Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
SEGMENT D16: SETTLED IN SUBURBIA
Mission Impact…Focusing your heartburst for the people around you
Mission Impact Guide, V 2.0
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Upper middle-class diverse family unites and empty
nesters living in established suburbs
Resource: Mosaic by Experian
General Spiritual Insight:
Settled in Suburbia is part of the Lifestyle Group D (Suburban Style). Please refer to the
description of Group D for the larger context of this segment's potential relationship with the
church.
Religious Perspective:
"Generally Speaking, God Is Often Among Our Higher Priorities"
Key Behaviors:
Over-Programmed, Self-Motivated, and Undecided
Strong Impressions:
Inclination & Attitudes:
Spontaneous, Sociable
D16-page 1
Mood & Values:
High Drive for Affluence, High Entertainment Activities
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Mission Impact Guide V2.0 © MissionInsite, LLC
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Comments:
People in this lifestyle segment deliberately live close enough to the culture of
the city to enjoy it, but far enough from the mayhem of the city to escape. They
strive to live a balanced life. Similar intentions explain their behavior with the
church. They tend to participate in the church just enough to take advantage of
its fellowship, reassurance, and hope ... but distance themselves enough from
the church to escape excessive demands or extreme views. When they discuss
their commitment to faith, they often segment their #1 priority between God,
family, and personal development.
These people tend to be middle of the road on political and social issues and
moderate in their enthusiasm about religion. They are only modest risk-takers
in Christian mission and insist on manageable debt. They are average
philanthropic givers, and divide their financial contributions between church
and other community groups (especially charities related to veterans,
education, and health).
D16-page 21
People in this segment shun small churches. If the church in which they
participate drops below 100 in worship, they are apt to transfer membership to
a larger (sometimes mega-sized) church. They do not like to stand out in a
crowd or be in positions of highly visible leadership. They prefer churches with
a strong sense of tradition, which are about 10-20 years behind the cutting
edge of technology and educational methodology. They are not particularly
interested in novelty for its own sake. They appreciate creativity, but do not
want it to be too stressful to experience or too hard to accomplish. Favorite
things about church include friends and fellowship, quite times, and beautiful
surroundings. They can be strong members of a management board, but tend
to depend on professional staff to do ministries.
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Mission Impact Guide V2.0 © MissionInsite, LLC
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Relevant Ministry Choices:
Leadership
Hospitality
Enabler, CEO
The Basics, Multiple Choices
People who are Settled in Suburbia tend to be
dependent on professional staff. They expect the
pastor to live up to professional standards of
communication and counseling. The peers of the
pastor tend to be social service and health care
professionals, rather than business or political
leaders. They prefer a pastor who builds
consensus, rather than a pastor who makes top
down decisions. The pastor should be able to
preach well, manage committees, counsel adults
through the stages of life, and visit in times of
personal or family emergency. These people
often refer to a pastor from their childhood as a
paradigm.
Settled in Suburbia has a high priority for
family, and love to connect with a close circle
of friends. They do not need paved parking
lots, but want to be greeted with warmth and
sincerity at the door. Provide a larger narthex
(or vestibule) space for pre-worship
conversations, but refreshments are not
necessary. Once they enter the sanctuary, they
do not require escorts to be seated and usually
talk in whispers to respect the meditations of
other participants. Always provide quiet,
clearly Christian, background music as people
gather.
The pastor should be seminary trained and
denominationally certified. The pastor is often a
generalist when it comes to programming, partly
because people in this lifestyle segment like to
economize on salaried staff. If a second minister
is added, this person is also a generalist or
"associate pastor", rather than a specialist. The
pastor needs to be a team player, and leads more
by influence and relationships than by
institutional authority. If the pastor is a priest, he
or she is expected to have expertise in liturgy and
history, but still be approachable and readily
available.
Refreshments do not need to be fancy, but
there should be choices for flavoured coffees,
herbal teas, and fruit juices ... plus several
choices of dessert food purchased in bulk from
a supermarket. Make sure it is reasonably
fresh. Provide enough serving stations so that
there are shorter lines. Serve in a wide, multipurpose space with few chairs and lots of room
for circles of standing friends. Allow easy
access in and out of the kitchen, since people
will spontaneously help refill coffee urns and
return dishes. Support recycling.
Leadership
The pastor is clearly pastoral. Even in a large
church, the pastor maintains excellent,
friendly relationships, and models a relaxed,
balanced lifestyle. The pastor should be able
to "fit in" and be unpretentious, sincere, and
relatively non-controversial; but also clear
about faith. The pastor should be dedicated
to ministry and confident about God's
presence and purpose.
Hospitality
Compelling Issues:
People are likely to linger in conversation after
church ... but tend to ignore newcomers.
Provide trained greeters after worship that
will mingle, welcome, and introduce
newcomers to others.
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D16-page 3
Compelling Issues:
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Relevant Ministry Choices:
Worship
The quest for a balanced life means that people
in this segment may not worship every week.
Even the most committed tend to worship only 23 times per month, and are often away for
Christmas (visiting children and their families),
and for winter or summer holidays. Church
membership is often automatic, but worship
attendance is often a weekly decision that weighs
multiple options for family commitments and
personal enjoyment.
If and when they attend worship, they prefer
worship to be predictable, with few surprises;
and traditional, with a strong continuity with
their personal church history. That history may be
denominational, but it is interpreted through
their personal experiences. People within the
same denomination may have strong
disagreements about what "tradition" looks like.
These are well educated people, but their B.A.'s
and advanced degrees may be in specialized
technical subjects rather than liberal arts. Do not
assume too much theological, historical, or
literary knowledge. Preaching may be formal or
informal preaching or coaching, but should make
very simple and clear points that are delivered
within 20 minutes. They often prefer worship to
follow the Christian Year and a common
lectionary, and may integrate Christian education
and private devotion with the texts and focus of
weekly worship.
Music is important. Many volunteer for choirs
and bands, and the quality is expected to be
relatively high. People in this segment usually
prefer a blend of the not-too-old (i.e. 18th-19th
century) and the not-too-contemporary (i.e. easy
listening praise music, smooth jazz, folk, or light
rock). People appreciate sound teaching that is
applied to daily life and global experience, but
are more likely to quarrel over music.
Curricular, Biblical or Topical,
Generational
There are several reasons people in this segment
often prefer structured, written curricula for
Christian education (despite the fact that they are
only selective readers and increasingly
comfortable with the internet). These people
tend to be "late adopters" when it comes to
educational methodologies, and their technical
training makes them used to manuals and linear
thinking. Curriculum based education is more
predictable and controllable, and provides
discussion guides and time to think.
People are balancing their lives, so Sunday school
attendance may be sporadic. Plan to develop
lessons in short term or seasonal themes. These
themes are often Biblical, and may be tied to the
lectionary and Christian Year. They may
occasionally be topical, and usually related to
Christian history, or issues of health and the
environment. They tend to avoid controversial
topics (e.g. sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, etc.)
Worship
Compelling Issues:
Eucharist and other sacraments can be very
important. For long time members, this
provides continuity with past and present
faith communities. For newcomers
(especially those who are leaving bitter
experiences of church controversy or
extreme behavior), Eucharist provides a
calming center of faith that is not driven by
personalities and social policy debates.
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D16-page 4
Educational or Coaching, Inspirational
Education
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Relevant Ministry Choices:
Education
Compelling Issues:
Laughter is an important component to Christian education. Even when studying serious topics,
inject a certain amount of humour, irony, or "just plain fun" to keep stress low and life on an even
keel.
Small Group
The small group is one of the most effective
ways to both connect with and mature people
since the people in this lifestyle segment tend
to be very sociable. Their busy schedules make
the flexibility of midweek groups attractive.
Groups can be organized for men, women, or
couples; with single or multiple generations.
Unlike their Sports Utility Families D15
counterparts in Group D, these people do not
appreciate innovation. Groups tend to be more
highly structured around a curriculum, which
often has a strong Biblical reference. A
workbook often provides a lesson, and then a
structured exercise to repeat the points of the
lesson.
People in this segment don't like to stand out
or claim to have special expertise about faith or
Christian living. They hesitate to take part in
rotated leadership, and prefer that one
designated leader guide discussion. They want
to have special training to do this well, and
they expect to receive 24/7 coaching from
professional staff to help them resolve
personality conflicts and other problems. They
also prefer to lead and participate in short term
or seasonal groups, although they may return
to the same group over and over again. They
like to build close circles of friends, and groups
may stay together for a long period of time.
For Themselves: Quality of Life
For Others: Survival and Health
People in this lifestyle segment want to live a
balanced life. They are not going to make
radical sacrifices for the sake of mission,
although they will readily donate to, or
participate in, mission as part of a holistically
healthy lifestyle. They respond well to any
outreach ministry that helps them improve
quality of life. This may include fitness and diet
classes, efforts to build understanding between
races or cultures, better understanding of
world religions, and environmental causes.
Meanwhile, these people often have a big
heart for anyone, anywhere, who is struggling
to survive. They are strong supporters of
"depot" ministries that collect food, clothing,
used furniture and kitchen utensils for
distribution. They contribute money and time
to support health clinics, vaccination programs,
blood donations, and any supplemental caregiving program for people who are elderly or
disabled.
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D16-page 5
Designated Leaders, Curriculum
Outreach
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 © MissionInsite, LLC
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Relevant Ministry Choices:
Small Group
Outreach
Compelling Issues:
Compelling Issues:
In hard economic times, young adults have
been forced to return home as they labor in
low-paying jobs or look for work. There is
increasing need for generation gap
ministries, and for mental health ministries.
D16-page 6
These people are not workaholics.
Therefore, small groups should not demand
much preparation between sessions, and
leaders should plan to recap past
discussions and introduce new material at
each session.
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Mission Impact Guide V2.0 © MissionInsite, LLC
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Relevant Institutional Strategies:
Property and Technology
Ecclesiastical, Christendom, Modern
Settled in Suburbia like continuity and are
cautious about change. They tend to prefer
church buildings with traditional ecclesiastical
architecture. The basic elements of "church"
often include a steeple, gothic arches, stained
or colored glass, pews, pulpits and altars,
candles, and printed materials (even if they are
rarely used). The education wings, however,
are very utilitarian. They preserve the church
growth strategies of the 1950's and 60's that
built simple structures on a low budget. The
walls are often painted concrete block, and
equipped with stackable chairs and tables,
whiteboards, and plywood cupboards.
Technology in the sanctuary tends to be
upgraded first. People in this segment prioritize
quality sound systems, but are increasingly
including video systems. Electrical supplies are
being improved to support amplified musical
instruments, although an organ or piano
remain the primary instruments of worship.
Computers in the offices are often dated, and
use software with older editions of common
programs. Generally speaking, this lifestyle
segment is more concerned that technology is
"good enough" rather than "top of the line".
Stewardship/Financial Management
Unified Budgets, Informed Philanthropy or
Lifestyle Coaching
When people in this segment join a church,
they tend to be brand loyal to the tradition in
which they were raised. If they transfer their
membership due to some dissatisfaction with a
previous church, they tend to be doubly
enthusiastic about their adopted church home.
Either way, people tend to trust the church
institution. They pledge to support a unified
budget, and trust the leaders to disperse
money as they see fit.
However, these people are careful about
money. They dislike high debts, and prefer to
build large capital reserves. They scrutinize
budgets line by line, and do not want to waste
money on salaries and benefits or unnecessary
maintenance costs. Most prefer a stewardship
campaign that provides lots of financial details,
but they need a clear vision or purpose with
which to evaluate the alignment of expenses to
mission. A home visit may not be necessary.
Some prefer additional lifestyle coaching
opportunities in the stewardship campaign.
Consider guest speakers related to mission,
seminars about Christian financial
management, and resources about
philanthropic giving.
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D16-page 7
Christendom symbols dominate the interior
and exterior of the building. Most of these
symbols are easily recognized as clearly
Christian, but some are ancient symbols for
which the meaning may be obscure.
Architecture is itself a symbol, and symbols are
often permanently fixed. Even banners remain
in place for a considerable time, and seasonal
banners are carefully stored for reuse.
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 © MissionInsite, LLC
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Relevant Institutional Strategies:
Property and Technology
Stewardship/Financial Mgmt.
Compelling Issues:
Compelling Issues:
If the church prioritizes the regular
celebration of Eucharist, the sanctuary
design still tends to be presentational
(rectangular and parallel seating).
Contemporary sanctuaries "in the round",
or "open concept" sanctuaries are less
common because they are too innovative.
People in this segment like to keep their
financial giving very confidential. On the
other hand, they want leaders to set an
example or establish a benchmark against
which they can compare their own giving.
Provide an average giving standard for
leaders that can guide membership giving.
Communication
Print, Radio, Internet
People in this lifestyle segment read newspapers and spreadsheets. Newsletters should be available
in both print and digital versions, but avoid chatter, unnecessary acknowledgements, promotional
ads for giving, and trivia. Concentrate on mission stories, calendar of upcoming events, fund raising
progress, and strategic planning.
When it comes to commentary, these people are more likely to read a blog. They can then offer a
response and learn through dialogue. Websites should be interactive and updated weekly with fresh
images and stories. Make it easy to navigate, and develop a library of resources that can be
downloaded for Bible study and private devotions. Classes and small groups should maintain their
own pages to recap conversations and provide exercises for those people who missed a session.
Communication
Compelling Issues:
D16-page 8
These car-dependent commuters listen to radio. Try to extend the budget to advertise special
events on news/talk stations, or stations that broadcast easy listening and classic rock music.
Download resources for your mission field through www.missioninsite.com.
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 © MissionInsite, LLC
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 by Thomas G. Bandy
Group D, “Suburban Style”
Resources:
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D11-page 9
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Download MissionInsite’s Impressions Report for your mission field through
http://www.MissionInsite.com (Predefined Reports)
Really Relevant (and) Always Faithful: How Churches and Ministries Target Mission in an
Explosion of Diversity by Thomas G. Bandy (Available through Amazon)
Download the MOSAIC Guide from Experian
Explore the Interactive MOSAIC Guide from Experian
Download resources for your mission field through www.missioninsite.com.
Mission Impact Guide V2.0 © MissionInsite, LLC