X Marks the Spot

There are these maps you can order that use various databases to create a neat, color-coded, block by block map of people's Faith in a given area. There is a free sample pack you can get but, if you want the whole set, that costs you. I'm sure there are some special deals you can get, though, if you are ordering them for a church. I guess they use some census data to reflect socio-economic status and independent survey data to reflect Faith involvement and Faith interest from household to household. This is, of course, all based on the head of the household.

Churches looking to increase their numbers in these rough economic times can utilize these maps so that they can plan programs to effectively engage the communities around them. Let's pray to their God-game that some of them are using this information to better serve the poor not by hosting youth lock-ins and spaghetti feeds but by seriously looking at methods to break the cycle of poverty.

This serious investigation into the staggering disparity between Christian-say and Christian-do could lead to a massive reconfiguration of the Church, transforming this group of people into a progressive, healthy movement in a world that has passed the point of dark to become almost farcical. With the largest religious movement in the richest nation in the world reconfigured to do good, suddenly, the world begins to smile.

It's a pretty picture to think about.