wfn.org | Research reveals church's strengths, but poor name recognition

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

Oct. 31, 2000 News media contact: Linda Green·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{496}

NOTE: For related coverage of the United Methodist Commission on
Communication, see UMNS stories #494 and #495.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The United Methodist Church has attributes that
are appealing to people who are not churchgoers, but the general public
knows little if anything about the denomination beyond its name, new
research shows.

Many of the adults surveyed "have a 'soft' impression or no impression of
the United Methodist Church, beyond name awareness," according to the Barna
Research Group, a Ventura, Calif.,-based firm hired by United Methodist
Communications (UMCom).

The findings were revealed during the Oct. 27-29 organizational meeting of
the United Methodist Commission on Communication, the governing body for
UMCom.

"This is the reason we need a campaign at all levels of the United Methodist
Church," said the Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston, the UMCom staff executive in
charge of a new churchwide media campaign. "Folk drive by our churches all
the time and do not know what it is."

Barna interviewed 432 people around the country Oct. 10-25 to find out what
they look for in a church. Those surveyed were between the ages of 25 and
54. Using the profiles, UMCom will produce television spots and other
materials for the churchwide "Igniting Ministry" campaign, a $20 million
effort to raise public awareness of the denomination.  

"From my knowledge and the knowledge of UMCom, no one had ever done this
type of research before," Horswill-Johnston said.

The survey identifies "unchurched" people as those who have only attended
church for a wedding or funeral in the last six months, or who attend
occasionally but are not committed to a congregation or denomination.  

Participants who were telephoned earn nearly $40,000, which is slightly
higher than the national $38,000 average. In terms of ethnicity, 73 percent
of the respondents were white, 11 percent African American and 10 percent
Hispanic, which corresponds with national norms.

UMCom identified 18 attributes that each United Methodist church shares and
asked whether the participants would likely attend a nearby church if it had
those attributes. The telephone survey was conducted on non-United
Methodists between the ages of 25 and 54 who live within the ZIP code of a
United Methodist church.  

"All of the attributes identified are shared in some way by every United
Methodist congregation," Horswill-Johnston said. Some of those attributes:
thoughtful, caring, outreach oriented, relational, accepting, inclusive,
open-minded, relevant.

At the end of the survey, 35 percent said they would be extremely likely to
attend a church that helps people in the community who are hurting and in
need. 

"This is significant for UMCom because it means subjects that touch on that
issue are fair game to the unchurched mind on who we are," Horswill-Johnston
said. "The finding allows the local church to know that (the) attribute of
helping people in the community attracts members; it brings people into your
church."

A church that accepts everyone because of the belief that God cares for
everyone was appealing to 32 percent of the respondents, and a church that
strengthens families by ministering to children, teens and parents would
make 31 percent extremely likely to attend.

"If a local United Methodist church had these things, the people interviewed
would be extremely likely to attend that church," Horswill-Johnston said. 

Researchers also found that 29 percent of the respondents would likely
attend a church where people care deeply for and support each other, and 25
percent said they would be extremely likely to go to a church that deals
with real-life issues that people like them face.  

The survey also showed the unique attributes of churches - characteristics
that the respondents said did not sound like other churches they had heard
of before.
 
Many of those interviewed said they had never heard of a church that
inspires the heart and stretches the mind, nor of a church that is part of a
worldwide movement that is making a difference in the world. "Most of the
respondents had a hard time picturing a church like that," Horswill-Johnston
said. 

Another unique attribute was inclusiveness of diverse cultural traditions
and ethnic groups.

Messages that address relational aspects of the church and those that focus
on the accepting and inclusive nature of a church were most appealing to the
survey respondents. Researchers said these two dimensions generated strong
interest in at least 25 percent of the respondents and total interest in 7
out of 10 respondents.

Horswill-Johnston said the most interesting aspect of the survey were the
religious and faith values that define Americans.

Research suggested that 2 out of every 5 respondents (40 percent) could be
identified as "seekers," and 53 percent consider themselves "committed
Christians" yet do not attend church.   

Because of the lack of commitment to a particular church, only 12 percent
said that churches exceeded their expectations, and 1 of every 3 (33
percent) said churches have not met their expectations.

The people surveyed were asked about their awareness of the Catholic,
Baptist, Lutheran and United Methodist churches and how they felt about each
one. Eighty-four percent of those interviewed were favorable toward the
United Methodist Church but only 85 percent were aware of the denomination.
In another twist, 97 percent were aware of the Catholic Church but only 64
percent were favorable toward it. The Baptist and Lutheran traditions had 93
percent and 86 percent awareness ratings, respectively, and both drew 78
percent favorable ratings. 

The survey results will be presented at the Nov. 5-10 meeting of the United
Methodist Council of Bishops. The full findings will be posted at
www.ignitingministry.org online by Nov. 15.
 
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United Methodist News Service
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