Community Survey Questionnaire - Diocese of Lichfield

Community Survey Questionnaire

Guidelines.

Remember, these days people are very suspicious of strangers who come to the door,
thinking they are either Jehovah Witnesses or con men. Therefore it is important to
prepare properly.

1. Decide which houses you are going to visit and choose a manageable number. In
one church we used to do them in blocks of around 100/120 houses at a time.

2. A few days before you visit the street, pop a letter through the door saying
that in the next few days someone from your local parish church will be calling
to ask some questions, as you are concerned about the relevance of the church
and want the opinions of the people who live in the area. State that the person
who calls will be wearing an identity badge and give them a phone number to
ring if they do not want anyone to call. Include the questionnaire and say they
have the option of completing it in advance.

3. Pray together before you go out. Make sure you have all you need:
questionnaires and pen, leaflet about the church, suitable tract for anyone
expressing interest, a gospel.

4. Wear identity badges. These are very easy to make these days so make a good
job of it and make sure it has the Diocesan Logo, is signed by the minister and
that there is a phone number to call.

5. Think carefully about when to visit. It is best to arrange several visiting times
and the first one to be daytime so you are calling on vulnerable people in the
daytime first.

6. Visit in two’s. Ideally a man and woman. Decide who is going to take the lead in
the questions so you do not both speak at once (take it in turns). It is normally
best for one of you to fill in the answers as they speak.

7. Be polite. Smile! Say immediately where you are from and give your names. Ask
if they received the letter you put through the letter box the other day and
if they are willing to answer some questions.

8. If there is a refusal, remain polite, however you feel inside. There may be all
sorts of reason why someone refuses. Sometimes they may ask you to call
another time. Never push it!

9. If you are invited inside, it is best to accept the invitation unless there is
something which concerns you – in which case go with your gut instinct and

decline. Some of the best conversations happen over a cuppa as they have
something to say if they invite you in.

10. Be aware that they might be from a different church but live in your area.
This is not a waste of time. Unity and bridge-building are very important, even
if they never come to your church.

11. If no one is in, put a note through the door saying that someone called and
that you will call again another time (see appendix).

12. Keep accurate records of which houses have been visited and whether there
has been a response. A simple table can help with this (see appendix). Then the
next time you go round (it might be a different team) you know not to call at
certain houses as there has either been a refusal or they have already filled in
the questionnaire. Never visit again where there has been a refusal – it only
causes anger and gives the church a bad name. (People and circumstances do
change and move so a time scale on this is worth thinking about)

13. If people have been out in the daytime you may need an early evening call but
do not call too late as it will scare people.

14. Each time you call, leave the note to say you have been but when you have

decided that you will not be able to call again, leave a note saying that you
have tried but found no one in but if they want you to know their opinions,
please send their responses to __________. (see appendix) One church I
came across left a bookmark and a tract at every house where there was no
response and a gospel and/or tract with every house that answered and
wanted one.

Strategies.

In one church I was in, every few weeks the church took a group of 120-150 homes and
did a week of visiting at the end of which there was a ‘songs of praise’ to which everyone
was invited and the favourite hymns of that group of houses were sung in the service. It
took 6 years to cover the whole parish of 3,500 dwellings.
Other churches use the process to cover a small area as a representative sample before
starting a new service or outreach work.
Another church decided to cover the whole area (approx. 600 homes) and linked it
specifically to the use of the church halls but also a chance to remind the community
that the church was there.
Yet another church is taking a block of houses - about 100 at a time, and working this
patch for a term before moving on to the next batch. They will have the questionnaire

but have activities and groups to which to invite anyone interested e.g. film club, Alpha
etc.

Possible Questions

Keep your questions simple and don’t ask too many. If you have something specific you
are asking about (e.g. use of a church building by the community), don’t make it too
complicated. Here are some general suggestions:
1. How long have you lived in the area?

2. What are best things about this area?

3. What are the main problems facing people in this community?

4. What do you think are the ways in which the church can practically support the
community?

5. What do you think of the church?

6. Have you had any spiritual experiences of any sort?

7. Is there anything you would like us to pray for – for you, your family, or someone you
know? (we’ll be holding a service on ______ where you can come and light a candle or
present a prayer card for the person)

8. What is your favourite hymn/religious song? (we’ll be holding a Songs of Praise on
__________ and be singing the favourite songs chosen)

Possible additional questions or alternatives:.

As a church we are considering putting on various courses for the community. Which of
these, if any, do you think would be useful/relevant?

Parenting course Marriage Course

Drug-proofing your kids

Do you have another suggestion? _____________________________

Do you believe in God? Don’t know
Yes No

Do you have a Bible?

Where is it? (have some to give free – or at least a gospel – with an offer to come
back after they have read it – this can be done also with the Jesus Video)

Who was Jesus? A Fraud The Son of God Other
A Good Man

Some additional ideas and suggestions can be found on the Anglican Church Planting
Initiative web site at;
http://www.acpi.org.uk/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=65

And Remember…

Always bathe the visitation in prayer. Meet as a team to pray before and after. Ask the
whole church to be praying for the streets and let them know the times. Some people
would never go knocking on doors but will gladly meet to pray for you.

Sometimes you will find someone who lives in the street or nearby will offer their home
for a ‘base’ which can be very useful for keeping tracts/handouts, starting with a prayer
and a cuppa, meeting together at the end.

If there are a team of you going out in two’s, then arrange a time to finish and try to
meet up together to debrief and pray. If prayer requests have been received then you
can pray about them. However, it is not easy for all to finish at the same time and it is
more important to pursue that vital conversation rather than excuse yourself to meet

your friends and get a cuppa. BUT if a couple have not returned and you need to go by a
certain time, make sure that’s someone checks later that they are OK.
Accurate record-keeping is essential. If you have met a particular need, make sure it is
followed up otherwise the person will be left hurt and your visiting will have had a
negative effect.
You never know the effect your visit will have. I know people who have come to faith and
gone on to serve the Lord marvellously – and their starting point was someone from the
church knocking on their door!

George Fisher. Lichfield Director of Parish Mission. November 2009.

Appendix:

A note to put through the door when no one is in:

St. Agatha’s on the Wolds
Sorry no one was in when we called today
concerning the church questionnaire.
Someone will call another day.

A note to put through the door after the final attempt and no more calls
are going to be made:

St. Agatha’s on the Wolds
Sorry no one was in when we have called
concerning the church questionnaire. If you wish
your views to be known, please send your
questionnaire and/or prayer requests to
______________________________.
You are always welcome at St A’s on the Wolds.
We have left a leaflet about the church for you.

God bless you.

Street __________________________

Date and initial: Visit 1 ____________ Visit 2 ____________ Visit 3 ___________

House no No reply Not Some Very interested – see over

interested interest