Rick Warren’s ‘60-Second Survey’
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I’ve said it before … I think Rick Warren is one of the best communicators and marketeers in the evangelical church today.
… I think he’s demonstrated again why this is true.
This week he emailed his congregation — Saddleback – and asked them to do a “60-second survey” of Orange County, Calif.
He’s titled it “The Shape of Orange County Survey” (PDF download here).
In the email to his congregation, Warren said the goal is to survey 20,000 Orange County residents “at work, school, soccer, at the doctor’s office, anywhere!”
The introduction to the survey reads: “In 1980, Saddleback Church was started after surveying the needs of Orange County residents who DID NOT attend any church. Now, 26 years later, we are repeating that same survey.”
Here are the survey questions:
- What do you feel are the greatest spiritual or emotional needs of people in Orange County today?
- Why do you think most people don’t attend church?
- If you had a spiritual question or problem, where would you look for an answer?
- If you were looking for a church family, what would you look for?
Here’s why this is a brilliant idea:
- He’s using marketing research to better understand his community (who has undoubtedly changed from his previous survey 26 years ago that started it all)
- He’s using his people to survey their community — imagine the spiritual conversations they’ll have and the impact
- It’s costing him virtually nothing (although the survey includes a coupon for a free Purpose Driven Life book).
- Their local newspaper is doing a 20-week Sunday series on the church — and as Warren reminds them because of it, “your church is more on the minds of Orange County residents than ever before.
I really love the way the survey is designed. It’s attractive. It includes a map and directions to Saddleback. AND it includes a response mechanism to track its effectiveness — the coupon for the free book!
Oh, and it includes a place for the survey respondent’s zip code. So they know who is saying what and where!
I want to use this tool in my community and context!
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