I depend on my GPS as I travel around the state. Frankly, I am not sure what I would do without it. Several years ago, while driving to speak at an annual associational meeting, my GPS showed that I was about five minutes from the church. As I drove, I noticed a church to my left, and as I normally do, I read the church sign. “Hmm,” I thought to myself, “that church has the same name of the church I am going to.” Thankfully it did not take me long to realize that was the church I was going to. My GPS was off, to say the least. But it sure beats a paper map.
As I thought about my GPS glitch, I realized that many churches are like my GPS at times. We can easily lose track of our direction and continue driving in the wrong direction. We lose sight of our mandate to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Sometimes we simply need to re-calculate or to re-adjust where we are going as a church.
The Missions Mobilization Team has adapted an assessment tool to help churches do just that, to re-calculate. The tool is called Missions Assessment Profile (MAP). MAP is designed to help church leaders assess their progress in mobilizing their church for missions involvement. It serves to help churches reflect on where they are in comparison to what a truly missions-mobilized church could look like. No church scores perfectly in all areas. Ideally, all churches are in a growth process. This tool will help churches assess where they are strong and where they are weak, so that they can strengthen their missions effectiveness and commitment.
Four broad categories are assessed: leading, equipping, supporting, and sending. Each of these areas explores ways that churches can build upon their current missions involvement. Upon taking the assessment, church leaders are encouraged to view the process for missions growth as “baby steps.” Approaching missions with specific goals and action steps allows churches to make manageable progress without becoming overwhelmed at the prospect of making disciples of all nations (all at once).
If you feel as if your church is not quite sure of its destination, maybe taking the MAP is just what you need to help re-calculate where you are going. Let me know if your church is interested taking the MAP ([email protected] or [email protected]). We can meet with leadership teams and work on a plan based on the MAP that will help your church focus its sights on making disciples of all nations.
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