South Carolina churches and pastors have a new tool at their fingertips some say could revolutionize the way community outreach is done.
The Mapping Center for Evangelism and Church Growth is computerized mapping software that provides pastors and church leaders the ability to manage outreach projects in their communities on a street-by-street, block-by-block, and even house-by-house level.
The software, provided to the South Carolina Baptist Convention by the North American Mission Board, allows outreach leaders to divide communities into manageable sections and keep track of such information as which homes have been visited, which are currently vacant, and which are yet to be contacted.
According to South Carolina Baptist Convention associate executive director Roger Orman, the new software could prove to be a valuable tool in visitation and prayerwalking, as well as in many other facets of community ministry. “This tool has the potential to change the way we go about reaching people for Jesus Christ in South Carolina,” Orman said.
Using the software, an outreach leader can access a map of a target area and zoom in to the point where even individual homes can be seen. The target area can be divided into smaller areas, which can then be assigned to different outreach teams. Each outreach team leader can access all the information about a specific area of responsibility and can keep track of homes that have been contacted.
Even more information will soon be provided as a part of the Mapping Center software. This summer, the ability to view specific demographic information concerning those who live in the target areas will be made available. Also, within the next couple of months, church leaders will be able to upload the addresses of their church members into the program so that their homes can then be designated on the maps.
Lexington Baptist Association director of missions Johnny Rumbough said he sees “tremendous potential” in the Mapping Center program, especially in the area of prayer ministry. “Imagine being able to know the names of each family and [being able to] pray for them by name as you walk in front of their homes,” he said.
Rumbough said he intends to use the Mapping Center software to allow prayer team members to prayerwalk every church community in the Lexington Association, praying for every family by name.
“When you lay that kind of foundation, you just know you are doing the right thing and that God is going to bless it,” Rumbough said.
Orman said access to the Mapping Center software is currently available at no cost to every South Carolina Baptist church. Those who wish to take advantage of the software should first contact their local associational office. Several associations have already been trained in the use of the software and have the ability to connect pastors and churches with the new resource.
Churches in associations which have yet to receive the training can get started using the program by contacting the SCBC data processing office 800-723-7242, ext. 5400. – SCBC