South Carolina Baptist Convention officials are urging Baptists to participate in the United States Census because the statistical data gathered will directly impact state ministries.
Phil Charpie, SCBC data processing office director, said census data “forms the basis of demographics that are used to make plans for church growth or community involvement” by describing specific areas surrounding a church.
Charpie said the convention can also provide specific data from Annual Church Profiles (the report of ministry-related data each church is asked to send to the convention each year) to help a church plan in greater detail.
He said participation is critical to the success of any type of census. “The census data is used for all the demographics software commercially available. Thus, the more accurate it is, the more accurate any use made of it will be,” he said.
Daryl Price, director of the SCBC church multiplication group, uses census data as he helps plan for new churches within the state. “Demographics give us information about people, people whom God has us to reach with the grace and the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Price said. “Churches can apply this knowledge to have a more genuine kingdom impact and influence.”
The census form will be delivered to every home beginning in mid-March. Census packages include a questionnaire and a postage-paid return envelope. The questionnaire requests information about those living at the given address as of April 1, 2010. The census will not ask about legal status or for Social Security numbers, and all personal information is kept confidential under federal law. – SCBC