Your Local Church: Effective People Group Engagement
___ Have identified a committed team to pray for the church’s initiative with unreached/ unengaged people.
___ Have communicated with the whole church about this initiative and feel they are engaged in the vision.
___ Have identified our “Exploration Team” and received at least a medium-term (1-2 year) commitment from members to the vision and necessary related work.
___ Have done an assessment of our church’s natural “Bridges of God.” Have fed that back to the Exploration Team and the wider church for discussion and prayer about the implications.
___ Have identified a geographic area or specific unreached/unengaged people group(s) that we may want to prayerfully consider.
___ Have done research on this region/people group using all available resources (see associated information/research resource list).
___ Have identified any existing church networks in the S. that are focused on the geographical area or a people group near to our area of interest. (Same info/resource list.)
___ Have identified existing partnerships, networks, or individual ministries (national/ indigenous or expatriate) in the field that are involved or appear to be near or otherwise relevant to the geographic area or people group in which we have an interest.
___ Have a clear idea of the elements of a healthy, sustainable partnership – particularly one with non-Western partners – and have established key qualities needed in any partnership we develop.
___ Have assessed our previous experience in ministry partnerships; what was good, what wasn’t, and implications for this initiative.
___ Have defined the “what we need to know” list as we begin to “drill down” regarding our area or people group of interest.
___ Have had initial personal contact with leaders of relevant S. churches/networks along with networks, partnerships, or individual agencies in the field: initial email/phone contact, later in-person (field visit?) if early research justifies.
___ Have compiled the main points of our findings of that field work and identified key concerns, perceived needs, and potential role(s) for the church – near and long term.
___ Have prayerfully identified recommended near and longer-term goals/objectives along with the action steps that will be required (people, money, timetable, other resources, length of commitment, etc.).
___ Have communicated this vision to the wider church, asked for feedback, called for further prayer and identified those who may be interested in getting involved.