Good questions lead to good conversations. If you want to improve your meetings, start asking better questions.
Listed below are some of the questions I’ll be asking leaders in California this weekend:
1. What is our congregation known for in the community? What would we like it to be known for?
2. What are the indicators that lives are being changed as a result of our efforts? Does the change we’re seeing reflect our mission?
3. What are we currently doing to develop fully devoted followers of Christ? What might we do in the future?
4. What does a healthy, vibrant congregation look like? How does our congregation measure up?
5. What pathways do we offer as we meet people where they’re at and walk alongside them in their faith journey?
6. In what ways do people experience our congregation before, during and after an actual visit?
7. Does the experience accurately reflect our mission, vision and core values?
8. In what ways are we helping people form faith beyond the Sunday morning experience?
9. In what ways are we empowering the people of God to do God’s work?
10. In ways ways are we helping people BE the church rather than just come to church?
11. Do we have the right people on the bus, in the right seats, and for the right reasons?
12. What’s our plan for developing the next generation of leaders and for equipping our current leaders?
13. On a scale of 1-10 (10=very), how passionate are you about our congregation’s ministry? What would need to change for you rank our congregation a “10?”
Feel free to offer questions you use to frame meaningful conversations.
These are great questions, though they may be a bit “tough” on the ears and how a congregation may answer them. It’s definately a good way to get people thinking and more indepth with their conversations! I am also passing along these questions to our staff!
We were actually talking along these lines this past weekend at our council retreat. I am passing these questions along to the group as points for us all to reflect on and discuss as we develop the plan for the next 5 years.
These are great questions! I especially like number 10. I like the idea of “being” the church instead of just going to church. We are the body of Christ. It is very important for people to know that they Can be the church, that they Are the church. I think this kind of awareness has the potential to change how we do things.
Ouchie.