The Church Planting Index (CP Index) is Streetlight Brief's proprietary tool for assessing a community's readiness for a new church. It combines demographic, economic, health, and religious data into a single, actionable score. This guide explains what it measures and how to use it.
What Is the CP Index? The CP Index is a composite score from 0 to 100 that indicates how favorable a county's conditions are for church planting. A score of 80+ means excellent planting conditions. A score below 40 suggests significant barriers.
The index considers multiple dimensions: - Population growth — Is the community growing or shrinking? - Religious adherence — What percentage of the population is affiliated with a religious body? - Congregation density — How many churches already exist relative to population? - Economic vitality — Is the local economy growing or struggling? - Health needs — Does the community have unmet needs that a church could address? - Demographic trends — Are age and diversity patterns favorable for new ministry?
Each dimension is weighted, normalized against state and national averages, and combined into the final score.
Understanding the Grades The CP Index assigns letter grades based on score ranges: - A (80-100): Excellent — Strong growth signals, underserved population, high planting potential - B (65-79): Good — Favorable conditions with some considerations - C (50-64): Moderate — Mixed signals; plant with careful strategy - D (35-49): Challenging — Significant barriers; consider alternative approaches - F (0-34): Difficult — Major structural or demographic challenges
How to Use the CP Index
For Church Planters If you're considering planting a church, the CP Index should be one of your first stops. Enter the ZIP codes you're considering and compare scores. A high CP Index doesn't guarantee success — but it tells you the soil conditions before you plant.
Look beyond the overall score to the component breakdown. A county might score well overall but have a low economic vitality score, meaning you should plan for a longer financial runway. Or it might have high population growth but also high congregation density, meaning you need a clear differentiation strategy.
For Existing Churches The CP Index isn't just for church planting. Existing churches can use it to understand their community context: - A high score with a declining church suggests your church isn't keeping pace with community opportunity - A low score with a growing church suggests God is doing something remarkable against the odds - Changes in the score over time reveal whether your community is becoming more or less receptive
For Denominational Leaders Denomination and network leaders can use the CP Index to allocate planting resources strategically. Instead of guessing where churches are needed, data directs investment toward communities with the highest readiness scores and greatest unmet needs.
For Mission Committees Churches with mission budgets can use the CP Index to identify domestic planting opportunities. If your church supports church planting, the CP Index provides objective criteria for evaluating potential partnerships.
Real-World Application: Maury County, TN Maury County scored 72/100 on the CP Index — placing it in the top 15% nationally. Here's what the data showed:
- Population growth: +3.2% (well above national average) - Religious adherence rate: Below state average (room for growth) - Congregation density: Moderate (not saturated) - Economic indicators: Strong median income with affordable housing - Health indicators: Elevated depression rate (24.1%) — a clear ministry need
A church plant launched in this community exceeded benchmarks by 40% in its first six months. The CP Index didn't cause that success — but it gave the planting team confidence and strategic direction.
Limitations and Cautions The CP Index is a tool, not an oracle. It cannot measure: - Spiritual receptivity — Only God knows when a heart is ready - Leadership quality — A great planter can succeed in a low-score area; a poor planter can fail in a high-score area - Local relationships — A church with deep community ties may thrive where data suggests challenge - Unique calling — God sometimes calls churches to difficult places
Use the CP Index as one input in your decision-making, not the only input. Combine it with prayer, counsel, boots-on-the-ground assessment, and spiritual discernment.
Accessing the CP Index The CP Index is included in every Streetlight Brief Local and State briefing. You can also see it in action on our showcase pages for Tennessee and Spring Hill, TN (37174).
To see your county's CP Index score, use our free Community Snapshot tool by entering your ZIP code.
The Bigger Picture The CP Index reflects our core conviction: church planting decisions should be informed by data. Not driven by data alone, but informed by it. When we combine rigorous analysis with spiritual discernment, we make better decisions for God's Kingdom.
Every community deserves a healthy church. The CP Index helps ensure that planting resources go where they're most likely to bear fruit.