Know Your Village
Have you experienced the frustration of trying the latest greatest evangelistic idea?
Maybe you learnt it from a pastor friend. Or an enthusiastic congregation member recommends it from another church. Perhaps you learnt it from a book.
However it comes, the new idea promises much but you try it in your church and it falls flat.
Why?
It’s usually not that the idea in itself is wrong. But it’s wrong for your village.
What’s the point of running a family fun day if your community skews older? Or a student style apologetic talk for a community of young families?
The ideas aren’t the problem. It’s thinking they’ll work everywhere.
Which brings us to the nub of the issue: How do you get to know your village?
That is a life-long project. You are called to be a missiologist for this village. But here are six quick ways to get you started:
1. Live There
We learn the importance of living in a community the hard way. It was a year before we could live in our church’s village. But once we moved we saw the advantages
Living in a community has all kinds of benefits. The primary one was that our family learnt more about our community without trying. It was where we lived. We knew the schools, the clubs, the people. So it was easy to think how our church could serve them.
Many rural churches have Christians driving from a distance. That can lead to a disconnect between the village and the church. Where possible, paid pastors should live in the community. If the cost of this is prohibitive, consider looking at some options to get the pastor living locally. It’s worth the effort.
2. Use Data
When we planted, I did some analysis of our area. This included looking at some census data.
There will be mixed helpfulness here, but it can help identify some trends. For example:
Does your community skew older or younger?
What jobs do most people have?
Is there ethnic diversity?
We identified that our village was split evenly between families with children and the retired. As a result, we targeted evangelistic events at the retired and families with kids.
Of course, there is a limit to what census data reveals. Apparently, our village is 57% Christian, which is demonstrably not true. Still there is value in having a look. You can find UK data here: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea
3. Talk to Local Christians
You can’t replace the knowledge of people who’ve been there for years. Get Christians from the area to share their knowledge.
One warning. Try to get them to speak about real flesh-and-blood people they know. Otherwise, they’ll slip into stereotypes of non-Christians they heard on a podcast somewhere.
“Tell me about your neighbour Frank” will give you a much better picture of the village than “What are non-Christians like here?”
4. Listen to Unbelievers
Francis Schaeffer said:
If I have only an hour with someone, I will spend the first 55 minutes asking questions and finding out what is troubling their heart and mind, and then in the last 5 minutes I will share something of the truth
There is much wisdom to this approach. Learn to listen to people in your village:
What do they value in life?
What are their perceptions of the church?
What are their "defeater beliefs"?
What struggles do they face that the church could support them in?
5. Identify Community Events
Are there any events that matter for your community?
For example, many summer fairs will let you have a stall. We've done activities for children, with a few flyers for information about our holiday clubs. An opportunity like this can be great to meet your community.
It can also be helpful to avoid clashes. For example if the local cubs group meets the same night as your kids group, might it be worthwhile changing the night? Or if the local U3A group meets at the same time as your senior’s lunch you might want to reconsider.
6. Spot Gaps in the Market
Small communities often have gaping holes. Let me give some examples:
Is there a parent and toddler group in your area?
Do retired people have a place to socialise during the week?
Are there holiday clubs for kids?
Is there a community carol concert at Christmas?
You can't do everything but this might help identify opportunities that would work in your village.
Conclusion
A one‑size‑fits‑all approach to evangelism will always disappoint because villages aren’t identical. The good news is that you don’t need the latest trend or the flashiest idea. You need eyes open to your place and hearts tuned to your people.
As you live among them, listen well, pay attention to the rhythms of village life, and notice the gaps no one else is filling, you’ll begin to see opportunities that genuinely fit. Evangelism becomes less about importing strategies and more about loving your neighbours with imagination and patience.
Start small, stay curious, and trust that the Lord delights to work through churches that truly know and serve the communities they’ve been placed in.
Want more help understanding your village?
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