Keywords
evangelism, outreach, National Association of Free Will Baptists, psychographics, market segmentation
Abstract
For decades, marketers have used demographics and psychographics to engage different segments of the population. Psychographics refers to the study of people’s activities, interests, opinions, values, attitudes, and lifestyles to better understand and predict behavior beyond what can be learned from demographic characteristics alone (Demby, 1974; Wells & Tigert, 1971). This paper examines whether these strategies can be effectively adapted to advance the Great Commission. The practices of the early church, particularly those of the Apostle Paul, reflect principles that are consistent with contemporary demographic and psychographic analysis. In this paper, the process of using an approach to help churches reach their particular communities with the gospel, which can be replicated, is described and evaluated. These churches used a resource developed by Church Answers called Know Your Community, which provides detailed demographic and psychographic data for each church based on drive time from the church. Survey feedback from 28 churches is reported. Further, three case studies are described as examples of how churches may utilize the process.
Recommended Citation
Mooody, E. E. (2026). Using Demographics and Psychographics to Advance the Great Commission: Lessons from the National Association of Free Will Baptists. Great Commission Research Journal, 18(2), 23-37. Retrieved from https://place.asburyseminary.edu/gcrj/vol18/iss2/3
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