A Missional Diagnostic - David Fitch

1.) Leadership:

  • Do the leaders here know their giftings/spheres of leadership? (Eph 4: 7-16 APEST)
  • Do the leaders here know how to lead in mutual submission one to another as a group?
  • Are the leaders here recognized by the community as the ones given the responsibility to lead in say evangelism? Apostleship? Teaching/organizing? Pastoring/organizing? Prophetic leadership?
  • Are the leaders empowered to lead and to cultivate more leaders on the ground in the neighborhoods.
  • Are the leaders leading? Submission is a posture of leadership not an abnegation of leadership? Does the leadership function within this dynamic?

2.) Gathering:

  • How many people are in the relational web of this community? versus how many people show up for worship gathering? To me the first question is probably more important than the second (although the second is not unimportant).
  • Is there a road map/a way for outsiders to know how to enter and become part of this community, and what makes this community what it is?
  • How many KCC’s  (kingdom cups of coffee) happen on a monthly basis from this community? (KCC = sitting with someone, listening, discerning what God is doing in someone’s life, whether God has brought them here for a reason? to be part of His Kingdom expression here at this community or another?)
  • Is there a public presence for this community? A way people can identify this community of Kingdom activity from outside the community? Website?  Public celebratory gathering? Is it too early for a public presence?

3.) Engaging – Being Present – in Surrounding Community

  • Do you know what it means/does not mean to be present in the places you live, work, play and raise families?
  • What are those places in your community/neighborhood?
  • How do you train/lead community participants in being present in the community?
  • Where are people being present? Homes, neighborhoods, third places, Moms groups, bars, social service agents, homeless/domestic abuse shelters. Local sports programs etc etc.

4.) Rhythms

  • Are you developing a sustainable life giving weekly rhythm of life together? Are you making space for God to work in and among you and in the neighborhood?
  • Tell me about the development of your worship gathering? How does it shape people in life with God and His mission? How is it woven into the lives of the participants and their everyday lives? Does it focus people too much on Sunday? Or does it lead out into everyday life?
  • Prayer. Where is prayer in the life and rhythms of your community?
  • Meals. How do you eat together? Does the Eucharist on Sunday feed a time of presence with one another in the neighborhood?
  • How do home groups function? Triads function? What do you do there? What is practiced there? Are these groups functioning in God’s presence for His work among people and around people and through people? (In, Up and Out)

5.) Practices

  • How are you leading people into the basic practices of being a people of God in His Kingdom for His Mission? Including:
  • Proclamation of the gospel: Is gospel being proclaimed for this context in the gathering? Are the participants learning how to proclaim gospel in their contexts through their lives? Do people know the difference between proclamation, explanation and or providing information?
  • Eucharist: Are the participants in the community being led into the Real Presence of Christ at the Table, to experience the flooding of God’s forgiveness, love, reconciliation and renewal of all things through the Spirit? Are they then learning how to practice this same presence in their meals in the neighborhood?
  • Reconciliation: Are the participants practicing reconciliation in all conflicts? Are they being led in this? And are they learning how to practice this same reconciliation of Christ in the neighborhoods?
  • Practicing Being With the Hurting/Least of These: Most of all, are the participants learning how to be present with the hurting? Not solve problems, but be present/with hurting people both inside the community and in the course of everyday life. Do your people know the difference between Presence in the community and  finding a Project in the community?
  • Most of all, when we gather together to worship, are we being led into the real presence of Jesus as our Lord and Savior for the world? Are we then being sent?

There are probably many more questions that have not made the list? For all you great missional coaches out there? What category would you include? What questions would you ask that I left out?

Read more at http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/?p=4173

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