BetterMan
Date:
February 2, 2021
Through curriculum and small groups, BetterMan strives to build a community of men who desire a more fulfilling life through their work, family, friends and relationship with God. BetterMan approached Barna with a request to conduct research that would allow men—both churched and unchurched—to communicate exactly what they need through data, taking the guesswork out of the organization’s strategies for engagement. Through the partnership, BetterMan gained key insights into building a strong 21st-century men’s ministry that could reach their audience—particularly young men—with a transformative, biblical version of masculinity. Barna used online surveys to discover shifts in how men relate to the most important aspects of their lives. To kick off the research portion of the partnership, Barna sent out two online surveys between October 8 to 21, 2019, to a sample 1,593 U.S. adult males (1,000 practicing Christians and 593 from among the general U.S. population). From this study, Barna uncovered undeniable shifts—generationally and otherwise—in how men relate to their families, careers, friendships and mental and spiritual health. This data led to the publication of a data-driven guidebook titled Five Essentials to Engage Today’s Men. The journal-style report offers men’s ministry leaders insightful findings to help them guide men into conversations about their purpose. What BetterMan discovered in the data both internally confirmed their mission and externally strengthened their outreach. Upon sharing Barna’s findings with their audience in June 2020, BetterMan saw an exponential increase in website views, especially among new visitors to the site. Signups for their virtual, small and large groups also drastically increased following the report’s launch in June. Findings from the study also offered BetterMan a tangible way share their organization’s success in meeting the needs defined by their mission with existing stakeholders. As BetterMan has grown and expanded into new markets, they have continued to integrate the data and insights found through their partnership with Barna. Some of these integrations include the launch of a five-part podcast series based on the themes from the published report, adapting their curriculum to incorporate research findings and sharing new data from the study on their social media platforms. Tom Wilson, Chief Executive Officer for BetterMan, shares his gratitude for the ways that Barna’s research has helped the organization “stay ahead of the curve” as they move into an ever-changing future. “The amount of money we spent with Barna has come back a hundred-fold—not just in terms of money, but in credibility.” “Everything we’ve done [following the study] has been tied to Barna and those statistics. … [The data] helps when we’re planning our social media content; it improves engagement and continues to prove the validity of what we’re doing.”
The Project
Our Research
Engagement
Tom Wilson
Chief Executive Officer at BetterMan
Amanda Gilpin
Marketing & Communications Director at BetterMan
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