Guidance for Sanctuary: How to do a Focus Group
Abigail Browka
Before I launched Everyday Sanctuary in 2021 I called my Mom. “Mom, if I made 4 one-page spiritual practices, would you look at them and tell me what you think?” Then I discovered Ian and Michael (of The Connection UMC) fully online and did the awkward ask, “Would you be willing to Zoom with me about a digital ministry idea I have?” I am so fortunate Ian, Michael and Mom said yes. Without knowing it, they became my first focus group—the hearts, minds, and eyes that helped me discern Everyday Sanctuary in its earliest days. I can’t imagine Everyday Sanctuary becoming what it is without them. Ian still actively writes for Everyday Sanctuary every week!
Most of us in ministry have never done a focus group, but many mission-driven organizations do them all the time. Why? Listening together surfaces things we can’t hear alone—the phrases everyone reaches for, the shared pain points you feel in the room, the moment when four heads nod at once. An hour with five to eight people can save you months of guessing.
What a focus group is
A focus group is a small, guided conversation with the kind of people you hope to serve. It is a chance to hear stories, perceptions, and needs before you commit time and money and energy to an idea. Before I launched Heart & Soul Questions publicly in April 2025 I did a Focus Group.
Here is how I asked my people.
Focus Group Ask
Hey [Name]!
I’d love for you to be part of something special.
I’m hosting some favorite ladies this month for a 20-minute Heart & Soul Questions Focus Group, to share about my new ministry – launching April 1 – and hear your thoughts about concept and logo.
I’m also inviting a small group of women to join a private Instagram Group Chat for the first 30 days—to experience Heart & Soul Questions together.
Heart & Soul Questions: Sparking Connection, One Question at a Time
Heart & Soul Questions offers a simple yet transformative tool: one question a day that sparks connection through conversation. Through your favorite group chat, DMs or in person over coffee, our questions foster meaning and build authentic connection. Our ministry removes the hurdles to meaningful interaction by offering accessible, daily opportunities to be deeply seen and heard.
It’s all about nurturing connection, and I’d love to have you there! Let me know if you are up for joining the 20 minute Focus Group Zoom and/or the private IG Group Chat and I’ll share the details.
In that 20 minute Focus Group, which actually lasted 45 minutes… lol…
It took a circle of real people, reacting in real time, to show me where the energy was—and where the friction was hiding. Their feedback finalized a logo and clarified the words. Then those same women became the earliest community, the ones who tested the everyday experience together in a group chat for a month.
If you’re wondering when to use a focus group, my answer is: earlier than you think. Do it before you launch something new, when engagement has dipped and you’re not sure why, when you’re testing tone or format, or when you sense invisible barriers—time, tech, trust—standing between your people and a practice that could bless them.
This is applicable to digital ministries, but also IRL ministries as well. Imagine bringing a focus group together when worship attendance dips consistently for over a year. Or rather than getting frustrated when no one shows up for your 9 am Lent Bible Study, use a focus group to test what time, format and topic people resonate with most.
When you create a focus group, make sure you’re drawing upon your ideal audience; the people you would most like to do the thing. Choose five to eight people who resemble the audience you hope to serve—different ages, different schedules, different comfort levels with technology. Include one person who isn’t already a fan but is open and kind; fresh eyes see what family overlooks.
What you’ll learn (benefits)
• Clarity on the real problem to solve (what your people need today, not last year).
• Which parts of your idea create energy, and which create friction.
• Practical constraints you can design around (schedule, device, attention span).
• A small circle of early champions who feel seen and want to help you succeed.
Sample Focus Group discussion guide (45–60 minutes)
• Opening: Welcome, purpose, and consent to record.
• Warm-up: Gentle check-ins that everyone can answer in 20–30 seconds.
• Core questions: 2-5 prompts that you want feedback on.
• Show-and-tell: One or two artifacts (a sample practice, a push notification).
• Wrap-up: One small action you’d take based on what you heard; invite last words.
Avoid these common pitfalls
• Treating it like a vote, you’re seeking understanding, not majority rule.
• Recruiting only superfans. Invite some “kind skeptics” who reflect the wider community.
If you’ve been imagining that a focus group is sterile or scripted, let me release you from that. It can be pastoral and human. This isn’t data extraction; it’s communal discernment.
What did all of this give Everyday Sanctuary? Clarity, yes—but also companionship. The earliest groups didn’t just sharpen the language; they became early champions. They shared posts, invited friends, and told me when something felt off before it became a pattern. My Mom still texts me at 6:30 am if one of Everyday Sanctuary’s practices has a typo.
If you’re carrying a new idea and you’re tempted to keep polishing it alone, consider this your nudge to gather a few voices and ask for help. You don’t need perfect questions or a fancy guide. You need a circle, a purpose, and a willingness to listen. Everyday Sanctuary is better because I did—and because a handful of generous people said yes.