Ministry Patterns and Priorities
Ministry Patterns and Priorities
The following chart lists possible areas of outreach ministry that a church could emphasize. Identify how high a priority you think each item is for your church, according to what your church actually does. (If the item goes against your understanding of mission, check "Contrary.")
| Essential | Quite Important | Somewhat Important | Not Really Important | Contrary | |
| 1. Organizing members of the conregation to participate in shoterm mission trips. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2. Helping transform lives through education, support groups, counseling, or spiritual renewal ministries. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 3. Promoting social or political change through community organizing or collective influence. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 4. Modeling an alternative way of life to the surrounding secular culture that attracts people to Jesus. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 5. Promoting community / economic development programs in the church's neighborhood of ministry. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 6. Welcoming people into the church who are diverse in age, situation, ethnicity, and/or income. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 7. Sponsoring social services ministries to provide aid to persons need. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 8. Taking the gospel to non-Christians in the community through organized evangelism program. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 9. Encouraging members to minister to the need of others in the daily lives and charitable giving. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 10. Forming one-on-one mentoring relationships with peple in need of guidance or personal development. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 11. Making the church inviting to people who never attended church or have dropped out of church life. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 12. Cultivating a relationship, as a church, with a church or other group from a different racial background. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 13. Caring for the emergency needs of persons in crisis. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 14. Hosting revivals, Christian concerts, or other special events that invite people to salvation. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 15. Partnering with other local nonprofits, civic groups and churches for the betterment of the neighborhood. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 16. Taking a stand and speaking out on social, political and economic injustices. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 17. Coming together to pray regularly for non-Christians. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 18. Training members to share their faith personally with friends, neighbors and strangers. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 19. Financially supporting mission or aid programs of your denomination or other parachurch agencies. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 20. Incorporating a gospel message into service activities (such as a devotional at a soup kitchen). | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
This tool can be used in two ways: to analyze your church's current ministry priorities and style, or to explore interest in potential new ministry pathways. | |||||
I. Using the tool to assess current ministry. Examine the "flavor" and intensity of your church's outreach in these areas: ministry patterns, involvement in evangelism, and outreach methodology. A. Your church's ministry patterns Six broad ways that holistic ministry can be expressed are described in Churches That Make a Difference, pages 35-44. Churches are likely to combine several patterns; in fact, an exclusive focus on any one theme is not truly holistic. The six patterns are listed below, with corresponding item numbers from the chart. If the combined score for any pattern is 6-8, your church strongly idnetifies with this ministry theme. If the score is 3-5, your church leans toward this pattern, If the score is 0-2, this ministry pattern is not a priority for your church. If you do not score a 5 or higher for at least two ministry patterns, this suggests that your church has not developed a commitment to outreach. | |||||
1. Focus on ministries of personal development.
The church emphasizes transforming society one life at a time, "one by one from the inside out." Ministries help people overcome their internal barriers to wholeness by developing skills, nurturing behavioral change, or offering relational support.
The church emphasizes transforming society one life at a time, "one by one from the inside out." Ministries help people overcome their internal barriers to wholeness by developing skills, nurturing behavioral change, or offering relational support.
#2: + #10: = Total:
2. Focus on ministries of compassion.
The church models God's love by extending compassionate aid. People's immediate needs-financial, physical, relational or emotional-may eclipse their felt need for God. Providing goods or services to meet these needs makes the gospel tangible.
The church models God's love by extending compassionate aid. People's immediate needs-financial, physical, relational or emotional-may eclipse their felt need for God. Providing goods or services to meet these needs makes the gospel tangible.
#7: + #13: = Total:
3. Focus on ministries of reconciliation.
Through the church, God's redemptive power flows to the root of the divisions of race and class in our society, healing scars and creating new patterns. Reconciliation ministries bear fruit in multicultural worship, cross-cultural personal relationships, cross-cultural ministry partnerships, and challenges to entrenched racism in the wider society.
Through the church, God's redemptive power flows to the root of the divisions of race and class in our society, healing scars and creating new patterns. Reconciliation ministries bear fruit in multicultural worship, cross-cultural personal relationships, cross-cultural ministry partnerships, and challenges to entrenched racism in the wider society.
#6: + #12: = Total:
4. Focus on community development.
Social and economic development ministries improve quality of life at the community level, nurturing an environment which affirms human dignity. The church helps to break cycles of dependency by creating opportunities for people to become self-sufficient, offering access to assets such as housing or capital, and renewing institutions such as schools.
Social and economic development ministries improve quality of life at the community level, nurturing an environment which affirms human dignity. The church helps to break cycles of dependency by creating opportunities for people to become self-sufficient, offering access to assets such as housing or capital, and renewing institutions such as schools.
#5: + #15: = Total:
5. Focus on justice ministries.
Through advocacy ministries, churches grapple with cultural or structural evils. Sometimes churches are able to work within channels of official power, sometimes they organize to exert pressure for social change, and sometimes they raise a prophetic voice of protest, witness, or solidarity.
Through advocacy ministries, churches grapple with cultural or structural evils. Sometimes churches are able to work within channels of official power, sometimes they organize to exert pressure for social change, and sometimes they raise a prophetic voice of protest, witness, or solidarity.
#3: + #16: = Total:
6. Focus on reaching skeptics.
With a spirit of Christ-like servanthood, the church challenges the unbelieving community's cynical perception of Christianity and models a meaningful alternative to our materialistic, me-first, anything-goes culture. The church seeks to become a home to spiritual seekers hungry for authentic justice, compassion, integrity, and love.
With a spirit of Christ-like servanthood, the church challenges the unbelieving community's cynical perception of Christianity and models a meaningful alternative to our materialistic, me-first, anything-goes culture. The church seeks to become a home to spiritual seekers hungry for authentic justice, compassion, integrity, and love.
#4: + #11: = Total:
B. Your church's involvement in evangelism
Each of the patterns above can become one-sided if they have no dimension of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. While all of the items in the chart have evangelistic implications, several items relate to overt, explicit evangelism.
A total evangelism score of 19 or higher indicates that your church has a strong commitment to explicit evangelism (at least one evangelism item was considered "essential"). A score of 13-18 suggests that your church has some involvement in evangelism, but it is not a high priority. A score of 7-12 reflects that evangelism is a low priority for the church, and perhaps even meets some resistance. If your score is 6 or below, your church may experience significant obstacles to active evangelism.
Each of the patterns above can become one-sided if they have no dimension of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. While all of the items in the chart have evangelistic implications, several items relate to overt, explicit evangelism.
A total evangelism score of 19 or higher indicates that your church has a strong commitment to explicit evangelism (at least one evangelism item was considered "essential"). A score of 13-18 suggests that your church has some involvement in evangelism, but it is not a high priority. A score of 7-12 reflects that evangelism is a low priority for the church, and perhaps even meets some resistance. If your score is 6 or below, your church may experience significant obstacles to active evangelism.
Each of the patterns above...
#1: + #8: + #14: + #17: + #18: +
#20: = Total:
C. Your church's mission methodology
There are three complementary ways that churches can support outreach mission: 1) by encouraging individual members to care for others and share their faith through their daily lives, in informal, relational ways; 2) by organizing church-sponsored ministry programs; and 3) by taking a collaborative approach, working alongside other organizations to accomplish ministry aims.
A score of 13-16 in any one area indicates that your church is strong in this ministry methodology. If the score is 9-13, your church leans toward this style of ministry. A score of 8 or under suggests that this is not the way your church goes about its ministry.
If your church scores a 9 or above in only one area, this may indicate that your approach to ministry lacks balance. If your score is less than 9 in all three areas, this suggests a weak commitment to outreach overall.
There are three complementary ways that churches can support outreach mission: 1) by encouraging individual members to care for others and share their faith through their daily lives, in informal, relational ways; 2) by organizing church-sponsored ministry programs; and 3) by taking a collaborative approach, working alongside other organizations to accomplish ministry aims.
A score of 13-16 in any one area indicates that your church is strong in this ministry methodology. If the score is 9-13, your church leans toward this style of ministry. A score of 8 or under suggests that this is not the way your church goes about its ministry.
If your church scores a 9 or above in only one area, this may indicate that your approach to ministry lacks balance. If your score is less than 9 in all three areas, this suggests a weak commitment to outreach overall.
1. "Daily Life" ministry.
#4: + #6: + #9: + #18: = Total:
2. Organized ministry.
#2: + #5: + #7: + #8: = Total:
3. Ministry partnerships.
#3: + #12: + #15: + #19: = Total:
II. Using the tool for vision discernment
This tool can also be used to spark ideas for new directions in ministry. Fill out the chart again, but this time, identify how high a priority you think each item should be for your church, rather than what the church now actually does. This new version can be filled out by everyone in the congregation (perhaps as part of a larger survey), or by the group that is charged with the process of vision discernment (e.g., the Ministry Vision Team).
Keep track of everyone's scores. Which three items had the highest scores? These might be avenues of ministry worth exploring. Which three had the lowest scores? These are ministry areas where you are likely to encounter resistance. Prayerfully, as a group, discuss your responses and see what common themes might emerge for desired patterns and style of ministry. This exercise can help anticipate sources of possible conflict in your leadership team's goals for the church, and help the team envision a way of balancing different ministry priorities. (This exercise will be most fruitful if done in conjunction with Tool #7, What Is the Church's Mission?.)
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