ethnic group represented in the congregation, it is
an indicator of a significant gap. For example, if you are predominantly one racial-ethnic
group in a community that is predominantly another, the congregation may have a
significant gap that it should consider in the future. The predominant racial-ethnic group
for both the church and the study area is Anglo so the congregation’s situation does not
match the comparison.
Another important indicator of congregational life is the tenure of its participants. While
it is a good sign of stability to have long-term members, it is also important to the
congregation to have new participants. New participants bring innovations, energy and
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a new perspective to the church. And new members help you measure the effectiveness
of your efforts to reach beyond your doorsteps into your community with the Good
News.
Healthy congregations usually demonstrate a 50-50 split with participants who have
been in the church five years or fewer, with those who have been there more than five
years. A congregation with too many “old timers” is not likely to be very receptive to
new ideas, or creativity. Indianola has a 32-68 split with significantly more participants
who have been involved for more than five years. In fact the split is 47-53 in favor of
participants who have been involved for more than ten years as shown in the pie chart
below.
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Finally, we have explored the relationship of participants with the location of the church
building. A pin-map has located the home of each participant and shown them in
relation to the church facility.
A congregation that has a good relationship with its immediate community will normally
display at least half of its households within a seven-minute circle around the church. If
no one in the church lives within a ten-minute drive, the congregation has a severe gap
in relating this immediate community.
The blue line shows a ten-minute drive to Indianola from any direction. The green pin
represents the church location and the red pins represent the home addresses of church
participants. It appears that at least half of church participants do live within the tenminute drive. Interstate highways form both physical and psychological boundaries. In
this case very few participants live east of I-71 and few live south of I-670. The Ohio
State University occupies a good portion of the area within the blue outline.
An additional area of inquiry is to measure how people participate in the life of their
congregation. This begins to illuminate what kind of church we have – and our priorities
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as a congregation. Through interviews and a review of the annual church calendar, we
can measure the kinds of engagement people have with the church in four categories:
•
•
•
•
Spiritual Development: These are activities whose purpose is direct spiritual or
discipleship growth. These could include prayer groups, Bible Studies, Sunday
school classes, or similar gatherings hosted by the church.
Relational Development: These are activities where the purpose is deepening
relationships. It could include social events like meals, fellowship groups, “game
nights,” etc. These groups may feature devotion or prayer time, but they are
primarily social in nature. Fund raising activities are included in this category.
Direct Mission Service: These are congregationally organized expressions of
service to the wider community. It could include mission trips, serving hot meals
to people in need, or tutoring school children, for instance. In such activities,
participants have direct contact and build relationships with those being served.
Decision Making: These are committee meetings as well as administrative groups
that plan ministry activities.
As you can see, these are all congregationally run activities, and do not count people’s
individual efforts or the activities of non-church-related groups that use the facility. This
is a measurement of the kinds of activities, and the numbers of people engaged with
them. Some activities may have overlapping purposes, but most favor one direction
over another and are assigned accordingly. This measurement is determined by
multiplying the total number of hours by the number of church people involved.
Participation at regular and/or weekly worship services is not included in this formula.
Ideally, we would see an equal balance of spiritual, relational and missional activities
– each around 30%, with decision-making around 10%. This balance is needed to form
well-rounded disciples, who grow spiritually, grow in relationship with one another, and
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serve the community in meaningful and needed ways. In many cases, these get out of
balance as a church drifts into doing more of what it finds most comfortable.
Vital churches have also discovered that younger generations (as well as many people
new to a congregation) and older or long tenured members have different values in
terms of what they find engaging in congregation life. If a church wants to have a bright
future, it needs to be strong in the areas that younger people will resonate with –
namely direct mission service and spiritual development.
The chart above demonstrates that the congregation is OUT OF BALANCE in its
engagement patterns with these particular patterns emerging:
WEAK ON SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES: This pattern emerges when a congregation has gotten
so busy having fun together or doing service together that they forget to engage in the
very things that make church life different from any other group in the community. A
lack of spiritual activities will lead to a congregation that does not grow spiritually from
year to year and so depends on routine more and more.
HEAVY ON RELATIONAL ACTIVITIES: This pattern emerges when a congregation focuses
on fellowship activities or on raising money for mission rather than doing mission itself.
People may have a deep sense of community, but without the other components, it can
easily become in-grown.
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THE COMMUNITY
Columbus, the capital city for the state of Ohio and the 15th largest city in the United
States, is home to the Battelle Memorial Institute, the world's largest private research
and development foundation; Chemical Abstracts Service, the world's largest
clearinghouse of chemical information; NetJets, the world's largest fractional ownership
jet aircraft fleet; and The Ohio State University,
Major highways near Indianola Presbyterian include I-71 to the east, Route 315 to the
west and I-670 to the south. Churches within a few blocks of Indianola Presbyterian on
the north side of the OSU campus include St. Stephen’s Episcopal, University Baptist and
St. Thomas More Newman Center.
Today the immediate neighborhood around Indianola Presbyterian Church is dominated
almost exclusively by student rental properties, fraternities and the campus of The Ohio
State University. Beginning in the 1950s OSU expanded rapidly due in part to students
taking advantage of the GI Bill; at the same time houses in the neighborhood were
turning over in ownership with the predominant pattern of single-family homes being
sold and turned into student rental property or being torn down and replaced with small
apartment buildings. The most recent trend is in luxury apartment buildings for students
like the “View on High” complex being built at North High and E. 18th Avenue just a long
block from the church.
The Clintonville area, a neighborhood to the north of the Indianola/OSU area, has
become a very desirable residential neighborhood especially since the turn of the 21st
century. Homes date from the 1920s to the 1950s and range from kit houses sold by
Sears and Montgomery Ward and the standard American foursquare in South
Clintonville built prior to 1930 to higher-end homes in North Clintonville. This area has
been popular with University professors.
Public schools in the general area of the church include Graham Expeditionary Middle
School on E. 16th Avenue, Weinland Park Elementary on Summit Street at E. 6th Avenue
and Indianola K-8 School on Weber Road at Calumet. The congregation has expressed an
interest in connecting with Weinland.
Nearby Gateway Film Center and AMC Lennox Town Center 24 both offer first-run
feature films.
Quite a number of major healthcare facilities are located nearby including the Ohio
State University’s Wexner Medical Center and the brand new James Comprehensive
Cancer Center; Riverside Methodist Hospital, part of Ohio Health; farther away are
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Nationwide Children’s Hospital with various facilities all over the greater Columbus area
and Mt. Carmel with three locations and Grant Medical Center, part of Ohio Health.
The specific study area chosen for this report (which is the basis for the demographic
data found in the previous section and what follows) will most likely be much smaller
than the region that your participants come from. Vital churches take seriously the area
immediately around their location. They know that, similar to a franchise system, no
other Presbyterian (USA) congregation is in a better position to be in service to and be a
spiritual home for the people nearby. A congregation that cannot be both needs to
wrestle with the questions around location and calling: why are we located here? Do we
have a heart for those nearby? If we don’t, why are we still here?
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The area used for your demographics is captured in the map below:
The boundaries chosen for the study area are E. Cooke Road on the north, I-71 on the
east, I-670 on the south and Route 315 on the west. Here is some of the reasoning
behind these choices:
• Three of the four are major highways that form both physical and psychological
boundaries.
• It seemed important to include residential neighborhoods beyond the student
housing in the immediate vicinity of the church.
• E. Cooke Road as the northern boundary is something of a compromise in that E.
N. Broadway seemed too close and Morse Road seemed too far.
• There are so many Presbyterian churches within five miles of Indianola that it
was virtually impossible to draw a study area without including several other
Presbyterian churches. This study area includes Glen Echo, Crestview and
Overbrook.
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Other Presbyterian Churches in the
area: In planning outreach to its
community, a church does well to be
aware of the other churches,
especially its sister Presbyterians.
What might you do together? How
might each of you direct outreach to
different Mosaic groups? The map to
the left shows the location of the
PC(USA) churches within 5 miles of
Indianola (A), Glen Echo United (B),
Crestview (C), Boulevard (E),
Bethany (F), Broad Street (G),
Old First (H), Overbrook (I),
Covenant (J) and Ramseyer (K).
It is also possible to identify key subcultures in a community. It is important to
understand people groups or subcultures because it is widely confirmed that the
Christian faith travels easiest along existing relational ties, among people who share a
similar subculture. Therefore, a congregation needs to understand the particularities of
the people group(s) within the immediate church.
“Mosaic” profiles are lifestyle groupings of people, by household, who share similar
behaviors, social characteristics, attitudes and values. Designed by Experian (a very large
credit rating service and data-collection company), there are 71 distinct Mosaic groups
(or segments of the population) in the U.S. These groupings are based on multiple socioeconomic and life-stage factors.
The box below shows the top Mosaic groups found in the study area as a whole.
By far, the largest groups are: O53 Singles and Starters – Colleges and O54 Singles and
Starters – Striving Single Scene.
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Despite the large study area, the overwhelming percentage of residents of the study
area is young and single.
The map below shows another view of much of the community around your church. The
church can be seen in the CENTER (it is identified by a small building icon and the
church’s name). Each of the colored areas is a Census Block Group. Each block group
contains an average of 1,500 people. The block groups are color-coded based on the
dominant Mosaic profile found among the people in that small area.
More detailed descriptions for the top groups in your area can be found in Appendix C.
For descriptions of the ALL MOSAIC codes, visit the MissionInsite website and download
a PDF copy of the MOSAIC 2010 Description Guide. This can be found at:
http://www.missioninsite.com/mosaic
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A closer in view of the area immediately around the church can be seen here:
O53 Singles and Starters -Colleges and Cafes
So, what does all this mean and what does it have to do with ministry for your faith
community? Some questions to consider when observing this data include:
•
•
•
What do these largest Mosaic groups have in common with the people of our
congregation?
What may be some gaps (or under-represented groups) between our church and
our immediate community?
Looking at the description of the largest one or two Mosaic groups in our
community, what ministry needs are likely to be present among these people?
What style of worship would they most likely be drawn to? What types of
community groups are already effectively reaching out to these people?
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ONLINE PRESENCE
In today’s socially networked world, many people approach a congregation virtually
before ever going to the physical location of the church. People of all ages are likely to
experience the congregation initially through their attempt to find it on-line.
Because every congregation is unique, there is no one correct way that they should
make information available in the digital realm. This is good news for congregations with
little or no experience with digital age. There are, however, some fundamental things
that make it possible for people to gain information about the congregation.
The church’s website
www.indianolapres.org comes up
immediately as the first entry when a
search is done for the church’s name
and Columbus, Ohio. As can be seen at
the right, the website contains an
abundance of information; it is crowded
with words and narrative and has very
few pictures. Information is current.
Every page features the PC(USA) seal;
the church’s name; its motto, “A
Community of Inquiry, Prayer & Action;”
and a menu bar for quick links back to
Home, and to Sunday Services, Christian
Education, Events (the calendar is
blank), News, Contact Us and Locate Us
(narrative directions plus a Google map)
and the MAIN MENU with links to all
the other pages.
The center section and right section
change. On the homepage the center section called WEEK AT A GLANCE contains (1) a
summary of Sunday activities including worship times and a click on Read More brings
up the rest of the week’s activities; (2) information about Sunday School classes for
children and adults and (3) information about worship and worship leaders. The righthand section contains information from the Facebook page.
There is quite a bit of activity on the church’s Facebook page.
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FACILITIES EXAMINATION
In consideration of the
congregation’s resources, it is
important to evaluate the
facilities to determine if they are
of appropriate size for the current
congregation. It is also important
to consider whether there is a
growing list of deferred
maintenance issues or other
features that may inhibit the
vitality of the congregation.
The church’s facilities are
contained in 2 buildings located
on a 1.428-acre lot. It is estimated
that the facilities are
approximately 30,144 square feet
in size. The property is insured for
$5,144,596. The church also owns
three residences adjacent to the church property. These three houses are insured for
$445,189, and are currently rented out to OSU students.
Based on Average Worship Attendance, a congregation of this size would have adequate
space in a building of about 7,230 square feet, meaning that the current congregation
really only needs 22 percent of its current space.
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Worshipers begin what has been called “the sacred walk” the moment their foot hits
pavement as they get out of their vehicle to begin the entrance into the building. This
walk says volumes to members and visitors alike about the self-esteem and vitality of
the congregation. The “sacred walk” helps worshipers prepare for the experience of
worship at your church. The impression on guests and members continues inside the
building. The condition of the facility and grounds send a message to all who enter,
whether intended or not. If the condition is unkempt or falling apart, the unspoken
message is ‘This is not a place even WE like very much,’ which is not a very effective
evangelism tool.
What follows is the impression the Special Consultant had upon embarking on the
“sacred walk” at the church.
LOCATION AND OUTSIDE APPEARANCE
Indianola Presbyterian Church is located at 1970 Waldeck Avenue on a triangular piece
of property. The church is only one long block away from the OSU campus. This formerly
residential neighborhood is now virtually all either fraternities or rental property
occupied by students. Many of the streets in the neighborhood are congested with
parking on one or both sides of the streets; Waldeck and Iuka are wider. Traffic is
moderate to heavy.
The beautiful stone sanctuary rises majestically above the intersection of Waldeck and
Iuka Avenues. The church building with its stone façade sits immediately adjacent to the
sidewalks except for a large grassy triangle in front of the sanctuary that is one of the
few places in the neighborhood where children can play safely. The attractive
landscaping including a few large trees is well maintained.
PARKING LOT AND WALKWAYS
Except for two handicapped spaces on the Waldeck
Avenue side of the building, street parking spaces are
almost always occupied. The church owns an asphalt
parking lot with 61 spaces across the street from the
church. One of these is also a handicapped space.
Nighttime lighting around the church is good. Since
parking is at a premium, the church is able to rent out
most of these spaces on a monthly basis except for
half a dozen spaces that are kept available for singleday parking. The rental parking agreement specifies
that the parking lot must be vacated by 7:00 am on
Sundays and several hours prior to OSU home football
games. Renting parking spaces is a significant source
of income for the church.
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The public sidewalks and concrete walkways on the church
property are clean and well maintained. A clearly
identified elevator entrance is located near the steps up to
the Tower entrance to the sanctuary. The elevator also
stops at the basement level, the sanctuary level and the
second floor. All the other entrances involve steps either
outside or inside -- or both.
Driving habits for each congregation vary widely. Some
congregations average only one person per car parked in
the lot; others pack in families. Still others are located in
dense urban areas and pride themselves for being within
walking distance of the local public transportation. The
place in which a car is parked, and the control the church has over that parking also
determines capacity. Architects have developed some formulas in estimating the
worship capacity of your church, based on parking. Based on the location of the
congregation’s identified parking, capacity is calculated on the chart below:
The data in the graph above is calculated this way:
As noted earlier, parking spaces are at a premium in the entire neighborhood. Onsite
parking includes 61 spaces in the main parking lot across Waldeck Avenue, 10 spaces in
the staff parking lot off Iuka Avenue and 1 space in the driveway. Eight or so spaces are
sometimes available at a fraternity next door. There is street parking on both Waldeck
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and Iuka (40 spaces including the 2 handicapped spots), on one side of E. 18th Ave (15-20
spaces) and on one side of E. Woodruff (10-12 spaces). Realistically speaking, however,
only about 8-10 spaces are actually available on weekends during the academic year.
BUILDING ENTRANCE AND SIGNAGE
There are at least seven entrances to this fairly convoluted building. Three are used
regularly. The entrance to Thompson Hall from Waldeck is clearly identified as the
entrance for the church offices and for Indianola Children’s Center. It also serves as an
entrance for Thompson Lounge and to the back of the sanctuary beyond the church
offices.
The Tower Entrance, named for the bell tower above it and
clearly visible from the main parking lot, is the main entrance
that leads directly to the sanctuary. A large bulletin board
with moveable letters located nearby identifies the church
and lists worship times and the pastor’s name. While this
entrance involves a flight of stairs, the elevator is just around
the corner and is clearly marked for handicapped
accessibility. Visitors would likely assume this to be the
entrance for worship, but there is no signage to confirm that
assumption.
On the Iuka Avenue side of the church building, a set of
covered stairs and a covered walkway lead from the staff
parking lot to a door used by staff and by parents whose
children come to Indianola Children’s Center. Along the
covered walkway is a series of large doors (no longer in use) that lead to the back stairs
and to the sanctuary.
There are three additional entrances. One on the Waldeck side at the far end of
Thompson Hall leads down a flight of stairs to the basement entrance to the youth
room. This entrance is used primarily by AA participants after someone with a key card
has come through the Thompson Hall entrance and unlocked the door. A rarely used
entrance that leads to the chancel area is adorned by an outdoor stone pulpit at the
head of the stairs. A final entrance to the basement was carved out in 2003 in order to
get the air handlers into their basement location.
SANCTUARY
Sunday morning worship is held at 10:30 am. A Taizé service is
held on the second Friday of the month at 5:45 pm. The
sanctuary is breathtaking with its high, light beige ceiling and
dark wood beams. A closer look at the side beams reveals a
series of painted medallions that were discovered and painted
during the 2003 renovations. On sunny days natural light comes streaming in through
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the expansive stained glass windows behind the chancel. Prior to the renovation interior
light was so inadequate that it did not even register on a sensitive light meter. Painting
the area between the rafters a light beige
instead of dark brown and installing bright
and energy efficient lighting has greatly
improved this situation.
The red wool carpet on the center aisle
and side aisles has recently been replaced
in the same high quality and the same
shade of red; the carpet extends up the
three steps into the central part of the
chancel and then across the chancel
between the pulpit on the left and the baptismal font on the right. The pew cushions are
also red. A wide cross-aisle perpendicular to the regular front-to-back aisles separates
the large sanctuary into a front section and a rear section. The floor of the front section
slopes gradually toward the chancel; this is not apparent until you walk down toward
the chancel. There is additional seating in the transepts on the main level and in two
side balconies and a rear balcony on the second floor. Large ladders are lying on the
floor at the rear of the side balconies. These
additional seating areas are only rarely
used. Even the pews in the back section of
the sanctuary are usually roped off except
for weddings, funerals and other special
events like Jazz Sunday. Thanks to the
generosity of one member the congregation
is using the new Glory to God hymnal and
reportedly loves singing hymns old and new
from it.
The expansive chancel area has light wood floors that contrast with the dark wood
elsewhere in the sanctuary. The blocks in front of the communion table are set up to
hold candles for the Taizé service scheduled for the day after the assessment.
Music in worship is especially important to this congregation. A grand piano sits in the
area behind the pulpit. The congregation is justifiably proud of the pipe organ with its 44
stops, 49 ranks and 2,341 pipes, designed and built by Robert Noehren and installed in
1965. During this year the congregation will be celebrating not only the 100th
anniversary of the building but also the 50th anniversary of the organ. The organ console
is located in the center of the chancel and the pipes are mounted along the side walls of
the chancel on either side of the large stained glass window. Long choir benches line the
perimeter of the chancel. All the other chancel furniture can be moved so that, with the
exception of the organ console, the space is quite flexible.
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The congregation has a strong interest in art as
well as music and, over the years, has
commissioned a number of pieces that can be
seen around the church building.
The most recent acquisition had just arrived prior
to this assessment and was still sitting on the
counter in the church office. It is a new cross for
the communion table to replace the Celtic cross
that was stolen during a break-in and not
recovered. As can be seen in these photos, the
cross has intriguing designs on both sides.
Based on generally accepted measurements, we know that when a sanctuary is more
than 80% capacity on a regular basis, it will impact worship attendance with an
overcrowded feeling. In the same manner, if a sanctuary is less than 40% of capacity it
will also impact worship attendance as participants feel it is uncomfortably empty.
It is estimated that the sanctuary has a total seating capacity of 690 including the
balconies and chancel. Based on the AWA, the current sanctuary usage on a typical
Sunday morning is well below the appropriate capacity range. The front half of the main
floor is more than adequate; the back half is often roped off and the balconies are not
used.
GATHERING AND FELLOWSHIP SPACES
There are two adjoining gathering spaces inside the Thompson Hall entrance. A card
table and display against one wall are clearly identified as information for visitors. A
column that must have just been in the way has been turned into a kiosk for displaying
information about mission involvement like BREAD (a local social justice agency
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supported by Indianola and other Columbus churches), a
poster advertizing the upcoming Jazz Service and a section
devoted to a beloved 60-plus year member who had recently
died. One of these areas is just outside the church offices and
leads to the back of the sanctuary.
The space inside the Tower entrance is a welcoming space
where the elevator brings worshippers from outside or from
Fellowship Hall. However, it is not large enough to serve as a
gathering space.
The two major fellowship spaces are Thompson
Lounge on the main level of the educational
wing and Fellowship Hall in the basement of the
sanctuary wing. Thompson Lounge is an elegant
space that has a bright and airy feel because of
the large windows. The carpeted area has a wide
purple border and a large green patterned
center portion. A small raised area at the far end
with comfortable upholstered seating and table
lamps is ideal for small gatherings. The Lounge is
used extensively by the church for fellowship hour after worship, for various classes and
for receptions and by outside groups. Both areas were renovated during the 2003
revitalization project.
The extensive transformation of Fellowship
Hall is particularly stunning. Large sections of
dropped ceiling with energy-efficient
fluorescent lighting are independent of each
other and appear to float in the air because
the “real” ceiling and associated pipes are all
painted matte black. The whole area is well
lit. Beautiful green carpet has been laid over
the old tile floors, new wood-grain doors have
been added and neutral-colored walls hide
the original brown and yellow tile walls. Based on the church’s calendar and a few
comments by church leadership, Fellowship Hall is underutilized.
The main kitchen adjacent to Fellowship Hall is dated but has
all the accoutrements of a commercial kitchen including
steam tables and a large commercial dishwasher not to
mention bright and shiny white tile floors and good lighting.
The kitchen appears to meet current health code regulations.
A spacious serving room, separate from the kitchen, has
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large glass windows and counter area that provide an expansive pass-through area to
Fellowship Hall. A much smaller kitchen located across from Thompson Hall on the main
level is used by the Indianola Children’s Center during the week and by the church for
coffee hour on Sunday mornings. A third full residential-style kitchen is located off the
Youth Room in the basement of Thompson Hall.
A small Meditation Room is located on the second floor between the conference room
and the stairs and elevator. A helpful sign indicates whether the Medication Room is
vacant or in use.
EDUCATION SPACES
There are a total of nine rooms that can be considered classroom space in addition to
the rooms used by the Indianola Children’s Center.
Spaces are age appropriate, but not all are currently
being used.
On the main floor can be found the cheerfully
decorated nursery which was renovated in 2003 and
which also benefits from an abundance of natural
light, one preschool area, Thompson Lounge that is used by adult classes and outside
groups, and the Library with a conference table.
On the second floor two rooms are dedicated to Godly Play for two different age groups
and two additional rooms are set up for elementary-age Sunday school classes. One
somewhat cluttered room serves as storage for Christian education materials. An
attractive conference room next to pastor’s office is rarely used.
The only room on the third floor is the Bell
Tower Room, an appropriately furnished “getaway” space with Ikea chairs, a fireplace and
the old church wall safe, used by the high
school youth.
A large youth room with its adjacent kitchen is
approximately the same size as Thompson
Lounge and is located directly under the
Lounge. This room is also used by AA and NA
groups during the week. The combined adult
choir and bell choir room and the choir
director’s office are also located in the
basement of Thompson Hall. Two small newly renovated rooms adjacent to Fellowship
Hall, are ideal for small groups. One room has an intriguing combination of a conference
table and executive whiteboard behind wood doors and a child-sized round table with
child-sized chairs.
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An outdoor space previously used as a playground has been
gradually turned into a true outdoor educational space by
the Indianola Children’s Center. The installation of a 550
gallon rain barrel and water play feature was funded
through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Ohio Educational Fund (OEEF) Mini-Grant. In 2012, ICC was
awarded the OEEF's "Outstanding Project" for this water
play feature. In 2014 the area became a Certified Nature
Explore Outdoor Classroom.
INDIANOLA CHILDREN’S CENTER
The motto of the ICC, as the Indianola Children’s Center is affectionately known, is
“Peacefully Growing Children.” Teaching basic conflict management skills to children
and their parents is a key focus of the Center. ICC is located on the second floor and
occupies a cluster of rooms that open off a central area and one additional room that
serves as an office. ICC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and an important ministry
run by the church that provides preschool, daycare, before and after school care and
summer activities for young children. The ICC maintains its own website at
http://www.indianolachildrenscenter.org/. Although the elevator does come to the
second floor (albeit at the far side of the sanctuary), the ICC is still not truly handicapped
accessible because of the short flight of steps up to the ICC rooms.
ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER SPACES
The church offices were relocated to the main level near the Thompson Hall entrance in
the mid-1990s. Since this area had formerly been a chapel, all the exterior windows are
stained glass. Nevertheless, interior lighting
more than compensates for the reduced natural
light. Each of the three offices has a door to the
hallway; interior doors connect them together.
The office of the administrative assistant has
large windows that look out on a gathering space
and that create a spacious feeling to her area.
Her office easily accommodates her computer
area in one corner area and an abundance of
counters for workspace with cabinets underneath for storage. The second office serves
as a workroom with workspace, a massive copier, a folding machine, a fax and a paper
cutter; the third office houses the treasurer with his computer area, a narrow “aisle,” and
what appear to be all the church financial records piled high everywhere else. Wi-Fi is
available throughout the building.
The pastor’s office is located on the second floor next to the rear balcony of the
sanctuary. The organist and the campus pastor, both part-time positions, share what
used to be the associate pastor’s office on the other side of the rear balcony. In the
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basement the custodian/building manager has a spacious office that was previously
used by outside organizations.
Large storage areas can be found throughout the building. Most are neat and well
organized but a few like the storage area behind Fellowship Hall contain a lot of clutter.
RESTROOMS
The three sets of adult restrooms, one set on each floor, were renovated during the
second phase of revitalization in 2003. All are at least minimally
handicapped accessible and several have multiple stalls and
sinks. One restroom on the main floor is fully accessible
including the sink that is accessible to a person in a wheel chair.
There are additional child-size restrooms in the pre-school and
Sunday School area. These restrooms are off limits to adults, MF, 7am to 6pm. Signage, some permanent and some on 8 ½ x 11
paper, points to restrooms in the basement and on main level.
An additional small restroom located in the “groom’s room” off
the chancel has steps and is clearly not handicapped accessible.
SYSTEMS
The heat pump for the church offices and the pastor’s office dates from the mid-1990s.
An elaborate system of air handlers and air ducts for the rest of the sanctuary building
were installed in 2003 as was a new boiler for the educational wing. A new entrance had
to be cut out at the basement level in order to move the air handlers into the building.
The air ducts for the sanctuary are strategically placed and cleverly hidden.
Electrical panels located throughout the building consist entirely of circuit breakers, the
last set of fuses having been recently replaced; all panels are well labeled. Fire
extinguishers located throughout the building have up-to-date inspection tags.
The church has a fire alarm system.
Security continues to be an issue. Outside A/C units have been stolen and replacement
units have been properly secured. Windows have been broken and the cross was stolen
from the communion table. The Waldeck entrance to Thompson Hall has a key card
system and the Iuka entrance requires a code to be punched in.
DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ITEMS
Some New Beginnings congregations have poorly tended facilities. These facilities are
not just a “turn off” for guests and members. They also can become a costly money pit
that defers mission. Preventive maintenance is normally less costly than emergency
maintenance. Unfortunately, that lesson may not be learned until it’s too late. Many
congregations fall behind on maintenance due to declining funds and are then forced
into making emergency repairs they simply cannot afford. We noted these items that
the church appears to have “put off”.
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This situation does not at all apply to Indianola. An extensive revitalization project in
2003 took care of all issues at that time as well as upgrading the facilities. There is
evidence of minor water damage in the sanctuary ceiling. Nothing major has surfaced
since then the revitalization projects.
USE OF THE FACILITIES
The church building is a valuable resource for both the congregation and the
community. A good indicator of a congregation’s willingness to engage a community is
by looking at how the church uses this resource. Based on total building use, the graph
below demonstrates the percentage of total usage by outside groups. These groups are
open to the community and often times led by people other than church participants.
Congregants are often amazed at how little a building gets used. We divided your facility
into “kinds” of space. The sanctuary is considered “worship” space, the fellowship hall
and narthex “fellowship” space, etc. Using your church calendar, we have calculated the
hours each kind of space is used and calculated the percentage of time it is utilized. This
percentage is based on the space being available just 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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The Indianola Children’s Center, a ministry of the church, is in large part responsible for
the high usage of classroom space. Community groups that use the church building
include several AA/NA groups, conversational ESL and the AAUW.
UNDERUTILIZED BY CONGREGATION & COMMUNITY
A quick look at these charts demonstrates a building that is both underutilized by the
congregation and the community. The church does have strong relationships with the
groups and affinities in purpose or mission with the groups that use the building.
However, the cost associated with maintaining and operating this resource raises a
question for the congregation to consider, namely “Is this the wisest stewardship of the
resources that have been given to us by God?”
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FINANCIAL REVIEW
Congregational finances are fairly complicated because each congregation tracks its
income and expenses very differently. Congregations tend to have a lot of “restricted”
funds, which can only be used for specific purposes, and which may or may not enhance
the ministry of the congregation. In this review we have done our best to evaluate the
financial strength of the congregation based on the norms we have observed from many
congregations.
INCOME
Our first area of review is to look at the congregation’s income sources. It is important
to see where the income for supporting the congregation’s ministry comes from, and
how much the church relies on outside sources of income.
The table below indicates the income sources for your church in relationship to
congregational offerings. At the minimum, a congregation should support its expenses
with at least 70% of its income coming from offerings. Congregations that rely too
heavily on outside sources of income will often compromise their ministry for the needs
of those who provide outside income.
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And here is the overall income picture:
The criteria for New Beginnings reports specify that the assessor exclude special
offerings from the representations of the church’s operating budget in this report. Since
Indianola usually includes special offerings in income and expense reports, the total
operating income listed above is about $12,000 lower that the total income as shown in
the church’s financial reports. This is true of expenses as well.
In the table above, the item “Building Use Income” refers to income derived from rental
of parking spaces in the 61-space lot across Waldeck Avenue from the church, including
special parking for OSU home football games @ $20 per space. This source of income
has been providing increased support for the operating budget from about 11 percent in
2012 to almost 20 percent in 2014.
As seen in the bar graph above, contributions in both 2012 and 2013 comfortably
exceeded the recommended 70 percent of operating income coming in at about 82
percent and 77 percent respectively. It should be noted, however, that the percentage
decreased from 2012 to 2013. In 2014 the percentage of contributions fell further,
coming in at 69 percent, just short of the recommended 70 percent. This is beginning to
look like a trend.
EXPENSE
When we consider the expenses of the congregation, we group expenses in four main
categories; Salary Support, Building and Administration, Program Expenses, and Mission
Giving.
Salary Support includes salaries of all church staff and benefits associated with
employing them. Such benefits would include social security offsets, health insurance,
pension etc. It does not include costs such as auto expense or office reimbursements.
Most congregations will expend about 50% of their income on salary support.
Experience has shown that congregations that exceed 50% in this category are rarely
over paying their pastor. In fact, most New Beginnings congregations fall short of
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average salaries for their region. The salary amount is not too high but the percentage
of the budget allotted to salaries is too high, short-changing mission, outreach and
program.
Building and Administration costs are those associated with running the church office
and the building. Typical costs include insurance, utility bills, maintenance and yard
upkeep. A typical congregation will support building and administration costs with 25%
of their income. Congregations that are not “right-sized” find themselves paying more
for facilities, usually at the expense of their program.
Program Expenses are costs associated with running a program. This would include faith
development, evangelism, and worship materials, choir music and supplies, advertising,
and other resources and supplies that enable the program to operate. This is usually
about 15% of a church’s budget. Since this is the place where most congregations can
control spending they will usually decrease their spending in this category first.
Mission Giving is giving that the congregation has contributed to both denominational
mission causes as well as local mission causes. Mission giving trends are about 10% of a
vital congregation’s budget as a starting point. Congregations will often reduce their
mission spending after depleting their program spending.
The graph below puts these suggested percentages together and are labeled
recommended. While these are not set in stone, these percentages represent the
averages commonly suggested in church development circles.
Churches that have sustainability issues are typically over on their spending for
building/admin or salary or both. When this happens, typically program spending is cut
to compensate and if the slide continues, eventually mission gets cut as well. Yet
program spending reflects the investment in the congregation’s participants as leaders
and doers of ministry and mission giving is an essential component in being outward
39
oriented. The values reflected in spending patterns will affect who is willing to affiliate
or support the congregation. Younger unchurched people are less likely to want to
support what looks to them to be internal expenses (building/admin and salary) and
more likely to want to support spending that goes to mission or the equipping of people
to be in mission.
The pattern for Indianola is shown in the bar graph above. On the one hand, Salary
Support for 2014 exceeded the recommended 50 percent level by almost 15 percent
and Building/Admin exceeded the recommended 25 percent by 3 percent. On the other
hand, Program fell more than 10 percent short of the recommended 15 percent and
Mission (excluding special offerings) fell almost 6 percent below the recommended 10
percent. This pattern may point to possible issues of sustainability.
In addition to the sources of income, the congregation also has some investments plus
the estimated value of the property. This is outlined in the table below:
This chart represents the church’s Assets and Investments as of December 31, 2014
after the Session approved taking $19,746 from the Living Memorial account to balance
the budget. The Investments line includes the value of the three rental properties
($547,200) as listed on the church’s balance sheet as well as a Money Market account of
$22,089, Equities totaling $401,391 and $14,628 in other investments.
The congregation also has two (2) loans with Heartland Bank. The first was taken out in
2002 to purchase the property at 85 E. 18th Avenue. The balance on that loan as of
December 31, 2014, was $98,873 with a monthly payment of $1,288.01. The second
loan was taken out in 2005 for capital improvements on the church property. The
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balance as of December 31, 2015 was $349,508 with a monthly payment of $2,628.17
for a total monthly obligation of $3,916.17. The two loans are being paid off using the
net income from the three rental properties so that the mortgages have no impact on
the operating budget. The congregation is CURRENT with its monthly payments.
FINANCIAL CAPACITY
In light of the financial information above, this congregation has WEAK to ADEQUATE
FINANCIAL CAPACITY for ministry. That is to say the combined income streams are
barely adequate for meeting the expenses of the basic ministry of this congregation as
demonstrated by the need to take funds from the Living Memorial account to balance
the operating budget in 2014. The church has almost a million dollars in Investments of
which the three rental properties represent about 45 percent. That is not to say the
congregation does not need to improve its financial position. The church may need to
either downsize its expenses or increase its income.
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SUMMARY
Let’s review the analysis of the congregation at this point:
Indianola Presbyterian Church is just over 100 years old and has been a very significant
presence in The Ohio State University area. As the neighborhood has changed over the
past 50 years from owner-occupied residences to rental property primarily for students,
church membership and average worship attendance have continued to decline. The
past ten years illustrate this continuing decline as fewer and fewer permanent residents
live in the surrounding neighborhoods. During that ten-year period contributions have
maintained the total dollar amount but began to fall behind the Consumer Price Index
(CPI) in 2010.
The large and rather convoluted facilities have been painstakingly maintained. In
addition two major renovations were undertaken in the mid-1990s and in 2003. The
church building is much larger than needed by the congregation and is underutilized by
the congregation and the community with the notable exception of the classrooms used
by the Indianola Children’s Center.
The financial review shows very substantial assets and investments, but weaknesses in
the operating budget as of 2014 where income from contributions did not meet the
recommended 70 percent threshold, where income from rental of parking spaces
reached almost 20 percent of the operating budget and where $19,000 had to be taken
from the Living Memorial account in order to balance the budget. On the expense side
both salary support and building/admin exceed the recommended percentages. On the
brighter side, making monthly payments on the two mortgages that total almost
$450,000 has no impact on the operating budget since net income from the three rental
properties is enough to cover the monthly payments.
Indianola really is a “Community of Inquiry, Prayer & Action.” The inquiry part in
particular is extremely important to church participants who consider the atmosphere
of inquiry to be a characteristic that sets them apart from other congregations. Inquiry
and social action have always been integral parts of Indianola’s DNA along with worship
and music.
The purpose of the New Beginnings Assessment is to provide objective, but engaged
observations related to the congregation. We compiled all the data, like a portrait of the
congregation. Then we placed it alongside general data to show how your congregation
is doing by comparison. Now, we weigh these factors in relationship to ministry options
that seem viable for you congregation in your own time and place. Congregations have
four basic choices for the future:
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1. Do Nothing: Looking at the trend lines for the last 10 years in the graphs we have
provided can help the congregation see where the “do nothing” option might
ultimately lead. While the trajectory may be downhill, many churches see this option
as much easier than going through the pain of change. This does not require energy,
new effort, or ingenuity. Usually, staying the same means slowing losses, while the
ultimate conclusion is closure. Note: A decision to ‘do nothing’ is still a decision.
And by choosing this option, the church will be sending an important message to
people in the church (from the newest member to the pastor) that “status quo” is
the desired choice.
2. Mission Redefinition: Churches that seek to change may need to establish a whole
new way of being church. While all congregations will need to do visioning about
their future mission opportunities, most congregations will do so alongside a
redevelopment opportunity. Sometimes, however, there are congregations who
“could be” the right church in the right place with a significant shift in missional
focus. This option requires of the congregation significant energy, ingenuity,
creativity and spirituality because people will be leaving behind previous ministry
entirely and doing a very new focus in ministry. It is important to note that there is
no guarantee of numerical growth by entering Mission Redefinition. It also is
important to note how well—or even if —the congregation can sustain its ministry
through what may be a years-long process.
3. Redevelopment: This option can take numerous forms and hybrids. They include:
relocation, redoing the current facility, reaching out through a parallel start to a new
demographic profile (that matches the community in which the church resides), a
restart, an adoption, or combinations of these with Mission Redefinition.
Redevelopment of the congregation requires new approaches that enable the
church to adapt to a new environment. See APPENDIX B for more detail on these
options.
4. Close: Churches who choose this option realize that they don’t have the energy or
resources to keep going. They select this option as a way of concluding their
congregation’s life with dignity and intentionality so that their assets (which
previous generations have entrusted to them) can continue to work after they are
gone, in providing a faithful, lasting Christian witness. It is an ultimate act of faith to
make this decision – but one that often comes with a sense of relief in knowing the
church has not died. It is instead living on in perpetual witness for future
generations.
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FUTURE STORIES
We share these possible “future scenarios” based on the assessment you have just read.
Each of these stories below is written from the perspective of the future. These are not
written to tell the congregation “what to do.” They are intended as a way to spark your
imagination for what is possible. They are offered as a way for the church to envision its
future and the type of decisions’ facing the congregation. These and other strategies are
more fully defined in Appendix B.
FUTURE STORY #1: Redeveloping the Mission
Indianola Presbyterian Church had been keenly aware of its long and persistent decline in
membership and average worship attendance and the resulting threat to its mission and
ministry. In 2015 it participated in the New Beginnings program hoping to find some
solutions. As it opened itself to some difficult realities, it also experienced a
breakthrough of God’s grace and realized that it was not all up to them. This is God’s
church and just as God had plans for the church in the past, God has plans for the church
now. With a renewed focus on discerning God’s plans for the future of the congregation,
the church took on a different attitude and it was evident in worship, in prayer, and in
fellowship. A vision for a renewed and redeveloped church began to emerge.
This vision was rooted in the DNA of the church; it was at its very founding some 100
years ago a missional church called to make disciples and meet the intellectual as well as
spiritual needs of the university community around it. In an atmosphere of freedom
and love, the congregation began to ask questions. What was it that God was calling the
congregation to be and do at this moment in time? It left no stone unturned and
questioned every aspect of its ministry: time, talent, facility, finances, missional focus,
and its engagement in the community.
Now it is 2020 and the congregation is beginning to see the fruits of the courageous and
heart-wrenching decisions made back in 2015. During a glorious celebration of the
centennial of the sanctuary building and the 50th anniversary of the Boehner organ, the
congregation announced its decision to sell the church property in the triangle to a
developer and to retain the parking lot and the property next to it on E. 18th Street.
After much diligent searching, new homes were found for the organ and the large
stained glass window in the chancel.
The stunningly modern and energy-efficient new building next to the parking lot is
almost ready for occupancy. During construction this building began to attract quizzical
looks; inquiring minds have been wondering what would be going on in there. The
congregation in on the scoop has eagerly watched the construction as they worshipped
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in a neighborhood school. The drive to and from worship almost always included a
swing by the building under construction.
The creative and eye-catching design of the building accommodates the needs of the
congregation on a scale appropriate to the size of the congregation with room to grow.
Needless to say the building is fully handicapped accessible and energy efficient
throughout. The solar panels on the roof will provide much of the church’s energy needs.
The flexible worship space will project a light and airy atmosphere or a playful atmosphere
or a calm and deeply spiritual atmosphere or a creative new unimagined atmosphere
depending on the needs of particular worship experiences. The acoustics are expected to
be superb. The grand piano and a sophisticated electronic keyboard will share the space.
The worship and music leadership is giddy at the thought of all the possibilities. The
adaptable space is as perfect for Taizé as it is for multimedia worship. There are so many
possibilities that it’s almost scary. This space can also be used for meetings and potluck
suppers. It’s a truly multi-purpose room and one that’s going to take some getting used to!
A key aspect of the new building plan was to incorporate a space designed especially for
the Indianola Children’s Center and its evolving needs, because the IPC continues to be a
critical part of the church’s mission and ministry.
To the surprise of some long-time Indianolans, this focus of their physical presence in
the community and on construction of a new facility has actually deepened the
congregation’s spiritually. The intentional grieving period that accompanied the decision
to abandon the majestically churchy building and then witnessing its actual demolition
also brought a sense of relief and release from an overwhelming responsibility. This
process deepened their “understanding -- in a very concrete way -- that ”The church is
not a building ..,. The church is a people.”
Once the congregation is settled into their new facility and not yet too comfortable,
church participants, focused on the grace and generosity of God, plan to continue to
explore community needs in faith and hope knowing that the God who called them into
being has not and will not abandon them. Thoughts are already bubbling up about a
possible ministry with OSU faculty and staff.
The congregation, focused on the grace and generosity of God, continues to explore
community needs in faith and hope knowing that the God who called them into being
has not and will not abandon them.
FUTURE STORY #2: Redefining the Mission
Indianola Presbyterian Church had been keenly aware of its long and persistent decline in
membership and average worship attendance and the resulting threat to its mission and
ministry. In 2015, it participated in the New Beginnings program hoping to find some
solutions. As it opened itself to some difficult realities, it also experienced a
45
breakthrough of God’s grace and realized that it was not all up to them. This is God’s
church and just as God had plans for the church in the past, God has plans for the church
now. With a renewed focus on discerning God’s plans for the future of the congregation,
the church took on a different attitude and it was evident in worship, in prayer, and in
fellowship. A vision for a renewed and redeveloped church began to emerge.
This vision was rooted in the DNA of the church; it was at its very founding some 100
years ago a missional church called to make disciples and meet the intellectual as well as
spiritual needs of the university community around it. In an atmosphere of freedom
and love, the congregation began to ask questions. What was it that God was calling the
congregation to be and do at this moment in time? It left no stone unturned and
questioned every aspect of its ministry: time, talent, facility, finances, missional focus,
and its engagement in the community.
Now it is 2020 and, feeling called to respond to a lack of spiritual community expressed
by some of the thousands of faculty and staff at OSU, Indianola has developed a ministry
with faculty and staff. It was tough going at first because even church participants who
were either faculty or staff didn’t quite know where to begin. The congregation,
however, did know that their deep commitment to “Inquiry, Prayer and Action” was
common ground with the university community -- especially the inquiry part.
So they began slowly. They asked questions. They observed patterns of behavior. They
listened to concerns and frustrations. What they came up with was a specialized form of
small group ministry. Lunch hours are brief but a good fit for staff as they could drop in
during a two-hour period as their schedules permitted. The first group was hosted by
two staff members from Indianola. Before you knew it, this loosely formed small group
of staff was inquiring about each other’s concerns, praying about them and taking
action on a shared concern that involved advocating for a change in university policy.
When they heard about the ministry, the ”unchurched” parents of two children who
attend the Indianola Children’s Center wanted to start a group on campus and sought
guidance from church participants. Some groups are primarily faculty or staff and some
have been formed to bring faculty and staff together intentionally. Some graduate
students and teaching assistants in Arts and Humanities are intrigued. Each small group
is evolving as God leads their inquiry, prayer and action. Programs for the wider
university community have grown out of the concerns expressed in small groups and
some have been endorsed, publicized and occasionally funded by the University.
It’s only been five years and some fruits of its ministry are already apparent within the
congregation. This ministry has not only energized church participants, but it has also
reawakened and rekindled a need for spiritual grounding as the congregation reaches
out to a university community in need. As a result, both worship and educational
opportunities have become more intentionally focused on spiritual formation. Probably
not coincidentally, these activities have become more joy-filled and more deeply
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satisfying. Continual brushes with the Spirit -- even in unexpected places -- have
nurtured and strengthened the congregation for all of their ministry.
Almost the entire small group ministry is happening away from the church building
except for periodic gatherings of small group leaders. Nagging thoughts about the church
facilities keep on resurfacing. The majestic sanctuary, the beautifully renovated
Fellowship Hall and the other church facilities are much too large and, therefore, terribly
underutilized. The space for the Indianola Children’s Center is not easily accessible within
the building and especially not handicapped accessible. It’s not configured well for
current preschool and childcare needs. All in all the church facilities are outsized and illsuited for current needs. Inquiring minds are trying to think outside the box on this one.
The congregation, focused on the grace and generosity of God, continues to explore
community needs in faith and hope knowing that the God who called them into being
has not and will not abandon them.
FUTURE STORY #3: Doing Nothing Different
Indianola Presbyterian Church had been keenly aware of its long and persistent decline
in membership and average worship attendance and the resulting threat to its mission
and ministry. In 2015 it participated in the New Beginnings program hoping to find
some solutions. Following the six weeks of home group meetings involving members
and other active participants in the life of the congregation, there was some sense of
renewal but it felt like it was an uphill battle and there was a sense of fear about the
possibility of change. Immobilized by fear, the congregation subsequently decided to do
nothing different than what they were currently doing.
Now in 2020 the congregation remains the imposing stone church at the intersection of
Waldeck and Iuka Avenues in a neighborhood populated almost entirely by OSU
students. Worship attendance has continued to decrease as more and more older
participants pass and fewer new participants are welcomed into the fellowship. The
monthly Taizé worship has recently been discontinued. Thanks in particular to income
from the rental of parking spaces, finances remain more or less adequate to pay staff
and to maintain the building which continues to be used by the Indianola Children’s
Center and OSU-related programs like Conversational ESL and AAUW. Every once in a
while a participant wonders what might have been if the congregation had risen to the
New Beginnings challenge back in 2015.
-Regardless of the ministry option selected by the congregation, the Office of Church
Growth and your presbytery have resources to help you move ahead with your New
Beginning!
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A FINAL WORD
On a personal note, I am very grateful for the time I spent at Indianola Presbyterian Church.
It was wonderful to be in the OSU area of Columbus and learn about your local history and
culture. Thank you for your openness and hospitality to a Wolverine as well as your faithful
decision to allow a candid observation of the life of your church.
I am especially grateful for the assistance of the pastor, Teaching Elder the Rev. Dr. Skip
Jackson, and Ruling Elder Ed Kinschner who led a review of the facilities from the sanctuary
to the restrooms and electrical panels providing helpful information along the way, for the
church treasurer, Ruling Elder Peter Maurath, who provided information and data and
graciously answered question after question after question about the church’s finances, for
Skip Jackson again who took me on a whirlwind tour of the community, for Ruling Elder Jim
Legg, the Clerk of Session who visited with me for dinner along with the pastor, Skip Jackson
who also communicated with me prior to the assessment and handed off various
responsibilities to the leadership of the church in preparation for the assessment.
It was a blessing to meet those of you who came to the Appreciative Inquiry and offered
your heartfelt responses to the questions posed.
It is clear that the members of this church have been faithful disciples proclaiming the love
and justice of Jesus Christ for over 100 years with a passion for mission. The Session’s
decision to enter into the New Beginnings process is a demonstration of the Session’s
commitment to asking the hard questions about the ministry of the church while embracing
the call of God on the congregation. It will not be an easy process, but it can be a rewarding
process as the congregation listens together for God’s call.
It is my hope that this assessment will be of assistance to you as you consider the current
reality of your total ministry. I pray that it will spark conversation and prayer by the
congregation. May you be lifted up by an awareness of all the faithful and beautiful things
that are in your history and the powerful legacy that has brought you this far. I trust fully
that the same God who has led you in the past will be with you and guide you as you live
into the future.
Grace and peace,
The Rev. Dr. Cheryl Ann Elfond
Contract Assessor
Office of Church Transformation Services
Presbyterian Mission Agency
Phone: (319) 610-6478
E-MAIL: [email protected]
cc: Rev. Dr. Jeannie C. Harsh, Transitional Executive Presbyter, Scioto Valley Presbytery
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APPENDIX A: APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY SESSION
Indianola Presbyterian Church
Columbus, Ohio
February 12, 2015
Attending: The Rev. Tracy Keenan, representative from the Presbytery of Scioto Valley,
who facilitated the session; 41 church participants; the Rev. Dr. Skip Jackson, the pastor
who attended as an observer and the Rev. Dr. Cheryl Ann Elfond, the assessor who took
notes.
1. Think back on your entire experience at this church and name a time when you felt
the most engaged, alive and motivated. [Who was involved? What did you do? How
did it feel]?
• My very first day at this church; it was just before Ash Wednesday and I
walked into this church and they were coming down marching in playing,
“When the Saints go Marching In”
• We had a summer program called the playdate and that got me involved;
elementary school
• Midnight breakfast; it worked;
• Starting the preschool back up
• Revitalization campaign; both of them
• The campus student ministry; we had had our ups and downs but I think it is
very important
• Planning for the midnight breakfast
• When I was in the youth group
• Any time I have gone out and done things like crop walk; out in the
community
• Planning and going on the first of the youth mission trips; youth advisor
• When I was teaching middle school Sunday School class; we had an overnight
to prepare a puppet show; we did it all in a few hours and were exhausted
and performed it at second Sunday dinner
• Singing in the choir when we have done joint things with other choirs; Elijah
• Many years ago my husband and I had a dance party fund raiser for the
preschool; putting it on and having church members come and raising money
• Planning youth and congregational retreats
• Unlearning and relearning my faith in adult Sunday School
• Working with youth program
• Exceptional music program; bell choir, choir and all of it
• Contemporary service ; husband and wife switched roles; they were both
pastors, he played woman and she husband from scripture; a wonderful
switch
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2. When you consider all of your experiences at this church, what has contributed the
most to your spiritual life?
• Skips sermons; that is why I come
• Christ care group
• Christ care group
• Participating in and facilitating adult education
• Second that
• Third that
• Fourth that
• Relationships with people
• Working with the Godly Play Program with the children and being able to
attend the
Godly Play training that the church has supported
• I don’t think there has been a single year that I haven’t been involved in
teaching in some capacity
• Bible study group called Koinonia that used Kerygma curriculum; useful and
good experience
• Another shout out for Skip’s sermons and leadership in Adult Education;
impressed whether it is a small audience in summer; he puts a lot of content
in it
3. Tell about a time when you were most proud of your association with this
congregation.
• Walking in the pride parade
• Ditto
• Bread assembly action meeting
• Hosted medical mission conference
• The work we have done with neighborhood services
• Restarting the day care program and its outreach to the community
• All of the women who have been ordained coming from this congregation
4. What do you think is the single, most important, life-giving characteristic of this
church? When we are at our best, what are we doing?
• Caring for people
• Living out our faith in the community
• Passion for social justice
• Helping people reconnect with their faith in a way they might not be able to
from their former faith tradition
• When people are active in the church and doing something
• The openness to having questions and doubts and being able to express
those
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5. Don’t be humble! The Apostle Paul speaks of spiritual gifts – what gifts do you share
with the congregation (including things like personality, perspectives, skills, character,
etc.)?
• I think I have a personality; beyond that I retired so I can spend a lot of time
here helping out; often I find myself in a particular place with a particular
need that I don’t know about that I can help out with; there is a flow of life
here daily with our children’s center that I can help with; a niche; beyond the
7 year niche
• I am a listener; I am an organized person who cannot stand chaos too well; I
have a real feeling in my gut for teenagers
• My musical gifts in the choir and bell choir; one year teaching multigenerational class and Sunday School
• Ed goes in and I come in (24/7 coverage); I take care of the financials for the
church, preschool and everything else
• I sing too
• Sometimes my gift is asking a difficult question and I don’t always appreciate
that gift either
• Right now, I sing and I take pictures
• For the last 12 months, I have been doing the bulletin and I will say they look
a little better; my calling is the patron saint of bulletins; in the past I have
been engaged with the children’s center when my child was young and I was
on the board; for 3 years I was an advisor for the youth group; now I am the
church secretary
• For 25 years or maybe more, I did the children’s choirs here and I hope I gave
to it but I realized how much I received from working with the children and
following them from kindergarten to high school (someone added, “And your
brownies.”)
• After being on the University faculty, I enjoy students
• Compassion, teaching, listening, singing
• I think I am an organizer and listener
• Being in bell choir, singing in choir, helping out in nursery
• Working with bread organization
6. Now consider any gifts you have that aren’t shared with the church. Are there gifts
-- such as talents you enjoy or skills you are good at – that don’t get shared with the
church because opportunities don’t exist?
• Hiking and camping (there you go)
• I have a very large repertoire of Ole and Sven jokes and I only share them
sparingly
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7. What motivates you to come to worship at this church [relationships, habit, desire
for God, the church needs me, responsibilities]?
• It is fun and you know you are going to learn something
• Good connection in worship with connecting people to God through music
and prayer and sermon and the community of this church; community and
communities that we are a part of
• The music, the sermon, and the Noehren organ
• I grew up here and it is always safe to ask questions and to doubt
• Habit and sense of connection and responsibility
• Growing up here and being a big family
• This is our extended family
• The people
• Good sermon; good class, good music and the relationships with all of the
wonderful people here and that feeling of safety and community that I
experience and spirituality
• Community and reflection and a place that values what I want it to pass on to
my children
• Diversity is very motivating and inspiring
• Raising three kids here and 2 of them have gone on to be active in their new
churches; they got a good foundation
• I feel renewed when I come; spirituality renewed, refreshed and forgiven
• Enjoy being lay reader; reading scripture, invitation to confession and all of
that
• Community, music; something about the community and is not just those
who are physically here; but history; those who have been here before
• In many ways this is a place of hope for me because I see people doing
things that make a difference in the world; people’s life and their service
outside of these walls
• Echo community, sermons, etc. I love the space, the walks, windows, location
and all that stuff
• Echoing what a lot of people have said about a community where it is safe to
question and reflect; in part due to Skip and people who are safe to be with
• Who was a child of this church and grandparents were members; I grew up
here
8. Complete this sentence with one of the two choices (everyone should vote for one
– no “half votes” are allowed!) “Our church is …”
a. Rigid (1) or Flexible (40)
b. Status Quo (16) or Mission-oriented (24)
c. Fearful (17) or
Courageous (24)
d. Thriving (1) or
Getting by (40)
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9. If we define a relational group as a group of people who gather at times other than
on Sunday morning, for the purpose of prayer, study or fellowship on a weekly basis.
Let’s make a list of relational groups in the church.
• Youth fellowship
• Choir
• Vocal choir and bell choir
• Session (every other week)
• English as a second language
• I would say that when we first joined the church; all of our friends came out
of this group and we did meet weekly; we joined in 1972 and it continued
until the last people moved away; that was very special
• We have two AA groups and 1 NA group that meet here weekly
• Salters (every 3 or 4 weeks)
• Women’s ChristCare group (2nd and 4th)
• Taizé (monthly)
• Ukirk (weekly)
• Lunch bunch
• Child care center; a part of our church; they meet everyday
• We used to have day camp every summer; church school; we had kids
coming here every summer
10. What does this congregation do to prepare teachers, elders, and other leaders in
the church?
• We as a nominating committee have a description of what elders and
deacons and others do; if the spirit moves you, you can look me up
• I would blow Kathy Jackson’s horn just a bit; she really prepares her Godly
Play teachers; they do a marvelous job
• Periodically; retreats that are outside this geographical setting; we have gone
and discussed what Indianola means and its life with professional leadership
• This is a combination of history and the building; but Marideen Visscher; her
spirit has worked to get women to be ministers; it is in the DNA
• Helped me nurture a call; never told I was too young
• Congregation always has faith in each other; and here is the call to work and
do good and to live honestly and do the best you can; that belief that we
have in each other is; when I first joined, I was called (don’t know if it is from
having a small congregation – you can do that) the feeling that comes when
we let each other know we can do it; it helps us rise to the occasion
• Don’t know there was formal teaching for being an Elder but people are
willing to help; lots of experience; my dad showed me by living and watched
me do it
• There has been a lot of pairing along the way so if someone was new to a
teaching situation, someone would say I will do it with you for awhile
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•
•
We have orientation for those coming on the board and we do home
communion for those who cannot come to worship and there is training for
that
Godly Play there is training for youth to be involved and support teachers
11. What are the ministry opportunities begging for our attention in this area?
• Hundreds maybe thousands of students hoarded into family housing with
landlords
• One of the largest campuses in the country
• Neighborhood services are local food pantry; the community that it serves
which is right next to us; you have the university and this community next to
us right there
• There are opportunities for us to connect and help folks that may have
grown up in the church and reached some barrier; reach out to folks in
similar circumstances
• The bread organization is working on mental health issues and immigrants
experiencing discrimination from police
• We also have a huge population of faculty and staff who would probably be
copacetic with our theology and our education of children as well; we have
not reached out to them
• I am struggling with how to word it; an alternate to our Sunday worship
service perhaps at different time or day
• The physical trashiness of the neighborhood around us and on any given day
you come here and you see all of this garbage; some way we could be a
beacon of light and show kids to not trash toilets in the street; I grew up here
and it saddens me to see the lack of care for the physical ground around us,
not just the air we breath
• Students who hunger for social justice; we are so passionate about activism;
students want to feel they can change the world but need mechanism to do
it and community to do it with
12. If your church were to close, what would be the one thing people in the
community would miss most?
• The midnight madness breakfast for students that we help to put on at least
once a year; it is a fun thing to do
• Football parking
• The students who are looking for a home like congregation to find a spiritual
home that looks like home, they would miss us
• Children’s center; there are over 100 people impacted by that; one of the
largest
• Just in general an occasional passerby asking a question; general map kind of
help
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
I want to piggy back on the children’s center; it is not just the families; it is a
national embarrassment that is there is not; employees, students who come
here to be mentored and trained; allowing these families to be employed
because it is a good place for their children; I think we have to recognize all
of the layers
All the organizations that are a part of our mission work; neighborhood
services, bread; I am sure many of us would find a way to be part of those
but the collective would be missed
The community of former members that still stay in touch with the church; a
good example we had the Shreffler memorial service and so many people
who had come were former members
Our music ministry; the way the sanctuary fills up and the college students
that participate
Frat house; this would be another lot; one heck of a frat house
The students would miss seeing this place as they walk through the area; a
comfort and beauty and caring I hope
I will have to second that; I went to OSU and I had people ask me do you
know that building that looks like a castle
A place where students can study; we open up the church during final weeks
and we invite the students to come in and study and concentrate; they
would miss Ukirk too
The church owns three houses and if the church were to close; we are
intentional in having them as good stewardship of property and if we closed,
they would not be looked after quite as well;
There a guy several times with a dog and throwing a Frisbee; people love to
do that;
All of the construction workers that are building the dorms across the street
wouldn’t have a place to park
All of the groups that use our church would have to find a new place; AA, NA,
ESL
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The assessment concluded with a brief presentation about a congregation’s lifecycle.
Each participant was invited to mark with an “X” where they thought the congregation
currently existed in the lifecycle. The horizontal line across the page is the line above
which a congregation is sustainable. About 23 participants perceived the congregation
to be in a sustainable place in its lifecycle, while 10 others perceive that the
congregation is no longer sustainable. About 8 participants did not mark their “X” on
the chart. A photo of the lifecycle chart is shown below.
56
APPENDIX B: REDEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
Redevelopment: This option can take numerous forms and hybrids. They include:
relocation, reaching out through a parallel start to a new demographic profile (that matches
the community in which the church resides), a restart, an adoption, or combinations of
these with Mission Redefinition. Redevelopment of the congregation requires drastically
new approaches that enable the church to adapt to a new environment.
Strategy: Relocation: This strategy has the congregation selling or leasing its
current facility and using the assets to relocate to an area in which the
congregation has more affinity. This strategy is effective in “right-sizing” a facility
to the congregation as well as improving affinity with the surrounding community.
Strategy: Redo Your Physical Presence: This strategy has the congregation
remaining in the same neighborhood, but making major changes in its physical
plant in order to better reach the population(s) in that neighborhood. This might
be about ‘right sizing’ the facility, making it more usable and adaptable for current
and future forms of ministry, or making it affordable. It might mean selling the
current facility and investing in a different one nearby. Or it might mean tearing
down all or a major portion of the facility and rebuilding.
Strategy: Restart: This strategy has the congregation closing down for at least one
month, then restarting as a new congregation. It includes sending historical
documents to the Historical Society, ending the charter, dismissing all current
officers, and turning the assets to the region for a restart. Core leaders work with a
new pastor in a “New Church” project.
Strategy: Parallel Start: This strategy has the congregation investing 75% of its
assets into starting a new congregation who will share the facility. The remaining
25% is used to provide ministry for the existing congregation. This ministry provided
for the existing congregation will include weekly worship and pastoral care, but
little else. The new congregation would work quickly to develop a new ministry that
is contextually relevant. At the end of two years, the existing congregation would
have the option to continue as-is for another two-year period, or to close and join
the new congregation. Sometimes this strategy can be combined with relocation,
where both the existing and new congregations are moved to another location
where there is suitable space for both ministries.
Strategy: Adoption: This strategy can only occur when there is a larger
congregation in the same regional location (within 20-30 miles) who is willing to
invest in starting a “satellite” congregation in the location of the New Beginnings
congregation. Essentially, a larger congregation assumes responsibility for the
building and any debt, and sponsors the efforts of a restart.
57
APPENDIX C: MOSAIC HOUSEHOLD TYPE DESCRIPTIONS
The following pages are excerpted from: New Mosaic 2010: Household segments from
Experian.
• The Group and Segment Descriptions are by Experian Marketing Services
• It is published and distributed by MissionInsite.com
58
Mosaic USA
Group O Singles and Starters
Segment O53: Colleges and Cafes
Young singles and recent college graduates living in college communities
Overview
Colleges and Cafes live almost exclusively in university towns, but these residents aren’t all
college alumni who can’t bear to leave their old stomping grounds. A high percentage of these
young singles are support staffers who work on campus or in service-sector jobs close to the
schools. These households tend to be under 35 years old with college degrees; they’re
predominantly white with an above-average presence of Asians. Despite a mixed employment
base, most of the households have low incomes from entry-level professional jobs and servicesector positions, and they can only afford modest rentals in older, low-rise apartment buildings.
The transient nature of campus communities is reflected in the fact that a majority of residents
have been at the same address for fewer than three years. Some stick around for the lively
street scene filled with funky clothing boutiques, raucous pizza joints and used bookstores;
others are considering applying for an advanced degree.
The diverse populace of Colleges and Cafes creates a wide-ranging lifestyle. There are households
that are into foreign films and classical music concerts and those that visit state fairs and go target
shooting. All of these young people are into working out and enjoying weekend games of pickup
football and basketball. Because most of the residents don’t earn much money, it’s not surprising
that more than three-quarters don’t own cars, nor are they big on shopping for designer fashion or
the latest consumer electronics. Many shop at discount clothiers and get by on fast food and
supermarket takeout. With many of these young people lacking advanced cooking skills, they admit
that their favorite cuisine is often whatever’s on the dollar menu at McDonald’s.
When it comes to media, Colleges and Cafes have varied preferences. They listen to a variety of
musical genres, from traditional country and album-oriented rock to hip hop and Christian rock.
They’re often too busy to sit down and watch TV, but they do like keeping up with the latest
entertainment news on E! and watch animation like “Family Guy” and youth-targeted shows like
“Bridezillas”. They like reading magazines, and their favorite publications run the gamut from
Condé Nast Traveler to Guns & Ammo. Somewhat surprisingly, they have only modest use of
digital media. In these downscale households, many can’t afford high-speed Internet access for
their desktop computers. Because so many go online through their cell phones, these Americans
tend to use the Internet as a communications tool - for email or instant messaging friends rather than an entertainment channel for downloading music and gaming. Without cars for
transportation, they say they’re receptive to ads in buses and bus shelters.
For political analysts, Colleges and Cafes are difficult to read. These Americans tend to have
little participation in the electoral process; half have failed to register to vote. They tend to be
liberal in their outlook, though their positions are all over the ideological map. While you’d think
that these young singles would be the foot soldiers of today’s protest marchers, only half would
ever think of joining a demonstration while even fewer would volunteer for a good cause.
Considering their limited budgets, they are unexpectedly generous with charitable donations,
giving money to public broadcasting, environmental groups and social welfare organizations.
Group and Segment Descriptions
Version 1 │2011
Mosaic USA
Demographics and behavior
Who we are
Concentrated in college towns like Berkeley, Calif., Madison, Wis., and Gainesville, Fla., the young
singles in Colleges and Cafes are typically recent alumni or the support staff who work at the schools.
Nearly half are under 35 years old and a high percentage hold either bachelor’s or graduate degrees.
Their relatively high educations translate to a mix of decent-paying jobs in professional or technical
fields or entry-level support positions in the service sector, especially in food services. Predominantly
white with an above-average presence of Asians, eight in ten households contain unmarried singles.
Where we live
Their communities read like a guide to famous college campuses: Clemson, College Station,
New Haven and Tallahassee. These small towns are the homes of Colleges and Cafes, where
recent college grads and support workers live in mostly older, inexpensive rental units in homes
and apartments. Those who have landed decent tech jobs may be able to afford a down
payment on a $200,000 house in neighborhoods where young professors live. However, most of
these alums are content to live alongside service workers with more modest means, pursuing
lifestyles that reflect a mix of educations, attitudes and tastes. In these transient communities half have been at the same address for fewer than three years - nobody expects their futons and
cinder-block-and-board bookcases to remain in the same apartment for too long.
How we live our lives
The young and unattached members of Colleges and Cafes lead diverse lifestyles. There are
those who enjoy culture-rich leisure activities - reading books, watching foreign films, playing a
musical instrument, going to dance performances and attending classical music concerts. There
are also many who visit state fairs, zoos and aquariums. Relatively few belong to health clubs
but many stay fit by playing pickup games of baseball, basketball, football and hockey. Although
they rarely eat at fine dining restaurants, they patronize McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Sonic, Pizza
Hut and Little Caesar’s. Indeed, the pizza that sustained them during their college years
continues to be a major food group for them today.
When it comes to consumerism, these consumers are decidedly indifferent. They say they’re not too
concerned about showing off for the opposite sex. They don’t care about keeping up with the latest
styles or making a fashion statement. They’re content to patronize whatever store is closest, or nearby
discount stores. They go to discounters like Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory and Famous Footwear,
as well as GameStop where they buy toys and games. They say they’re late tech adopters and buy
few digital handheld devices, MP3 players and flat-screen TV sets. They like clearance racks and
enjoy browsing.
Given their very different backgrounds, Colleges and Cafes make a mixed media market. These
music fans are among the top radio listeners and like to listen to stations that play country, easy
listening and adult contemporary music. Their fondness for TV borders on addiction and they
particularly watch cable channels like WGN, ESPN Classic and Disney HD. Although they don’t
really read a daily newspaper, they like subscribing to magazines, and their favorite publications
include Maxim, First for Women, Seventeen and Road & Track. This is one of the few segments
where both the New Yorker and the National Enquirer are read at high rates.
Group and Segment Descriptions
Version 1 │2011
Mosaic USA
How we view the world
Politically, Colleges and Cafes come across as disaffected youth. Only half are even registered
to vote, and about one in seven belong to a fringe political party. They are hardly the party
faithful of Democrats or Republicans, though liberals outnumber conservatives by more than 4 to
1. They’re mostly nonconformists who support progressive social and economic issues and are
apathetic about crime and air pollution. Religion and spiritual issues play only a small role in their
lives. Happy with their current state of affairs, they don’t feel the need to make a difference to
improve society. Despite the activism of many college town residents in the ‘60s, those in the
21st century are mostly complacent: only half are willing to join a protest and only a third are
willing to volunteer for a good cause.
Colleges and Cafes also seem to make little effort about their health. They’re often too busy to
take care of themselves when it comes to diet and medicine. They rely on over-the-counter
treatments for most illnesses rather than visiting a doctor and getting a prescription. They don’t
pay much attention to what they eat - whether it’s high-calorie, coated with sugar or filled with
additives. Their kitchen garbage cans are filled with empty frozen-food containers, week-old
grocery store takeout and the remnants of the most recent pizza delivery. Indeed, they’re nearly
three times as likely as average Americans to proclaim that they prefer fast food to home
cooking.
How we get by
With half the members of Colleges and Cafes earning under $43,000, there’s little money
available for savings or income-producing assets. Compared to the general population, they’re
half as likely to own any investments. Although they own IRAs, they’ve typically accumulated
less than $5,000 in their accounts. Without much of a credit history, some carry no credit cards.
More than half of these footloose Americans have no dealings with a bank whatsoever, though
about a quarter do carry a debit card to access their money at ATMs and pay for the occasional
latte. They don’t often take out loans or buy insurance. Colleges and Cafes say that they’re
financially risk-averse and don’t trust banks or brokerages. On the other hand, they recognize
that this attitude doesn’t seem to be working either: they’re only half as likely as the U.S.
average to say they’re good at managing their money.
Digital behavior
Unlike many segments with relatively young populations, Colleges and Cafes are only moderate
digital fans. Thanks to the high concentration of service workers, many don’t have the time or
money to access the Internet for entertainment. Almost 40 percent still go online using dial-up
access. The highest percentages limit their use of the Internet to communication and
information: sending email and instant messaging, and getting sports scores and entertainment
news from sites like sports.yahoo.com and tmz.com. Some like surfing to lifestyle Websites that
deal with families, and they go to ancestry.com, archives.com and myfamily.com. However, most
aren’t big on social media sites, with only average interest in going to Myspace and even lower
interest in visiting Facebook and YouTube. Still, Colleges and Cafes do appreciate the
convergence of digital media and communications, and nearly half carry cell phones that offer
online access.
Group and Segment Descriptions
Version 1 │2011
Mosaic USA
Group O Singles and Starters
Segment O54: Striving Single Scene
Young, multi-ethnic singles living in Midwest and Southern city centers
Overview
No lifestyle has a higher percentage of singles than Striving Single Scene, a way station for
young city singles before they marry, settle down and have families. Found in big cities
throughout the South and West, these mobile 20-somethings tend to be well educated and
employed in entry-level sales and service-sector jobs. A disproportionate number are Asian or
African-American, and nearly all are renters in older apartment buildings close to the urban
action. Without cars, they’re happy to walk or take public transportation to bars, health clubs,
boutiques and movie theaters.
These young singles lead entertainment-intensive leisure lives. They like to go out at night to
clubs and concerts. They travel to Caribbean beaches, and they make it a habit to visit a new
destination every trip. They like to take adult education courses to make new friends as much as
to improve their skills in painting and photography. They try to look their best by working out
regularly and taking aerobics and yoga classes. In their apartments, they’ll relax with a book,
invite friends over for dinner or listen to pop or rhythm and blues on the radio. Having integrated
the Internet into their lifestyle, they frequently go online to download music, watch videos and
play games.
Most consumers in this segment can’t afford high-end stores, but that doesn’t stop them from
patronizing boutiques like Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch when they’re running sales.
These consumers like to stand out and typically buy the latest fashion in season. Self-described
early adopters, they enjoy trying out the latest health food or smartphone. That doesn’t leave a
lot of money for savings, and these households don’t often acquire investments. Many are more
concerned with paying down their student and car loans than thinking about saving for
retirement.
With their out-and-about lifestyle, Striving Single Scene are only moderate fans of media.
They’ve given up on traditional newspapers and magazines, though they do keep up with current
affairs and pop culture by visiting various news Websites. They put in their ear buds to listen to
radio stations on the way to work, and many support public radio. When they’re not going out at
night, they watch primetime TV shows on cable networks like VH1, TBS, Bravo and Showtime they turn to the Internet to download music, stream videos or keep up their Facebook
conversations with friends.
Striving Single Scene are an ambitious bunch who spend a lot of time at work and want to
advance as quickly as possible. While that doesn’t leave them much free time, they still find
ways to support liberal causes and the Democratic Party. They have solid rates for registering to
vote, and many are willing to volunteer for a good cause or a worthy protest if the issue moves
them.
Group and Segment Descriptions
Version 1 │2011
Mosaic USA
Demographics and behavior
Who we are
With the highest concentration of singles - at 95 percent - Striving Single Scene are young,
unattached Americans living in city apartments. Over 90 percent are younger than 35 years old.
Almost as many are never-married singles without children. There’s a significant concentration of
minorities in this segment, with high rates of Asians and African-Americans. They tend to be
well-educated, with nearly three-quarters having gone to college. As recently minted college
graduates they’ve found entry-level jobs in sales, construction, public administration, health care
and professional services.
Where we live
Striving Single Scene tend to live in transient neighborhoods throughout the South and West.
With their downscale incomes (under $42,000), they can only afford compact apartments in highand low-rise buildings completed between 1960 and 1990. Some 96 percent are renters. Many
of the buildings are dilapidated, and residents don’t particularly want to stay there forever. In
fact, a majority just moved in during the last year, and 80 percent have stayed at the same
address for fewer than three years. Among these diverse households, many know they’re just
passing through on their way to better jobs and bigger apartments.
How we live our lives
The young singles in Striving Single Scene lead carefree lifestyles. Although work takes up a lot
of their time, they’re active in the dating scene and often go out at night to bars, restaurants,
cinemas, dance performances and concerts featuring all kinds of music. They like to travel,
especially by plane or cruise ship to the Bahamas, Jamaica and Mexico. They work out regularly
- jogging, lifting weights, taking aerobics classes and playing tennis. When they finally wind
down in their apartments, they like to read books, listen to music - pop, grunge and rhythm and
blues are all popular - and cook. They also pursue creative hobbies such as painting, playing a
musical instrument and doing photography; many are enrolled in adult education courses to
improve their talents.
Striving Single Scene may have limited budgets, but that hasn’t inhibited their fondness for
shopping. They bypass many of the large discount chains in favor of trendier mall boutiques like
Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor and Banana Republic. These price-sensitive
shoppers are willing to wait for sales before they venture into a mall. They typically use the
Internet to plan a major shopping excursion, but their tendency to buy things at the spur of the
moment can undermine their best-laid plans.
Striving Single Scene appreciate media more for entertainment than for information. They listen
to drive-time radio, particularly stations that play easy listening, Spanish and contemporary
Christian music. They’re a strong market for primetime TV, especially cable networks like MTV,
Bravo, BET, HBO and E!. They’ve pretty much abandoned print media, with few subscribing to
newspapers and magazines. However, these Internet-savvy consumers now get the news and
even some of their favorite TV shows online. These Americans say that the Internet is now their
prime source of entertainment.
Group and Segment Descriptions
Version 1 │2011
Mosaic USA
How we view the world
The young members of Striving Single Scene are ambitious, motivated and bent on personal
achievement. Self-described workaholics, they want their work to be meaningful - not just a job,
but a career. Their big concerns are getting ahead in their careers and achieving financial
security. Many of them are already talking about starting their own businesses. Unafraid of
challenging themselves, they say that they like to pursue novelty and change. Conformity, they
say, makes them uncomfortable.
As the younger residents of city neighborhoods, these Americans are nearly twice as likely as
the general population to describe themselves as “very liberal”. They support liberal ideals and
tolerance in religious matters; most are affiliated with the Democratic Party. Despite their recent
arrival in their neighborhoods, they’re willing to volunteer their time for a good cause and get
involved in the community. They also donate to environmental groups, arts organizations and
public broadcasting. Additionally, they’re more likely than average Americans to join a protest if
they feel strongly about an issue.
Notwithstanding their low incomes, Striving Single Scene tend to be early adopters who crave
status recognition. When they buy a car, they choose it mainly on looks - and they love foreign
cars tricked out with options. They make a point of buying the latest clothing styles with every
new season. They’re generally the first among their friends to check out what’s new and hot whether it’s a new store, diet, restaurant or smartphone.
How we get by
Striving Single Scene are one of the more financially challenged segments. With their incomes
under $42,000 and few income-producing assets, they have few savings or investments other
than savings bonds. Many are still paying off loans for their schooling, cars and personal bills,
and they don’t want to go further into debt. Unless they’re obtaining group life insurance through
their employers, they’d likely to have no insurance whatsoever. Some are trying to save enough
money for a down payment on a house, though paying off their credit card purchases each
month typically takes precedence. In the juggling act between credit and debit cards, they
usually don’t end up with much savings for the future.
Digital behavior
Striving Single Scene are fans of digital media, going online for a variety of purposes: banking,
dating, shopping and looking for jobs and apartments. Among their favorite Websites are
meetup.com, blackplanet.com, sports.yahoo.com and snagajob.com. They use the Internet as a
communication tool for blogging, instant messaging and staying in touch with friends and
relatives through social networks. The Web is also one of their main sources of entertainment:
they download music, watch videos and play games. They access the Internet from anywhere
they can - home, hotels, school and work. They’re also early adopters of mobile Internet
services; they’re more than twice as likely as average Americans to go online using their cell
phones. These cost-conscious consumers even use the Internet for Voice over IP phone
services. They admit that they’re getting less sleep because of their preoccupation with the
online world.
Group and Segment Descriptions
Version 1 │2011
APPENDIX D: EXECUTIVE INSITE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
The following pages constitute the Executive Report received from Mission Insite on the
demographics of the study area used in this report.
The ExecutiveInsite Report
Prepared for:
Study area:
Base State:
Current Year Estimate:
5 Year Projection:
Date:
Semi-Annual Projection:
Evangelism and Church Growth, PCUSA
Indianola Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio
OHIO
2014
2019
2/9/2015
Fall
ExecutiveInsite is intended to give an overview analysis of the defined geographic
study area. A defined study area can be a region, a zip code, a county or some
custom defined geographic area such as a radius or a user defined polygon. The
area of study is displayed in the map below.
This ExecutiveInsite Report has been prepared for Evangelism and Church
Growth, PCUSA. Its purpose is to “tell the demographic story” of the defined
geographic study area. ExecutiveInsite integrates narrative analysis with data
tables and graphs. Playing on the report name, it includes 12 “Insites” into the
study area’s story. It includes both demographic and beliefs and practices data. THE STUDY AREA
T HE 12 I NSITES
I NSITE
More Information
P AGE
Insite #1: Population, Household Trends
2
Insite #2: Racial/Ethnic Trends
3
Insite #3: Age Trends
4
Insite #4: School Aged Children Trends
6
Insite #5: Household Income Trends
7
Insite #6: Households and Children Trends
9
Insite #7: Marital Status Trends
10
Insite #8: Adult Educational Attainment
11
Insite #9: Employment and Occupations
12
Insite #10: Mosaic Household Types
13
Insite #11: Charitable Giving Practices
14
Insite #12: Religious Program Or Ministry Preferences
15
Please refer to the last page of the report for additional notes and interpretation
aides in reading the report.
Not all of the demographic variables available in the MI System are found in this
report. The FullInsite Report will give a more comprehensive view of an area's
demographics. Also, the Impressions Report adds additional social, behavioral views and the
Quad Report provides a detailed view of religious preferences, practices and
beliefs.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 1
INSITE #1: POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD TRENDS
Population:
Households:
The estimated 2014 population within the study area is 80,188. The
2019 projection would see the area grow by 3,093 to a total
population of 83,281. The population within the study area is
growing somewhat faster than the statewide growth rate. While the
study area is projected to grow by 3.9% in the next five years, the
state is projected to remain stable at 0.4%. The study area’s
estimated average change rate is 0.8%.
The households within the community are growing faster than the
population, thus the average population per household in 2010 was
2.46 but by 2019 it is projected to be 2.43. Compare this to the
statewide average which for the current year is estimated at 2.51
persons per household.
Population Per Household
Family Households:
Population per Household: The relationship between population and
households provides a hint about how the community is changing.
When population grows faster than households, it suggests an
increase in the persons per household. This can only happen when
more persons are added either by birth or other process such as
young adults in multiple roommate households or young adults
returning to live with parents. In some communities this can occur
when multiple families live in the same dwelling unit.
Family households provide an additional hint about the changing
dynamics of a community. If family household growth follows
population growth, then it would be reasonable to assume that the
increasing population per household comes from additional children.
This is the case within the the study area. Family households are
growing as fast as the population suggesting that the increasing
population per household is from additional children.
Population/Households & Family Trends
Population
Population Change
Percent Change
Households
Households Change
Percent Change
Population / Households
Population / Households Change
Percent Change
Families
Families Change
Percent Change
2000
74,281
2010
77,564
3,283
4.4%
2014
80,188
2,624
3.4%
2019
83,281
3,093
3.9%
2024
86,857
3,576
4.3%
31,323
31,505
182
0.6%
32,759
1,254
4.0%
34,253
1,494
4.6%
35,976
1,723
5.0%
2.37
2.46
0.09
3.8%
2.45
-0.01
-0.6%
2.43
-0.02
-0.7%
2.41
-0.02
-0.7%
9,883
8,848
-1,035
-10.5%
9,266
418
4.7%
10,098
832
9.0%
Average Annual Percentage Change Between Reported Years
Population, Household & Family Trends
90,000
0.9%
80,000
0.8%
70,000
0.7%
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
0.6%
Households
0.5%
Families*
0.4%
0.3%
20,000
0.2%
10,000
0
Population
0.1%
2000
2010
2014
2019
2024
0.0%
2010
2014
2019
2024
NOTE: Family Household data is not projected out 10 years.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 2
INSITE #2: RACIAL-ETHNIC TRENDS
The Population: Racial/Ethnic Trends table provides the actual
numbers and percentage of the total population for each of the five
racial/ethnic categories. Pay special attention to the final column on
the right. This will quickly indicate the direction of change from the last
census to the current five year projection.
The US population’s racial-ethnic diversity is continually adding new
and rich cultural mixes. This data considers the five groups for
which trending information is available. Please note that several
groups are aggregated into a single category due to their smaller
size. Those persons who indicated Hispanic or Latino ethnicity along
with a racial category have been separated into a Hispanic or Latino
category.
Racial/Ethnicity as Percentage of Pop: 2014
Racial-Ethnic Population Trends
4%
70,000
2% 7%
8%
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
80%
20,000
10,000
0
2010
2014
2019
Asian (NH)
Black/Af Am (NH)
Asian (NH)
Black/Af Am (NH)
White (NH)
Hisp/Latino
White (NH)
Hisp/Latino
P Is/Am In/Oth (NH)
P Is/Am In/Oth (NH)
The Racial Ethnic Trends graph displays history and projected
change by each racial/ethnic group.
This chart shows the percentage of each group for the current year
estimate.
The percentage of the population…
Asian (Non-Hisp) is projected to remain about the same over the next
five years.
Black/African American (Non-Hisp) is projected to remain about the
same over the next five years.
Race and Ethnicity
Asian (NH)
Black/Afr Amer (NH)
White (NH)
Hispanic/Latino
P Is/Am In/Oth (NH)
Totals:
White (Non-Hisp) is projected to remain about the same over the next
five years.
Hispanic or Latino is projected to remain about the same over the next
five years.
2010
2014
2019
2010%
2014 %
2019 %
2010 to 2019 %pt Change
5,312
5,904
61,704
2,806
1,838
77,564
5,349
6,108
63,938
2,893
1,900
80,188
5,476
6,344
66,493
2,997
1,972
83,282
6.85%
7.61%
79.55%
3.62%
2.37%
6.67%
7.62%
79.74%
3.61%
2.37%
6.58%
7.62%
79.84%
3.60%
2.37%
-0.27%
0.01%
0.29%
-0.02%
0.00%
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 3
INSITE #3: AGE TRENDS
A community’s age structure and how it is changing is an important
part of its story. Overall, the American Population has been aging as
the Baby Boomers progress through each phase of life. This has been
abetted by episodes of declining live births. However this picture
may particularize differently from community to community. There
are communities in the US where the average age is lower than some
others. In other cases, there is a clear shift toward senior years as
the Boomers enter their retirement years. The Age Trend Insite explores two variables: Average age and Phase of
Life.
Average Age Trends provides five important snapshots of a
community from five data points; the 2000 census, the last census,
the current year estimate, the five year projection and the ten year
forecast. These five numbers will indicate the aging direction of a
community.
The Phase of Life Trends breaks the population into seven life phases
that the population passes through in its life time.
A GE
Average Age Trends
Average Age: Study Area
Percent Change
Average Age: OH
Percent Change
Comparative Index
Median Age: Study Area
2000
29.41
2010
28.86
-1.9%
2014
29.33
1.6%
2019
29.95
2.1%
2024
30.80
2.8%
36.89
80
38.19
3.5%
76
39.39
3.1%
74
40.24
2.1%
74
40.99
1.9%
75
23
23
21
22
21
Study Area Average Age Trend
Ave. Age Comparison: Study Area to State
50
40
32
30
30
28
20
26
10
24
22
20
2000
0
2000
2010
2014
2019
2010
2014
2019
2024
2024
Study area
Summary of Average Age Findings:
The Average Age Trend chart shows both history and projection of
the change in average age in the study area. The average age of
the study area is stable and relatively unchanging It is projected
to remain relatively the same over the next five years.
OH
A comparison to the average age of the state helps to contextualize
the significance of the average age of the study area and its history
and projection. In the graph above, the study area and state are laid
out side by side. The state's average age is estimated to be higher
than the study area.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 4
INSITE #3: AGE TRENDS (continued)
P HASE OF L IFE
The Phase of Life analysis provides insight into the age distribution
of a population across the different stages of life experience. It can
reveal a community in transition. Phase of Life
Pay special attention to the color codes of the Change column (far right
below). It will immediately indicate which phases are increasing or
decreasing as a percentage of the population.
Estimated 10 Year %pt
Change 2014 - 2024
2010
2014
2019
2024
2010%
2014%
2019%
2024%
Before Formal Schooling
Ages 0 to 4
2,627
4,384
5,617
5,155
3.4%
5.5%
6.7%
5.9%
0.5%
Required Formal Schooling
Ages 5 to 17
3,712
4,810
7,817
11,723
4.8%
6.0%
9.4%
13.5%
7.5%
College/Career Starts
Ages 18 to 24
37,389
35,401
29,658
29,946
48.2%
44.1%
35.6%
34.5%
-9.7%
Singles & Young Families
Ages 25 to 34
15,155
13,503
13,015
4,132
19.5%
16.8%
15.6%
4.8%
-12.1%
Families & Empty Nesters
Ages 35 to 54
11,374
13,506
17,701
25,001
14.7%
16.8%
21.3%
28.8%
11.9%
Enrichment Years Sing/Couples
Ages 55 to 64
4,278
4,693
4,566
4,722
5.5%
5.9%
5.5%
5.4%
-0.4%
Retirement Opportunities
Age 65 and over
3,890
4,908
6,178
3.9%
4.9%
5.9%
7.1%
2.3%
3,029
Phase of Life Changes
15.0%
11.9%
10.0%
7.5%
5.0%
0.0%
0.5%
-0.4%
2.3%
-5.0%
-9.7%
-10.0%
-12.1%
65 & over
55 to 64
35 to 54
25 to 34
18 to 24
5 to 17
0 to 4
-15.0%
Summary of Phase of Life Findings:
Phase of Life changes reflect the age profile of a community. On
average, it takes 2.1 children per woman to replace both mother and
father. If the percentage of the population under 20 is declining as a
percentage of the total it is likely that the community will see an
increase in the more senior aged population possibly due to a
decline in birth rates.
In this study area children 17 years of age and younger are increasing
as a percentage of the total population. Considering the other end of
the phases of life, adults 55 years of age and older are increasing as a
percentage of the total population.
In summary it may be that the community is experiencing some growth
of children of school age.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 5
INSITE #4: SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN TRENDS
Children are the future! Understanding their specific population
dynamics is critical for all planners of social and/or educational
services. The “School Aged Children” variable is a subset of the
“Required Formal Schooling” segment in the Phase of Life profile. It
allows one to zoom in more closely on the children who are of
formal schooling age.
The School Aged Children variable provides a snapshot of three levels
of the population that comprise school age children. The three levels
roughly correspond to the following.
· Elementary grades
· Intermediate/Middle School grades
· High School Grades
The school aged population includes all school aged children
including those enrolled in public and private schools, those home
schooled and children in institutions.
School Aged Children
Estimated 5 Year %pt
Change 2014 - 2019
2010
2014
2019
2010%
2014%
2019%
Early Elementary
Ages 5 to 9
1,629
2,414
4,528
43.9%
50.2%
57.9%
7.7%
Late Elementary-Middle School
Ages 10 to 14
1,246
1,614
2,294
33.6%
33.6%
29.4%
-4.2%
837
782
994
22.5%
16.3%
12.7%
-3.5%
High School
Ages 15 to 17
School Aged Children Trends: By Levels
Comparative Index: Study Area to State by Level
60%
150
50%
100
40%
50
30%
20%
0
10%
-50
0%
Early Elem
Late
Elem/Mid
2014%
-100
High School
Early Elem
Late
Elem/Mid
High School
2014 to 2019 Change
2019%
Summary of School Aged Children Findings:
Early Elementary children ages 5 to 9 are projected to increase as a
percentage of children between 5 and 17 by 7.7%.
High School aged children 15 to 17 are declining as a percentage of
children between 5 and 17 by -3.5%.
Late Elementary to Middle School aged children ages 10 to 14 are
declining as a percentage of children between 5 and 17 by -4.2%.
Overall, children are aging through but there is some evidence of a
resurgence of children in the younger years.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 6
INSITE #5: HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY INCOME TRENDS
A VERAGE H OUSEHOLD I NCOME AND P ER C APITA I NCOME
Average Household Income and Per Capita Income indicate the level
of financial resources within a community. Average Household
income reflects the average income for each household, whether
family or non-family.
Per Capita Income is a measure of the average income of all persons
within a household. For family households, this would include all
children. It does not mean that each person actually contributes to the
average income from work. It is calculated by dividing the aggregate
household income by the population.
In this study area, the estimated current year average household
income is $58,946. The average household income is projected to
grow by 7.7% to $63,501.
The estimated per capita income for the current year is $24,081. The
Per Capita Income is projected to grow by 8.5% to $26,117.
Per Capita Income Trend
Average Household Income Trend
70000
30000
60000
25000
50000
20000
40000
15000
30000
10000
20000
5000
10000
0
0
2010
Income Trends
Households
Less than $10,000
$10,000 to $14,999
$15,000 to $24,999
$25,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $74,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$150,000 to $199,999
$200,000 or more
Totals
2014
2019
2010
6,304
2,654
4,328
3,342
3,661
4,057
2,898
2,860
712
687
31,503
2014
4,281
2,384
3,906
3,620
4,353
5,203
3,212
3,665
1,352
782
32,758
2019
3,977
2,408
3,885
3,679
4,394
5,505
3,545
4,108
1,652
1,090
34,243
2010
2010%
20.0%
8.4%
13.7%
10.6%
11.6%
12.9%
9.2%
9.1%
2.3%
2.2%
2014
2014%
13.1%
7.3%
11.9%
11.1%
13.3%
15.9%
9.8%
11.2%
4.1%
2.4%
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
2019%
11.6%
7.0%
11.3%
10.7%
12.8%
16.1%
10.4%
12.0%
4.8%
3.2%
2019
Estimated 5 Year %pt
Change 2014 - 2019
-1.5%
-0.2%
-0.6%
-0.3%
-0.5%
0.2%
0.5%
0.8%
0.7%
0.8%
Page 7
INSITE #5: HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY INCOME TRENDS (continued)
F AMILY I NCOME
The number of families with annual incomes above $100,000 is
projected to grow over the next five years. For the current year, it is
estimated that 32.1% of all family incomes exceed $100,000 per year.
In five years that number is projected to be 32.7%.
Family income is a sub-set of household income. It excludes nonfamily households. Family households include two or more persons
who are related and living in the same dwelling unit. Children are
more likely to live in family households. Non-family households are
households in which two or more persons live in the same dwelling
unit but are unrelated.
Income Trends
Families
Less than $10,000
$10,000 to $14,999
$15,000 to $24,999
$25,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $74,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$150,000-$199,999
$200,000 or more
Totals
2014
830
360
486
852
656
1,692
1,416
1,759
770
446
9,267
2019
881
438
504
936
691
1,836
1,509
1,960
866
482
10,103
2014%
2019%
9.0%
3.9%
5.2%
9.2%
7.1%
18.3%
15.3%
19.0%
8.3%
4.8%
8.7%
4.3%
5.0%
9.3%
6.8%
18.2%
14.9%
19.4%
8.6%
4.8%
Estimated 5 Year %pt
Change 2014 - 2019
-0.24%
0.45%
-0.26%
0.07%
-0.24%
-0.09%
-0.34%
0.42%
0.26%
-0.04%
MEDIAN INCOME BY RACE AND ETHNICITY
Median income by race and ethnicity is a subset of household
income. Median income is that point where there are as many
households with incomes greater than the median as there are
households with incomes less than the median. Median Income by Race and Ethnicity
Asian Household Income
Black/ African American Household Income
Hispanic/Latino Household Income
White/Anglo Household Income
P Is, Am Indian Other Household Income
2014
25,905
16,777
37,226
47,615
30,124
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 8
INSITE #6: HOUSEHOLDS AND CHILDREN TRENDS
Diversity of child rearing environments is increasing along with the
many other types of growing diversity in the US. To understand this,
we begin with the types of households that exist in a community.
There are…
The concern of this analysis is family households with children under
18. Of the types of family households with children there are…
• family households with children under 18 • family households without children under 18 • Married couple families
• Single parent families (father or mother)
These two are reported for the study area in the table below.
Households
2010
Households with Children under 18
Married Couple
Single Parent
2,181
1,442
2014
2,449
1,329
2019
2,694
1,494
2010%
2014%
60.2%
39.8%
64.8%
35.2%
2019%
64.3%
35.7%
Estimated 5 Year %pt
Change 2014 - 2019
-0.5%
0.5%
Households with Children: Projected Change
Of the households with children under 18, married couple
households are decreasing as a percentage while single parent
households are increasing. The graph to the right illustrates this.
Bars above the 0% point indicate a family type that is increasing
while bars below 0% is decreasing. This provides "insite" into how
family households and structures with children are changing in the
study area.
0.5%
1%
0%
0%
0%
A comparison to the state reveals to what extent this community is
similar or dissimilar to the state as a whole. The study area's
married couple households with children are similar to the state's
profile. The percentage of single parent households with children is
about the same as the state.
Households with Children Under 18
Compared to State
-0%
-0%
-1%
-0.5%
Married Couple
Families
Single Parent
Families
Percentage of Households with Children by
Type
70%
60%
50%
35.2%
40%
30%
64.8%
20%
10%
0%
Family:
Married-couple
2014%
Family:
Single Parent
OH 2014% of Total
Married Couple
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Single Parent
Page 9
INSITE #7: MARITAL STATUS TRENDS
M ARITAL S TATUS BY T YPE
Population by Marital Status considers the number and
percentage of persons 15 years of age and greater by their
current marital status. Both trend information as well as a
comparison to the study area’s state marital status types
provides two different views of this social reality.
2010
Population by Marital Status: Age 15+
Never Married
Married
Divorced
Separated
Widowed
2014
51,194
14,987
3,802
885
1,428
Marital types reported include..
• Never Married (Singles)
• Currently Married
• Divorced
• Separated
• Widowed
2019
52,544
13,760
3,953
440
1,314
2010%
51,570
13,642
4,172
401
1,434
2014%
70.8%
20.7%
5.3%
1.2%
2.0%
In this community, the current year estimate of marital status
reveals a community of adults less likely to be married than the
state average for adults. The percentage single, never married in
the study area is higher than the state average for adults 15 years
and older. Divorce is less prevalent than the state wide average.
2019%
73.0%
19.1%
5.5%
0.6%
1.8%
2010 to 2019 %pt Change
72.4%
19.2%
5.9%
0.6%
2.0%
1.6%
-1.6%
0.6%
-0.7%
0.0%
Marital Status: Comparison to the State
250
200
150
The graph to the right illustrates the
marital status comparison of
the study area to the state . Bars above the 0% point line indicate
a marital status type that is more prevalent than the state average
while bars below the 0% are below the state average. The length
of the bars represent the strength of the difference. They are not
percentages.
100
50
0
-50
Never
Married
Married
Divorced Separated Widowed
M ARITAL S TATUS BY F EMALE AND M ALE
Who is more likely to be unmarried, women or men in this
community? Consider these findings about this study area:
Women 15 years and older are about as likely to be single, never
married as men.
Women 15 years and older are more likely to be divorced than men.
Women 15 years and older are more likely to be widowed than
men.
Single Female and Male Comparison by Type (CY)
100%
80%
Female
60%
Male
40%
20%
0%
Divorced
Never Married
Widowed
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 10
INSITE #8: ADULT EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
The level of educational attainment of a community’s adult
population is an important indicator of its opportunities and
challenges. This analysis will look at the Adult Educational
Attainment from three perspectives
First, it looks to see if the level of educational attainment for adults
is rising or not. Second, it compares the level of attainment to that
of the state of OHIO. (If this is a state report, the comparison will be
to itself.) Finally, the table provides the percentages from 2010.
E DUCATIONAL L EVEL A TTAINMENT C HANGE
Projected Change in Adult Educational
Attainment
0.1%
The educational attainment level of adults has been rising over the
past few years. It is projected to rise over the next five years by
0.1%.
0.0012
0.001
0.0008
0.0%
0.0006
0.0004
0.0002
0
Assoc Degree
or Greater
HS or Less
E DUCATIONAL L EVEL C OMPARED TO THE S TATE
Comparison of Study Area to State
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
2014%
OH 2014%
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
Less than
9th Grade
HS Dipl
or GED
Some HS
2010
Population by Educational Attainment: 25+
Less than 9th Grade 1.6%
Some HS
3.7%
HS Dipl or GED
12.6%
Some College
15.7%
Associate Degree 4.7%
Bachelor's Degree 36.5%
Grad/Profess Deg
25.2%
2014
2.0%
3.9%
11.2%
16.6%
4.8%
36.7%
24.8%
Some
College
2019
2.3%
3.7%
11.2%
16.5%
5.3%
36.7%
24.4%
Associate
Degree
OH 2014%
Bachelor's
Degree
Grad/Profess
Deg
2014 Study Area-State Comp
Index
3.3%
8.5%
34.8%
20.8%
7.7%
15.7%
9.1%
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
The overall educational
attainment of the adults
in this community is
greater than the state.
61
46
32
80
62
233
271
Page 11
INSITE #9: POPULATION BY EMPLOYMENT
First is a report of the employed population 16 and over by the
traditional “blue collar” and “white collar” occupations and compares
these to the state. Second, it looks at the community by the seven
standard census bureau occupations and compares them to the
state.
Like educational attainment, an analysis of a community by its
employment types and categories provides an important “insite”
into its socio-economics. This analysis looks at two factors.
E MPLOYED P OPULATION : B LUE C OLLAR OR W HITE C OLLAR
Comparison of Blue and White Collar
Employment
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Blue Collar
2014%
On the chart to the left, the study area is compared to the state of
OHIO. This study area is well above the state average for White
Collar workers. It is well below the state average for Blue Collar
workers.
White Collar
OH 2014%
E MPLOYED C IVILIAN P OPULATION BY O CCUPATION
2014
Employed Civilian Pop 16+ by Occupation
Bldg Maintenance & Cleaning
Construction
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry
Food Preparation Serving
Healthcare Support
Managerial Executive
Office Admin
Personal Care
Production Transportation
Prof Specialty
Protective
Sales
2.0%
2.7%
0.3%
10.6%
1.6%
13.3%
14.2%
4.5%
5.8%
32.4%
1.2%
11.5%
OH 2014
3.6%
7.6%
0.3%
6.0%
3.0%
13.5%
14.4%
3.1%
15.6%
20.6%
1.9%
10.4%
Comp. Index
54
35
80
176
52
98
99
147
37
158
66
111
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Interpretation
Well below the state average.
Well below the state average.
Well below the state average.
Well above the state average.
Well below the state average.
At about the state average.
At about the state average.
Well above the state average.
Well below the state average.
Well above the state average.
Well below the state average.
Well above the state average.
Page 12
INSITE #10: MOSAIC Segments
Mosaic is a geo-demographic segmentation system developed by
and for marketers. Instead of looking at individual demographic
variables, a segmentation system clusters households into
groups with multiple common characteristics. Demographic
variables that generally cluster together would include income,
educational levels, presence of children and occupations among
others.
2014
2014%
This database is developed by Experian. Some find the information
helpful because it presents a multi-dimensional view of a
community.
In the report below, the top 15 Mosaic Segments of the study area
are provided. (If less than 15, rows will be blank.)
NOTE: For a full description please see the DI Demographic Segment
Guide (Mosaic) under the Help menu on the Documents gallery.
State %
Comp Index
Relative to the OH State Ave.
Mosaic Segments
11,355
34.66%
0.82%
4206
Well above the state average
O54 Singles and Starters - Striving Single
Scene
5,068
15.47%
1.61%
963
Well above the state average
G24 Young, City Solos - Status Seeking Singles
3,933
12.01%
1.15%
1048
Well above the state average
C11 Booming with Confidence - Aging of
Aquarius
1,660
5.07%
3.53%
143
Well above the state average
B09 Flourishing Families - Family Fun-tastic
1,609
4.91%
1.16%
424
Well above the state average
R67 Aspirational Fusion - Hope for Tomorrow
1,276
3.89%
2.63%
148
Well above the state average
G25 Young, City Solos - Urban Edge
928
2.83%
0.14%
1968
Well above the state average
E19 Thriving Boomers - Full Pockets, Empty
Nests
867
2.65%
0.41%
644
Well above the state average
R66 Aspirational Fusion - Dare to Dream
778
2.37%
2.65%
89
Somewhat below the state average
O51 Singles and Starters - Digital Dependents
751
2.29%
3.30%
69
Somewhat below the state average
A04 Power Elite - Picture Perfect Families
663
2.02%
1.43%
142
K40 Significant Singles - Bohemian Groove
617
1.88%
2.42%
78
Somewhat below the state average
A02 Power Elite - Platinum Prosperity
509
1.55%
1.93%
81
Somewhat below the state average
O52 Singles and Starters - Urban Ambition
400
1.22%
3.14%
39
Well below the state average
Q65 Golden Year Guardians - Senior
Discounts
364
1.11%
1.96%
57
Well below the state average
O53 Singles and Starters - Colleges and Cafes
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Well above the state average
Page 13
INSITE #11: CHARITABLE GIVING PRACTICES
Charitable giving practices data provide three perspectives about
giving in the study area. First, they indicate how extensive giving
is within a study area by showing the percentage of households
that are likely to contribute $200 or more dollars per year to
charitable causes.
Second, they project the direction of giving. Giving data is
provided across 10 sectors of charity giving. Each community
has its own distinctive pattern.
Finally, they show how the study area gives across the 10
sectors in comparison to the state of OHIO. An area may
contribute modestly to a charitable sector in terms of actual
projected households but it may be well above the state-wide
average for such giving.
Summary of Charitable Contribution Findings:
Overall, it is estimated that households in this study area are
about the same as the state average in their contributions to
charities.
As the table is studied look at two factors; the number of people or
households and the index. The first will provide a sense of the
number strength in the study area. The second shows how giving to
one of the 10 charitable targets compares to the state. Any “index”
over 100 means the study area gives more to a charitable target
than is true for the state as a whole.
To make the interpretation of this easier, the following table is
sorted by Index. However, be sure to look at the “% of Households”
column. A particular charitable sector may have a low index but
still a larger percentage than some other of the 10 sectors
represented here.
Hholds
Charitable Contributions Last Yr: $200 Or More
Environmental-$200 Or More
Education-$200 Or More
Public Television-$200 Or More
Political Organization-$200 Or More
Health-$200 Or More
Private Foundation-$200 Or More
Other-$200 Or More
Social Services/Welfare-$200 Or More
Public Radio-$200 Or More
Religious-$200 Or More
Interpreting the Table
354
1,683
186
244
1,244
872
1,213
1,407
75
4,730
% of HH
1.1%
5.1%
0.6%
0.7%
3.8%
2.7%
3.7%
4.3%
0.2%
14.4%
Index
Interpretation
149
142
137
133
89
78
77
74
72
64
Well above the state ave.
Well above the state ave.
Well above the state ave.
Well above the state ave.
Somewhat below the state ave.
Somewhat below the state ave.
Somewhat below the state ave.
Somewhat below the state ave.
Somewhat below the state ave.
Somewhat below the state ave.
More specific findings include:
The number of charitable sectors where giving is well above the
state average: 4.
The number of charitable sectors where giving is somewhat below
the state average: 6.
The number of charitable sectors where giving is well below the
state average: 0.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Page 14
INSITE #12: RELIGIOUS PROGRAM OR MINISTRY PREFERENCES
This information is from the recent survey conducted by MissionInsite of US Religious Preferences, Practices and Beliefs called the Quadrennium Project.
While general religious data is available through various organizations, only MissionInsite can provide local geography projections that are current. The
complete survey results are available in the Predesigned Quad Report. The Quadrennium White Paper is available on the web site. Study Area
US Average
Comparative Index
Modestly
Important
Very
Important
34.0%
9.8%
32.6%
9.0%
104
109
Addiction support groups
26.8%
11.4%
26.9%
10.0%
100
114
Health/weight loss programs
37.0%
8.8%
33.9%
9.1%
109
97
Practical training seminars
38.1%
9.4%
37.1%
8.0%
103
117
34.5%
15.4%
35.0%
14.8%
98
104
Daycare/After-School Programs
25.5%
11.3%
24.3%
10.6%
105
106
Crisis support groups
39.7%
14.3%
41.7%
14.3%
95
100
Family oriented activities
38.8%
22.8%
39.5%
24.0%
98
95
Marriage enrichment
32.9%
15.1%
35.3%
13.7%
93
110
Parenting development
29.3%
12.8%
29.6%
11.7%
99
109
Personal/family counseling
40.6%
16.2%
39.6%
14.2%
102
114
46.8%
17.4%
47.7%
16.1%
98
108
Adult social activities
51.0%
17.0%
51.8%
17.0%
98
100
Involvement in social causes
46.7%
16.8%
48.6%
15.5%
96
109
Social justice advocacy work
41.2%
12.4%
39.3%
11.6%
105
107
Opportunities for volunteering in the community
48.5%
23.3%
51.1%
20.4%
95
114
40.6%
15.7%
42.3%
16.6%
96
95
Cultural programs (music, drama, art)
43.8%
13.7%
45.2%
12.8%
97
107
Holiday programs/activities
47.2%
18.0%
49.0%
18.0%
96
100
Seniors/retiree activities
36.4%
14.9%
41.8%
16.7%
87
89
Youth social activities
35.1%
16.4%
33.0%
18.8%
106
87
35.5%
17.5%
34.2%
19.0%
104
92
Alternative spiritual practices (meditation, yoga,
etc.)
31.1%
9.4%
28.2%
8.0%
111
117
Bible or Scripture study/prayer groups
34.3%
18.0%
32.5%
21.6%
105
84
Christian education for children
30.5%
20.7%
27.8%
22.0%
110
94
Contemporary worship services
38.6%
18.3%
40.2%
17.0%
96
108
Spiritual discussion groups
40.2%
13.6%
40.1%
15.0%
100
91
Traditional worship services
38.4%
24.9%
36.8%
30.3%
104
82
Personal Growth
Family Support and Intervention Services
Community Involvement and Advocacy Programs
Community Activities or Cultural Programs
Religious/Spiritual Programs
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
Modestly Very
Important Important
Modestly
Very
Important Important
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Supporting Information
Interpreting the Report
The ExecutiveInsite report is designed for easy
reading. But there are several tools provided in the
tables that make this easier.
Change over time: Several trend tables have a column
indicating a change over time. Generally these tables
begin with the last census, include the current year
estimate, a five year projection and if available, a 10
year forecast. The data in each cell represents a
percentage change up or down.
Color Coding: Both the "Change over Time" and
"Comparative Indexes" columns are color coded to
easily spot any change and the direction of that
change.
Change:
Index: Increasing
Above Ave
Stable
Ave
Indexes: Some variables will have a column called
"Comparative Index." An index is an easy way to
compare a study area with a larger area. For this report,
all comparisons are with the state or states within which
the study area falls. The indexes can be interpreted as
follows.
• Indexes of 100 mean the study area variable is the
same as its base area.
• Indexes greater than 100 mean the study area variable
is above the base area. The higher the number, the
greater it is above the base.
• Indexes less than 100 mean the study area variable is
below the base area. The lower the number, the greater
it is below the base.
Declining
Below Ave.
Variable Definitions
Support
Full variable definitions can be found in the MI
Demographic Reference Guide. Download it free fro
m the Help/Documents menu located on the map
screen of your study area on the MissionInsite
website.
If you need support with this report, please email
MissionInsite at [email protected].
Sources: US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian, DecisionInsite/MissionInsite
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