The Biblical Basis for Research

Moses prepared the ground for taking many cities.  He had the instructions from God as to the objectives.  His was the human task to flesh out the framework for battle.  He sent advance scouts to spy out the land.  In Numbers 13:26-33 ten spies brought an unfavorable report, interpreting the data without faith, two spoke with faith,  interpreting the data in terms of God's perspectives.  God blesses  the accumulation of accurate data (truth), that relates to his purposes, and interpretations of that data in the light of his nature.  Part of his purposes are that we fully take the land, fully evangelize the world.  

Accurate information is also a foundation for prayer.  In Ezekiel 4:1,2  we find a process of mapping a city for purpose of focusing prayer on that city: 

 Now son of man, take a clay tablet, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.  Then lay siegeworks against it...

Why Research?
Research is not for the sake of amassing data.  Research is about providing the right data to make reasonable decisions.  For evangelism we need to know who?, where?, how? We need to discover the needs of the poor.  For transformation of city structures and culture we need to know  who are the key people?, what are the structural evils and issues? when is appropriate timing for changes?

 It can involve more than this.  Presentation of research on the harvest force (the church) and the harvest field (the language groups [people groups], castes, classes etc.) of the city, is a very powerful tool for  bringing together city leaders :
* all will have a component interest
* Whethere is a non-threatening basis for shared discussion of ongoing strategies
* It focuses peoples thinking beyond present interests to the broader picture

Strategic statistical research should only be used as a supplement.  There should not be too much and it should not be too detailed, or resources will be wasted.

Research Publications
The end result of all this, could be 5 small booklets for a dollar or two a piece. 

1. a church directory

2. a booklet of case studies from church-planters

3. a short history of the city

4. mapping of the churches in the city and the ethnic groups and socio-economic communities, with some analysis as to how this predicts the growth of the church in the city
5. networking diagrams of church networks, social work networks, women's networks, businessmen's networks etc...