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Readiness Assessment

At least three persons from the local congregation should share in the completion of this form.

a. Each person can complete a form and then the results can be averaged and discussed,

OR,

b. The group can work through the items, arriving at a consensus for each item.

The group completing the form should include

• The pastor, if the church has one currently serving;
• The chairperson of the chief governing board or council of the church; and
• A person with an especially strong commitment to evangelism.
  

1. We anticipate our present pastor serving the congregation for at least two more years.

_____ Yes _____ No

If YES, continue with this assessment. If NO, the congregation should seriously consider waiting to start the LIFE process until a pastor is in place who will be staying for at least two years from the date the process begins. If your church is organized in such a way that you are not normally served by a pastor, then you should feel free to proceed.

2. The key leaders of this congregation, including the pastor, recognize that evangelism is very important for the future of our church. _____ Yes _____ No

3. Comparing the present with ten years ago, the average annual worship attendance of this congregation could best be described as (choose one):

_____ Increasing _____ Decreasing _____ Staying about the same

4. The church is currently experiencing a conflict major enough that it has caused attendance to drop and members to leave. _____ Yes _____ No

If YES, the church should seriously consider taking active steps to deal with the conflict before proceeding with the LIFE process. While differences of opinion are always present in a congregation (and are frequently healthy), major conflict will make it difficult for your church to obtain good results from the LIFE process.

For the items that follow, place an X on the line to indicate your current assessment of your congregation from 1 ("This is not at all true of our congregation") to 5 ("This is very true of our congregation"):

5. People who visit our church feel genuinely welcomed and want to return.

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6. New members are readily integrated into the life of the church and are included in positions of leadership.

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7. The congregation has a clear biblical base for faith-sharing and church growth.

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8. The majority of people who are active in the congregation feel comfortable talking about their faith with others, be they Christians or non-Christians.

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9. The majority of people who are active in the congregation reach out at least once a month to the unchurched--by sharing their faith, inviting someone to church, etc.

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10. This congregation has done a thorough study of the community in which we are located and has identified several opportunities for ministry and outreach.

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11. This congregation has done a thorough study of growth and decline over the past decade and can identify the major barriers to growth which are present.

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12. This congregation carries out significant ministries of service and caring to the community at least twice a year.

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13. All the groups in our church (like Sunday school classes, men's groups, women's groups, youth groups, etc.) have an outreach orientation and know how to integrate visitors.

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14. Our congregation has identified clear, measurable goals for growth and outreach.

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Go back through items five through fourteen, and count the number of items for which the mark on the line was to the left of the number 3.

Write that number here: __________.