Missional Church Cultural Assessment

This assessment is based on Milfred Minatrea's book Shaped By God's Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches. Some of the terms used in the assessment are technical and defined in the book. You can order the book from Amazon. Read below for reviews from Amazon. Your answers will be charted and sent to youchart

A missional church is not about programs, but rather is a distinct church culture. Churches, like any organism, adopt and are influenced by culture. Culture can be identified by observing behaviors. In fact, culture is the set of underlying values that drive our behavior. We act like we do, because we believe what we do. The only way to evaluate culture is through analyzing actions. The following assessment gauges responses to statements about the behaviors of a church in order to provide a framework for dialogue concerning the compatibility of the church with a missional culture.

This instrument is not a test; there is no passing or failing. It is a tool designed to enable church leaders to discuss practices in which their culture reflects that of a missional paradigm, to identify areas where cultural adaptation might be possible, and to acknowledge those in which minimal change-readiness is found.

How to take the Assessment

Your Name
Your Role Senior Pastor
Mission Pastor		 Other Staff
Deacon/Elder		 Member
Guest
Church
City
State
Your E-mail
How long a member of this church? 1-3 years4-7 years more than 8 yearsnot a member
Average Number in Weekly Worship
  • Rate each statement
    • from Low - the statement is not true of our church
    • to High - the statement is true of our church
    • 1 is Low. 7 is High. 4 is not available
  • Some questions may not exactly fit your church - answer as best you can
  • Skip questions only when necessary
Missional Practices of Your Church ... Low
1
2
3
5
6		High
7
Culture Checkpoint # 1 - High Threshold For Membership
We have clearly stated expectations of members
2
We clearly communicate pathways to membership
3
Members hold one another accountable for fulfilling expectations
4
We communicate benefits of membership
5
Significant numbers of pre-Christians identify us as their faith community
6
We have various entry points through which new members become part of our church
7
Most of our members indicate by their actions a total surrender to Christ
Culture Checkpoint # 2 - Real, But Not Real Religious
8
Our message is validated by our actions in the community
9
Members do not "wear masks" with one another
0
People in the community see our church as vital
11
Members trust one another enough to confess sins to one another
12
Members are incorporated into small groups for growth and accountability
13
We prioritize member involvement with unchurched people
14
Our culture makes it easy for people to admit unanswered questions about their faith
Culture Checkpoint # 3 - Teach To Obey Rather Than Simply To Know
15
We have a high regard for the Word of God
16
Members are equipped to practice spiritual disciplines
17
Our teaching ministries emphasize moving from knowledge to obedience
18
We partner new believers with existing members in learning relationships
19
We challenge members to be responsible in their obedience to God
20
We excel in equipping members to apply Bible knowledge to real-life situations
21
We hold one another accountable for obeying God's Word
Culture Checkpoint # 4 - Rewrite Worship Every Week
22
Our members see God as audience, themselves as the actors, in worship
23
We use a team of members in planning worship
24
Members lead corporate worship through sharing their various talents
25
We routinely incorporate new ideas or methods in worship
26
Our members routinely offer their gifts to God in worship
27
Our worship is designed to utilize each of the five senses
28
Our church prepares members for personal worship experiences
Culture Checkpoint # 5 - Live Apostolically
29
Our members consider themselves as missionaries
30
Members routinely introduce new believers to faith in Christ
31
Members know how to interpret contemporary culture in a Biblical context
32
We encourage members to participate in "secular" social groups
33
Our church is transforming the community in which we live
34
Members learn to establish and maintain authentic relationships with lost persons
35
Members are involved in leading the nations to worship Christ
Culture Checkpoint # 6 - Expect To Change The World From Their Own Front Porch
36
Members believe our church is making a major difference in the world
37
Our church has a vital prayer ministry focusing on updated mission concerns
38
Most members have clearly identified their Primary Mission Field
39
Our church develops strategies for reaching new people groups in our area
40
Our members intentionally cultivate global relationships
41
Our worship regularly emphasizes member's missionary involvement
42
Most of our members participate in short-term mission projects
Culture Checkpoint # 7 - Order Their Actions Based Upon Their Purpose
43
Members are very clear about our church's purpose
44
We only calendar events that help us to accomplish our purpose
45
Our programs are very flexible, leaving room for God to direct changes
46
We are good at celebrating the starting and closing of ministries
47
Our church budget reflects our missional priorities
48
Our programs and ministries evidence a commitment to excellence
49
We would rather lose a prospect than violate our purpose
Culture Checkpoint # 8 - Measure Growth By Capacity To Release Rather Than Retain
50
We celebrate giving our members to start new churches or ministries
51
Our church equips disciples to serve as missionaries
52
Our members believe new churches are needed in our community
53
We expect members to be on mission locally and globally
54
We regularly commission members who are going into ministry
55
Our church has an aggressive plan for starting new churches
56
We successfully move new believers into co-laborer roles
Culture Checkpoint # 9 - Value Beliefs And Are Passionate About The Kingdom Of God
57
Our actions evidence our partnership with other Christian churches in our community
58
We emphasize the communal as well as individual nature of salvation
59
We routinely share the pain and joy of Christians around the world
60
We intentionally partner with all believers in the work of the Kingdom
61
In worship we regularly pray by name for other churches in our city
62
Members participate in spiritual warfare through a vital prayer ministry
63
Our members are involved in interdenominational ministries

Comments:

Reviews from Amazon

"Shaped by God's Heart is a stimulating contribution to the growing and increasingly diverse engagement in the vision of the missional church. Mifred Minatrea has drawn together insights from a remarkable spectrum of resources, which he synthesizes in strategies for missional transformation and which reward careful reading and provoke further exploration. His carefully thought-out proposals invite experimentation and innovation. This constructive work is encouraging to anyone concerned about the missional faithfulness of the Christian church in North America."--Darrell L. Guder, Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary

"Milfred Minatrea is a pilgrim not a conquistador. His book is not a map drawn by someone who's conquered the land. It is a compass with a true north, that points to survival in the secular wilderness where Christ himself is waiting on vitality to knock. Read and the compass is yours. Knock and the door will open. This book does not point the way to church growth. It calls the reader to honest pilgrimage - to find the way to meaningful faith. Milfred Minatrea knows that where meaning is married to hope, vitality is born."--Calvin Miller, professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

"Mifred Minatrea has distilled the essence of what it means to be a missional church. The insightful summarization and articulation of distinctive practices can be the launch pad for every courageous church leader who wants to bring Kingdom impact to their world both locally and globally."--Carol Davis, executive director, Global Spectrum; and consultant to mission leaders around the world

"Milfred Minatrea is missional! This book will be invaluable to churches who want to join the missional journey in the twenty-first century."--William Tinsley, WorldconneX; author, The Jesus Encounter

Book Description
Discover the tools to create a new kind of church and move from merely surviving to thriving. Drawing on an extensive two-year field study of 200 churches from a variety of denominations and geographic regions, Milfred Minatrea--a missiologist, urban strategist and practioner in minister--presents the best practices for re-energizing Christian spirituality in a congregational setting. He provides readers with the tools for assessing their congregation's position on the continuum between maintenance and mission and for determining the actions that will move them toward becoming a missional community. He also outlines key strategies that successful churches have used to become relevant in a postmodern society without losing what is distinctly Christian in their spiritual practices.

Milfred Minatrea is Director of the Missional Church Center in Dallas, Texas