enroute

One of the areas that I am most passionate in the Enroute experience is the section in regards to understanding the context of your own student ministry.  It includes some great questions that will help you answer how a student is learning, what shapes their physical and emotional beings and what spiritual questions that they are asking.

Some of you have been asking what are some questions that you can ask to help you understand your church’s context.  I am going to include a few of those questions and would encourage you to interact with me if you have some even better questions.

I love how the Apostle Paul understood the context that he was operating in.  I believe that he proclaimed it well in I Corinthians 9:19-23.  Here are some of the questions that I would be ask if you want to understand your church and ministry’s context.

(1)      The community around the church

Who lives in the community?  How has this community changed in the past 5 years?  What changes have you noticed?

What is the average stay of someone living in this community?

What are the felt and the unfelt needs of your community?  Who from your community have you talked to about these needs?  Who does the community view as the important people in the community?

Which needs would be most strategic for our ministry to address?  What needs has our ministry met in the past?

Who from our ministry or church has relationships within the community?

What does the community think of our church or ministry?

(2)     Historical and current ministry practices

Within the church, what must be done/avoided to minimize offense?

What process for conflict resolution does your church or ministry practice? (could be moved to the history section)

What is the view of students in your church?

What does our church fear?  What are we trying to protect?

What and who defines us as a church?

(3)    Ministry resources

What are some of your ministry assets?  What physical resources that you have within your ministry that are being used or could be used to assist in your ministry dream?

What are some of your ministry liabilities?  What resources do you feel like you need but do not have?  Are there any other things that are a liability to you accomplishing your ministry context?

What are some key relationships that you have inside or outside of your ministry context that could be used to assist your ministry?

What are some things that you feel your ministry is good at?