First Presbyterian CHurch

Research Analysis

Anderson University , BSNS 4110

Table of Contents

Executive Summary1
Introduction.2
Research Methodology3
Analysis of Results...4
Research Limitations...5
Recommendations6
Conclusions...7

Executive Summary
The following research and report was conducted for First Presbyterian Church in
Anderson, Indiana to understand what elements are most important in the decision making
process of young adults when they are choosing a church to attend. The study used an electronic,
anonymous survey sent out among Anderson University ungraduated students with an expected
response of only 100 completed surveys. However, the survey attracted 174 students with an
87% completion rate. Our research has shown us that our original hypotheses were not far off
from the actual results from our surveys conducted. In our research we believe that all of the
research is conclusive and that there are definitely very feasible possibilities for growth. We have
found that overall, modernizing yourself as a church is important. This includes updating
websites and implementing social media into your plan for growth. This also includes creating
modernized messages that will reach out and connect to the younger generations. The results
from the survey show that it is important that people feel very comfortable in a worship
environment. This may include changing the modern service to an earlier time (10:00am) and
having a congregational praise and worship band. Lastly, the churchs involvement in the
community is very important to people who are looking at churches for themselves and their
families so this is definitely a point that needs to be touched on as the First Presbyterian Church
moves forward. These points are all very tangible and realistic as the church begins this next
step in the church journey. We believe that these things will allow aid in the long term goal of
reaching out to the younger generation and creating an environment for them to feel be a part of
your church.

Introduction
The purpose of conducting this study was to better understand young adults between the
ages of 18 and 35. This primary research was aimed at young adults with the intent to understand
what makes them comfortable in a church setting so that they are more likely to return and
become active members within a given church. Using the data from the surveys, First
Presbyterian Church will be able to make the necessary adjustments to their organization in order
to attract and retain their target audience.

The hypotheses that we needed to evaluate were as followed:

The younger audience wants to be reached out to and have the opportunity to engage with

the community.
Social media is has a direct effect on peoples willingness to engage with a church
Music is the most important element when attempting reach out to a younger audience
The younger generations will be more willing to attend a contemporary service if the start

time in later
Congregational praise and worship with a worship band, is the most popular type of music
when attempting to attract a younger audience

Additionally, this study was also aimed at finding out the true values of young adults which in
return, will allow First Presbyterian to enhance the experience of young adults who visit their
church.

Research Methodology
This primary research provides insights and understandings into the elements that attract
young adults to an urban church. The sample size of 153 is relatively small because of the

limited number of samples. The method specifically consisted of sending out electronic,
anonymous surveys to various undergraduate student groups across all majors.
The research was limited to the Anderson University student body which is roughly a
population of 2,000 undergraduate students. Having 153 students who completed the survey, a
total of 7.65% of the student population was represented.
Analysis of Results
The study uncovered important results that gave critical feedback from the minds of
young adults. The study was viewed by 330, started by 174, and completed by 153 students at a
completion rate of 87%.
Hypothesis 1:
The younger audience wants to be reached out to and have the opportunity to engage with the
community.

Hypothesis 2:
Social media is has a direct effect on peoples willingness to engage with a church

Hypothesis 3:
Music is the most important element when attempting reach out to a younger audience

Hypothesis 4:
The younger generations will be more willing to attend a contemporary service if the start time
later

Hypothesis 5:
Congregational praise and worship with a worship band, is the most popular type of music when
attempting to attract a younger audience

Research Limitations
This research was conducted for the purpose of learning as much about young adults and
their church preferences as possible. The data was sent out to Anderson University students with

an expectation of 100 respondents. While this goal was met, this only represents around 7% of
the total AU population. A more accurate reading would need a higher percentage of completed
surveys. Additionally, the questions were primarily categorical, meaning that students had little
input for options that may have not been listed for them to choose. Also, the few open questions
that were listed provided various results that were at times unrelated to others. Finally, the time
restriction of collecting data was somewhat short and could have been longer to attract more
students over time.
Recommendations
1. Update the website and incorporate social media
This is a huge aspect of developing a more modernized and relatable church. People
were very vocal about the importance of the availability of information through social
media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. These different platforms may include
the general information about the church such as location, service times, and contact
information or they could include information about church events and ways to get
involved with the church. These are just subtle ways to begin to become more connected
with the people of your church.
2. Develop an engaging and modernized message
Developing a clear and engaging message will help your connectivity with the younger
demographic that this marketing plan hopes to help you achieve. People who participated
in the survey research were very vocal about wanting a message that could apply in their
lives in a very real way. These messages may come from research done from the church
on the needs and wants from the younger generation. This will definitely help create a
better sense of connectivity in your church as well.
3. Consider having an earlier start time to the contemporary service
Having an earlier service time was surprisingly very popular when the results from the
surveys were returned to us. About 60% of the people from the surveys seem to think

that this will be more beneficial to them. We recommend that the service time be
changed due to this significant statistic.
4. Have a mix of music genres (switch up the band)
Having a mix of genres seemed to be of importance in the survey results. People want
things to seem like they are not always routine but they like the change of pace and that
will keep the church feeling more alive. Switching up the band, we believe will aid you
in creating a fun atmosphere where the atmosphere will offer a variety of possibilities.
5. Family is highly valued in the community- think about having a family night/day
Community events and church events can be a great way to become actively engaged in
the lives of the people in your community. This is something that people who
participated in the surveys made clear that this was an important factor when looking for
the right church for them.
Conclusions
In conclusion, we have found that while community involvement is still important, the modern
application of the message is of utmost importance regarding the potential new visitors loyalty
to the church. Our research has shown us the importance of a clear website and social media that
will allow for information about your church to be accessed easily. We have found that the
majority of people would prefer an earlier time to begin the service. The research shows us that
people prefer congregational praise with a worship band as the style of worship.