Reading: Applying Chapter 15

APPLYING CHAPTER 15 

1. Does your church have clear policies as suggested in the beginning of this chapter? 

a. Does everyone understand them? 

b. Are any changes or additional policies needed? 

2. Are your people clear on what ministries and responsibilities are theirs, and what are yours as pastor? More important, are you? 

3. List all the ministry teams or groups or committees in your church. 

a. Which are task-defined? 

b. Which are group-defined? 

c. Which support the others? 

4. What do you call your ministry groups? What does that title imply about what they do and how they do it? 

5. The first paragraph in the Task-Defined Ministries section lists what the author sees as the seven main functions of a local church. 

a. Do you agree with his list – did he leave any out or include any that don’t belong? 

b. How does your church address each of these functions? 

6. Are any of your support ministries in danger of getting their priorities backwards, seeing the church and other ministries as means of supporting the budget or building instead of vice versa? If so, what can you do about it? 

7. Draw up a ministry matrix using the task and group ministries in your church. 

a. Do you think this will help you and your leaders see a bigger picture? 

b. How and when will you present it to them? 

8. In “Applying Chapter 12” you planned a vision and planning retreat for your church. Look at those plans again in light of the suggestions in this chapter, and revise them where needed. 

9. List the unspoken assumptions do your people have about what your church is about and where it should be heading. 

10. How might you find out if there are other unspoken assumptions you haven’t recognized? 

11. How do people in your surrounding community view the mission and ministries of your church? How can you discover their thoughts?