The Gallup Guide: Reality Check for 21st Century Churches [Hardcover]

D. Michael Lindsay (Author), George Gallup Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002 | ISBN-10: 0764423975 | ISBN-13: 978-0764423970

What would draw the people of your surrounding community into your church? Want to know about the kind of fund-raising that would work best for your church? How does your church compare to others around the nation? With a number of sample surveys and clear, easy-to-understand instructions on how to conduct quality research, you have all the tools you need to find these answers and more for your church!

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Gallup Guide is comprehensive and compelling—teaching every detail about how to diagnose a church and community. -- Leith Anderson, Wooddale Church

The Gallup Guide makes invaluable survey tools accessible to enable biblically grounded, visionary, congregational leaders to know their audiences. -- Morris H. Chapman, Southern Baptist Convention

The possibilities of research-based (rather than hunch-based) decisions are exciting. -- Max Lucado, Oak Hills Church of Christ

About the Author

George Gallup, Jr. is chairman of the George H. Gallup International Institute, and has directed more than 100 special surveys on religion and spirituality. Mr. Gallup is active in the small groups ministry in his local church.

D. Michael Lindsay is a popular speaker who currently serves as a consultant for religion and culture to the George H. Gallup International Institute. With degrees from Baylor, Princeton Seminary, and Oxford, he is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology as a National Science Foundation graduate fellow at Princeton University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: Group Pub Inc (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764423975
• ISBN-13: 978-0764423970
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,082,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good polling, but didn't suit..., January 26, 2003

By 

Holly H (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Gallup Guide: Reality Check for 21st Century Churches (Hardcover)

I don't know why I was expecting more from this book. It has 10 very good surveys that can be used by the reader to poll inside or outside a church or other faith-based organization. But somehow with all their data, none of them fit what we needed. I got much more out of "Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them" by Thom S. Rainer. It also has several polls in the back, but they are targeted toward what we are trying to do: find out where our congregation is at in their faith journey and where need to grow to reach the unchurched.

This book does shine in the opening and closing chapters on how to conduct a poll and analyze the results. Invaluable information here. If you are planning to poll outside your church or synagogue then there are several surveys that may interest you. If you are preparing for a new pastor, there is an excellent survey to derive the current needs of the church. But overall, this one didn't fit us or the need to pulse our congregation as it is now.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for church leaders considering a survey, July 30, 2002

By 

Rev. James York (Maumee, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gallup Guide: Reality Check for 21st Century Churches (Hardcover)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource, July 15, 2002

By 

Rev. Daniel L. Smoak (Thomasville, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gallup Guide: Reality Check for 21st Century Churches (Hardcover)

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.