Scan for Opportunities Based on a Large Geographic Area
Scanning for opportunities in a large geographic area, such as your denominational agency boundary, multiple counties, or a state, helps you understand where ministry needs are present.
Suppose you want to start a Spanish language ministry and plant several churches in South Carolina. You can select Hispanic/Latino as your target people group and use the state of South Carolina as your mission area.
You could also run an opportunity scan to target household incomes, age groups, or a Mosaic household type. Your imagination is your only limit.
- In the User Assistant, under What Would You Like to Do?, click Create Opportunity Scan.
- Select Radius or Polygon I Draw.Typically, this is a radius around your building. You can also scan based on Predefined Boundaries (e.g. Zip Codes, Cities, Counties, etc.).
- Enter an address close to the general area where you want to draw, then click Next .
- Under Report Area Drawing, select to create a Radius or draw a Polygon.
- Enter your radius information or draw your polygon boundaries. When they are correct, click Next.
- Select the variables you want to scan for. For example, you could select Overview, Racial/Ethnic Trends, and Hispanic or Latino.
- Click Next.
- In the Scan By drop-down list, select to scan by Census Blockgroups, Census Tracts, Zipcodes, Counties, States, Elementary School SABS, Middle School SABS, or High School SABS.
- Select the Year to view, then click Next.
- Under Review and Summary, review your Study and Geography Options. To make changes, click Previous. Otherwise, click Finish.