The Gallup Guide: Reality Check for 21st Century Churches

This book is filled with good information about where people are these days. The first chapters are a summary of research done by the famous research company. Did you know that George Gallup is a believer? He also makes religious research a major part of his work. This book will help you learn how to minister to the people in ways you may have never thought about before listening to them. Research is an important way to serve--one of the important needs of people is to be listened to and heard. This book will teach you how to do surveys and questionnaires that will help you in ministry. There are even survey examples with permission to copy them and use them yourself.

The Gallup Guide is informative and gives one all the tools they need to successfully survey the congregation. The chapter on the Lay of the Land is packed full of details about individual spirituality and people's perceptions and needs of the church. The data points that the church of the future will be shaped by the laity taking and increase role in discerning the will of God for the church and their lives. In the chapters that follow all the details to completing and analyzing a survey is concisely laid out in an easy to follow manner. This book even contains ten reproducible surveys. After reading this book I had everything I needed to successfully survey my congregation. In addition it is great to read a book written by Michael Lindsay and George Gallup because they are leaders in their churches and realize that this book is only a tool in discerning God's will for the church. I highly recommend this book to any church leader.

One of the most difficult tasks a minister faces is discerning the true spiritual landscape of the local congregation. However, this exegesis of the congregation is essential if one is committed to moving the church forward in their lives of discipleship. D. Michael Lindsay and George Gallup, Jr. have provided a valuable tool that will eliminate hunches, guesswork, and wishful thinking with solid, objective information. Such information can then, in turn, be utilized to answer such questions as "What are the strengths upon which a church should build? What are the major challenges? What specific steps can be undertaken to deepen the faith of the congregants? Are the people growing in their faith..." (p. 21)For decades, churches serious about accurately understanding the religious beliefs and opinions of its members and surrounding community have utilized Gallup's expertise, and now the valuable survey process is explained in this detailed yet concise book. I highly recommend The Gallup Guide for both churches that are interested in conducting surveys with integrity (several reproducible surveys are included) and for those readers who have always wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the Gallup organization.