Our ‘missional reach’ is largely dependant on how large a ‘fringe’ a church has, which is often down to what community projects churches run, such as parent & toddler groups, food banks, etc.

The prime aim of these projects may well not be to grow a church’s fringe, but all contact with those outside the church does this.

Telling people about Jesus is not just a clergy responsibility. The vast majority of opportunities come from outside church contexts, and the people most appropriate to talk about Jesus are any of his followers.

So how well are we equipping our congregations to talk naturally and confidently about Jesus?

Volunteers are the bedrock of church work. Realistically, the overwhelming majority of our churches couldn’t function without our volunteers – either church members or those who don’t consider themselves part of our churches.

How we treat, train and resource these volunteers can make a huge difference in how fulfilling they find the experience, and how much they contribute.

All the research suggests that providing enquirer’s courses (or some other way of helping people to decide if they want to follow Jesus for themselves) is a key feature of churches that grow.

So do we have clear ‘pathways’ for people to journey along from initial encounter with the church through to mature discipleship which includes some kind of enquirer course?

How easy is it for our worship to become ‘exclusive’ in the sense that it is a total mystery to those not already initiated (into our language, our songs, when to stand/sit, etc)?

The ‘externals’ of worship (making a distinction with the ‘heart of worship’) can too easily be a barrier rather than a bridge.

So how can you make your worship more accessible in the best sense of that word?

Our prayer life (both corporately and individually) reflects our priorities. How outward focussed is our prayer life? Does it reflect God’s priorities, or is it largely inward-looking?

New Worshipping Communities can be a measure of creativity, energy, and generative impact.

Leaders give an indication of missional capacity. Growing leaders is a significant way of increasing local capacity.

This is distinctive from enabling all people to fulfil their calling, focussing on people whose calling can have a significant impact on the culture and practice of a congregation or community.