Community audit in a nutshell

If your church is unsure how to go about a community audit, suggest that they follow this simple process:

1. Speak to at least five people who live in the community served by the church, using the questionnaire on card 20b of Our Church's Future Story. 

These could be people with whom the church already has a connection, such as building users or toddler group parents; local community leaders, such as local councillors or the headteacher of the local school; maybe local business owners or people living close by the church. Have a one-to-one conversation with each person and take them through the questionnaire, noting their responses. Prioritise people who would not describe themselves as Christians. Avoid speaking to several people from the same group, e.g. five toddler group parents. Try to get a range of responses from people in different parts of the community.

2. Gather together members of the congregation who know the community well.

Ideally these would be people who live in the community themselves, rather than people who commute to church from other areas. Produce a 'thick description' of the community, indicating who lives there and how they live. These are some of the questions to consider:

• How many people live in the area served by the church? How densely populated is it?
• What's the age profile of the local community?
• Which ethnic groups are represented and which languages are spoken?
• How do people live? e.g. Are there many one-person households, or do most people live in family groups? 
• What proportion of people live in rented accommodation/in their own properties?
• What does poverty look like? Which groups of people experience marginalisation?
• How do levels of educational attainment compare with the UK average?
• Are there any new housing developments, or planned developments?
• What percentage of the population attend a church? Which other faiths are represented?
• Which local community groups offer practical care and support?

Some of these questions can be answered by people who live in the area and have a feel for it from their own observations. Some can be accessed easily online from the Office for National Statistics. 

Talk with your District Mission Enabler, if you have one, and to the Learning Network, and see what support they may be able to offer your churches.