CONFERENCE STUDY
The purpose of the Conference Study is to provide church leaders at the conference level with an understanding of paths that have been taken and what is likely to be in store for its future. The conference projection is based on a sophisticated economic projection model which provides an important view that can help conference leaders perfect strategies for growth and prepare for some of the more difficult challenges that lie ahead.
The Conference Study focuses on a few important metrics: worship attendance, local church spending, elder positions, elders seeking positions, and congregational giving patterns. Worship attendance is selected as the principle measurement of vitality. If worship attendance is increasing, many other good things are happening as well. The presumption is that increases in worship attendance is the desired outcome at all connectional levels.
Why We Do It
The world is missing out on the hope, truth, and power of the Gospel. The local church remains the best vehicle by which its message is spread. The secular press continues to challenge the work of the Church with its predictions of decline and rejection among the younger generations. Instead, the local church can grow and prove its capacity to change lives and communities. Growing Christian churches among our mainline denominations and beyond is a real possibility.
What We Use
- Local Church Geodata
- Local Church Indicators: Worship Attendance and Congregational Giving—past 5 years
- Local Church Spending Patterns—Past 5 years
- Pastoral leadership—Past 10 years
- Establishment of Benchmarks
- Statistical projections—Next 5 years
What We Do
ILCG works side by side with local church leaders to identify internal deficiencies through comparisons with thriving peer group outcomes. Comparisons bring broad solutions that are refined or customized by local church leaders. In the end, the local church becomes more effective in ministry to community and in making disciples of Christ.
How We Do It
ILCG takes a comprehensive approach to measuring and understanding the impacts of the changing composition of churches. Based upon statistical analyses of over 1 million local church records—about 32,000 churches over 28 years — sophisticated simulation models have been developed to scrutinize past experience, clarify present standing and discern the factors that provide the foundation for a vibrant future.
