Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about field guides, ministry intelligence, and how The Hood Shepherd works.
If your question isn’t answered here, reach out directly — we’d rather give you a real answer than a canned one.
These are the questions we hear most often from pastors, ministry leaders, and neighbors using THS tools.
What is The Hood Shepherd?
The Hood Shepherd is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry intelligence organization that builds neighborhood field guides, evangelism training, and outreach tools so churches can know and love real neighbors with Gospel clarity.
How is THS connected to GospelGraph?
The Hood Shepherd is the ministry organization; GospelGraph is the ministry intelligence platform and map product that powers the Gospel Desert Index and tract-level analytics.
Are the field guides free?
Yes. All 30 neighborhood field guides in the Field Guide Library are free with a name, email, and zip code, and the address lookup that matches your block to its guide is free for anyone in the United States. There is no paid tier — The Hood Shepherd is a donor-funded 501(c)(3).
Are field guides just demographics?
No. Demographics describe patterns. Field guides translate those patterns into ministry posture, relational wisdom, and Gospel clarity for a specific neighborhood type.
Is ministry intelligence ethical?
It is ethical when it uses aggregate public data, protects privacy, names its limits, and stays in service to neighbor love rather than manipulation.
Do field guides replace evangelism training?
No. They support training by giving believers a more concrete read of the neighbor and neighborhood before they speak — training still has to happen.
Can a church use these packets for outreach training?
Yes. They are built to support outreach training, ministry preparation, and neighborhood-specific evangelism practice for teams and small groups.
Is Hood Shepherding a book or a tool?
It is both — a developing ministry framework and the theological posture behind every THS tool, plus a forthcoming book by founder Aaron Rosa.
How can I know my neighbors better?
Start by learning the neighborhood’s patterns with a field guide, then verify them through ordinary presence: walking, listening, hospitality, local institutions, and repeated conversations.
How do I get involved or partner with THS?
Reach out through the Contact page or give toward the mission through the Donate page — THS is entirely donor-funded and partners with churches, denominations, and ministry networks.
Same frame, different door in.
These pages share the field guide frame: neighbor knowledge, incarnational ministry, evangelism training, and a practical outreach posture.
Still not sure what this is? The fastest answer is to read the guide for your own street.