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Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy Group Q, “Reaping Rewards”

Download resources for your mission field through www.missioninsite.com. Mission Impact Guide V2.0 © MissionInsite, LLC

SEGMENT Q63: FOOTLOOSE AND FAMILY FREE

Mission Impact…Focusing your heartburst for the people around you

Mission Impact Guide V 2.0

Group Q, “Golden Year Guardians”

Elderly couples and widowed individuals living active and comfortable lifestyles

Resource: Mosaic by Experian

General Spiritual Insight: Footloose and Family Free is part of the Lifestyle Group Q (Golden Year Guardians). Please refer to the description of Group Q for the larger context of this segment's potential relationship with the church.

Religious Perspective:

"Faith of Our Fathers (and Mothers!), Living Still"

Key Behaviors:

Brand Loyal, Low Risk, Very Friendly, Seniority Matters

Strong Impressions:

Inclination & Attitudes: Dutiful, Simplicity Mood & Values: High Importance of Faith, High Pursuit of Personal Growth (within limitations)

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Comments:

These active seniors have relocated south to places like Florida, Arizona, and the growing satellite towns of Las Vegas. They live in detached homes and condos (some gated communities) with lots of amenities and plenty of room for grandchildren to visit. They generally have positive attitudes and take a lively interest in peoples, cultures, and liberal ideas (that are not too radical). They keep their minds and souls engaged through continuing education, reading, political involvement, and the church. They have grown up in Christendom further north, and keep Christendom alive in the south. They gravitate to larger established churches (evangelical and mainstream) that appear to be successful. Properties are relatively new, refurbished, or expanded; there are usually multiple staff leaders; and there is a good array of programs to interface with their active social lives. These churches often have reputations for acceptance of diversity, high quality music, experienced and educated clergy, and numerous mission projects. They are broadly liberal, but try to separate politics and religion. Their churches have modest membership expectations. These are busy seniors who travel frequently and in style. As long as they attend worship and a small group occasionally, volunteer on committees or mission teams about once a year, and use offering envelopes, they are in good standing. They will say that they put God first in their lives ... right alongside marriage, family, friends, and personal fulfillment time.

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Hospitality Compelling Issues: Greeters should linger a long time after worship in order to say good bye and help people to their vehicles (with the occasional umbrella).

Leadership Compelling Issues: This leader can generate a congregational culture in which there two tiers of membership: a larger participating membership, and a smaller core of much more passionate and disciplined paid and unpaid leaders. This can sometimes lead to friction regarding visioning, major strategic initiatives, and large capital campaigns.

Leadership Hospitality

Multiple Choices, Healthy Choices Church membership is important, but worship attendance may be more sporadic. People in this segment lead busy social lives, travel, and entertain. They may miss Sundays and do not feel guilty about it. Greeters should wear name tags, and be trained give equal time and consistent warm greetings to every person who enters. Churches often have a Welcome Center staffed throughout the morning with lots of information and gifts in different media. Ushers should be extroverted and helpful in little things, as people may enter with temporary or permanent disabilities, or shepherding grandchildren. Most people stay for refreshments and to socialize with friends. They frequently entertain or dine out, and expect high quality cold and hot coffee and tea, and better refreshments from a reputable supermarket rather than a bulk store. They are also quite conscious about diet and nutrition. Provide clearly marked options for sugarless, decaffeinated, lo-cal, and hi-fibre options ... along with food allergy alerts. Servers should be trained to be extra friendly, and be able to guide food choices. The environment should be naturally illuminated, tastefully colorful, with options to stand and sit.

Discipler, CEO The pastor of this church is usually an experienced minister and may have advanced degrees in theology or administration. However, he or she has made some clear choices about their calling. This pastor delegates much of the care giving, counseling, visitation to other staff leaders; and much of the governance and representational duties in the community to board members. He or she concentrates on teaching, training, and mentoring emerging volunteers and is very committed to taking people deeper in spiritual life. The pastor is often quite versatile in playing different roles in different situations. He or she is normally rather laid back and informal, but can participate in very formal occasions easily. He or she is usually self-confident among Christians of different traditions or people of different cultural or economic backgrounds. This pastor is loyal to the denomination, but often tries to avoid denominational committees. This pastor is often passionate about sustainable outreach that combines social justice and evangelism. He or she is an able administrator of programs, but is more interested in team building and lay empowerment. Membership expectations may be modest, but leadership expectations are much higher regarding worship attendance, small group participation, personal spiritual disciplines, and active service. This pastor understands how to acquire, train, evaluate, and (if necessary) dismiss volunteers.

Relevant Ministry Choices:

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Worship

Education

Inspirational, Educational People in this segment value continuity with the past, and traditions are important. The order of worship is often fairly “standard” to a denominational pattern (although perhaps more informal). People like to sense consistencies between the church where they grew up, and the church they now attend. The inspiration of worship is usually provided by high quality choral and/or instrumental music. Some churches rely on classic 19th and early 20th century Christian anthems and organs, pianos, and occasional woodwinds and strings; other churches rely on 70’s folk, jazz, and Christian praise music that is very lyrical and provided by an “easy listening” band. The education of worship is usually provided by the sermon, which often follows an annual lectionary and exposits the meaning of scripture. The pastor often varies his or her delivery according to the season ... sometimes formally attired behind a pulpit, and sometimes informally attired directly before the congregation. If Eucharist is important to their tradition, they tend to prefer an older or more traditional liturgy for which the words are very familiar. They like to take time with Holy Communion, enjoying moments of awesome silence as well as soft meditative music. The Words of Institution have power and the sacrament many shades of meaning. The pastor or priest is usually robed.

Curricular or Experiential, Biblical or Topical, Peer Group People in this segment like to have children around them, and are willing to adapt to more experiential learning models in order to make that happen. The children’s Sunday school will often supplement printed workbooks with many options for crafts, videos, music, puppetry, and other techniques. The curriculum may follow a single theme, rather than the Christian Year, and children may rotate among activity centers. This church usually has sufficient resources to provide concurrent Sunday schools during each service; or strong “children’s church” activities for younger kids during worship, as well as a separate Sunday school before or in between services. If children’s Sunday school tends to be more experiential, the adult Sunday school is often quite traditional. Classes tend to study a book or curriculum, occasionally enhanced by a video. The video, however, is less likely to be dramatic or animated ... and more likely to be a lecture by a well known author, denominational leader, or scholar. Adult classes tend to gather around a highly respected lay teacher. They often reflect the “seniority” of membership in a church. It is often easier for newer members to form a new Sunday school class than be assimilated into an ongoing class.

Education Compelling Issues: Adult classes function like ongoing small groups. They invest a lot of energy socializing and giving mutual support, and may undertake mission projects in behalf of the church.

Worship Compelling Issues: Video technology is often used in worship. Seniors can avoid holding heavy books, look up, and enjoy visual aids that enhance scripture readings and illustrate sermon points.


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Small Group Outreach

Small Group Compelling Issues: Close friendships in the community can sometimes carry a small group out of the direct control of a given church. If the larger harmony of the church is unsettled, some people may drop out of church for a time and participate solely in their small group.

Outreach Compelling Issues: People in this segment like to be well informed, and constantly updated, about the various missions in which their church is engaged. They are so busy that they may be reluctant to serve on non-profit boards, but they support mission education and will donate generously to a good cause.

For Themselves: Interpersonal Relationships, Health For Others: Survival, Quality of Life, Human Destiny The sociable seniors in this segment are generally proud of their church and like to invite their friends. They delight in the reputation of being a friendly and inclusive congregation, and assume that the primary motivation for people to join the church is a desire to belong. They value any program that will initiate and develop strong interpersonal relationships. In addition, members often connect with programs related to health (nutrition, diet, low-impact exercises, alternative medicine, and education about prescription drugs, wellness clinics, and parish nurse programs). They may participate in support groups for people coping with, or recovering from, a disease. People in this segment are strongly motivated to support programs that provide the basic necessities of life to disadvantaged people locally or globally. They may also support programs that protect women and children; improve health (e.g. wellness clinics, vaccination programs, personal hygiene); or education (e.g. tutoring, scholarships for college or seminary students); and raise standards of living (e.g. fund raising for food distribution, fresh water and irrigation, etc.)

Rotated, Affinity or Curriculum Midweek small groups are a valued part of the church program. Groups are primarily about friendships and mutual support, but people in this segment also like to do devotional disciplines together. Unlike adult Sunday school, small group leadership is often rotated among the participants. People often know each other well already, so leadership responsibilities focus on hosting and some coordination. Conversation flows naturally, and groups cope with personality conflicts and disagreements in their own way. Groups often meet in afternoons rather than evenings. Some groups will use a curriculum (Bible study, book review, mission study, etc.) Other groups will center on an affinity that is usually a hobby or craft, common passion for collectibles, or playing card games. Some small groups work on crafts specifically for mission purposes. Occasionally a small group may form around a group trip or cruise. Groups may stay together a long time; other groups are intentionally designed to be short term. Either way, these busy seniors may be absent from a group for some time, but when they return it is with the expectation of warm welcomes and instant acceptance.


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Stewardship/Financial Management

Property and Technology

Unified Budgets, Informed Philanthropy Footloose and Family Free is content and financially secure with investments, pensions, and extra medical insurance. They have disposable income to buy a new car once the warranty expires, travel in style, dine out frequently, and hold season tickets for music and sports. They intend to spend most of their money now when they can enjoy it, and may not try to leave money in wills. Therefore, they are more likely to make significant donations now to capital campaigns, memorial funds, and worthy causes, than leave a bequest to the church after they die. These people trust the church to manage a unified budget, but they do like some options when they pledge (i.e. distinct funds for operations, mission, debt relief, memorials, and perhaps a signature outreach ministry). They will pledge a percentage of their income. Core paid and unpaid leaders often tithe, while others do what they can. They often resist every member visitations in the home, and prefer to attend information meetings about strategic planning and budgeting. They like detailed budgets, and seek detailed information about mission projects of the church. They like quarterly reports, but may not attend an annual meeting to approve a budget unless there is some controversy or major capital campaign looming.

Ecclesiastical, Christendom and Contemporary, Modern or Postmodern Footloose and Family Free generally prefers church architecture to be distinctive, identifying the spirituality and denominational focus of the building from surrounding structures. Architecture does not need to be old fashioned or reproduce 19th century forms, and can be more contemporary with curves instead of sharp corners. Typically there will still be spires, colored or stained glass, and denominational markings on signs and entrances. The sanctuary interior may be more traditional. The pews or cathedral chairs will be padded, and the sanctuary may resemble a concert hall with its stage lighting, broad chancel, and more contemporary altars, pulpits, and fonts. The color tone is usually lighter (not darker), and the interior has been designed with good sight lines and acoustics in mind. Interior and exterior symbols are often a mix of classic Christian crosses and dogmatic images, and contemporary Christian art in stained glass, sculpture, murals, mosaics, and pictures. Furniture in offices and meeting rooms is new, tasteful, business-like, and modern. They see Christendom keeping in step with contemporary art forms and technologies. Sanctuaries have been designed for audio and video, and projection or LCD screens blend in well with the sacred space. The sanctuary will be used for religious concerts and special events, so furniture tends to be movable. The food court often includes LCD screens for announcement and mission updates. The building is often wireless with internet access. Children’s classrooms are activity centers, rather than lecture rooms. Portable carts with monitors and DVD players can be distributed among classrooms.

Relevant Institutional Strategies:

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Stewardship/Financial Mgmt. Compelling Issues: People in this segment may well pre-authorize withdrawals from their bank accounts so that they will not have to remember weekly offerings, and can continue to support the church as they travel. They don’t mind extra fund raising for mission ... but don’t like to raise funds simply to overcome a deficit.

Property and Technology Compelling Issues: Landscaping is often just as important. Lawns and gardens are more elaborate and well maintained. There may be a memorial garden or columbarium in an outdoor courtyard.

Relevant Institutional Strategies:

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Communication Compelling Issues: A constant complaint of people in this segment is that the church does not communicate enough. Make sure you offer regular and redundant updates in multiple media, and that it is easy to talk with knowledgeable secretaries at the church office (and members do not get an answering machine).

Communication

Print, Phone, Internet The socially active people in this segment can be sporadic in church attendance, although they often keep in touch with their small group by phone or internet. When they do gather for worship, they often dislike verbal announcements in worship that tend to interrupt the overall spiritual experience. They may prefer verbal video screen announcements before worship begins. They do like printed announcements inserted in the bulletin, including a monthly calendar of events that they can post at home. Many of the seniors are on line and learning digital communications and social media. Some like printed newsletters mailed to their homes, and others will download newsletters from a church website or as email attachments. Churches should develop high quality websites that are easy to interpret and navigate. Don’t get fancy or worry too much about aesthetics. Make sure the website includes blogs from the staff, chat forums, video and podcast of concerts and worship events, opportunities to post personal and family photos, are a variety of devotional resources for download. Telephone reminders about church activities are welcome, but you may need to leave a message on the answering machine because these people may not be home or may be filtering their calls. Some (especially church leaders) will use Smartphones for instant messaging and email.



Resources:

Download MissionInsite’s Impressions Report for your mission field through http://www.MissionInsite.com (Predefined Reports)

Really Relevant (and) Always Faithful: How Churches and Ministries Target Mission in An Explosion of Diversity by Thomas G. Bandy (Available through Amazon)

Download the MOSAIC Guide from Experian

Explore the Interactive MOSAIC Guide from Experian

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http://www.missioninsite.com/

http://www.missioninsite.com/PDF_Files/Mosaic_Descriptions%20Group-Segments_%20USA%20Final%20Cover%20081312.pdf

http://guides.business-strategies.co.uk/mosaicusa2011/html/visualisation.htm

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