Assessing needs in your community

Our research indicated that only 43% of Franchisees did a community needs assessment before taking on the franchise.

This could be put down to sufficient local knowledge and/or a passion for the ministry of the franchise i.e. if a community needs assessment had shown an alternative pressing need, there might not have been the gifting necessary for that alternative ministry.

So it seems that assessing needs in the community is not mandatory.

However, if you feel that it would help you in your decision making, what questions/process do you use for assessing needs? Please find below collating wisdom from various sources on this. The exercise would seem to be good at engaging church members and helping them focus on their neighbourhoods.

1. Prayer - how is God guiding?
2. What needs do we (church members) see in the area?
3. What social actions are other churches doing?
4. What are the demographics of the area e.g. population, gender, families, schools, single parents, youth, elderly, etc?
5. What do residents see as the main social issues in the community that need addressing?
6. What does local council see as the main social issues in the community that need addressing?
7. What do police see as the main social issues in the community that need addressing?
8. Where are the hotspots? What are the patterns?
9. What resonates with us? Where can we make a difference?

May God guide!