The Gideons International
The Gideons International is an association of Christian professionals dedicated to telling people about Jesus through associating together for service, sharing personal testimony and distributing Bibles and New Testaments.
Background & Objectives
The 5by5 research team has conducted numerous studies on behalf of The Gideons International.
One study in 2019 was aimed at trying to understand how members could more effectively reach young people in the United States by distributing copies of New Testament Scriptures.
Leaders understood that some of the long-standing approaches were being used with less frequency. They also believed some of these methods were becoming misunderstood and even less well-accepted in the current cultural climate.
Project & Methodology
The 5by5 research team was commissioned to begin with a study of leadership at the local (Gideon camp) level. The specific purpose of the project was to understand the current situation — what camps are doing to reach out to young people. The work was also to identify and quantify some of the concerns with current methods, and to discover some of the ways Gideon local camps were creatively and effectively addressing them.
Results & Outcomes
The research findings validated the changes and shifts the Gideon leadership believed were taking place at the local level. This provided them with a deeper understanding of the current state of affairs.
The findings also identified the primary concerns and challenges camps were facing as they try to fulfill one of their primary organizational ministry objectives.
The results gave visibility to some of the different approaches some local camps are using to adjust to the changes and work around limitations in respectful and effective ways.