Description

In the information age, the use of demographics has be- come an integral part of church ministry. The word liter- ally means, “documenting people.” Demos is an ancient Greek word for people or a segment of the population, and graphos is the Greek word for writing or documentation. Just as the invention of photography and publications like National Geographic helped a generation of North Americans to open its eyes to natural wonders and cultures around the world, so the invention of the computer and demographics have made it possible to see and understand trends and dynamics on a vast scale; the births, lives and deaths of entire populations. Demographics are readily accessible to leaders of congregations through the census web sites of both the United States and Canada. There are also many other sources of demographic data being marketed to business executives, as well as some tailored for nonprofit organizations and Christian ministries. (See “Resources.”)