Optional activity 1: Evaluation

With all that you have learned so far, you are likely keen to evaluate how healthy your organisation is and what you need to do to make it more health. These next four activities provide you with optional activities that you can follow to do just that. Be encouraged to take the time to do all four and then start doing the work to make your organisation as healthy as it is called to be

The first task of the leader is to face reality. The reality is that “healthy organisational life” is a long way off for many Christian ministries.

But all of us can take a few steps forward!

Please scan the following tool for now, familiarising yourself with it. Later, in collaboration with your leadership team, use this tool for evaluation and in planning for change.

• Evaluation

Please consider your own organisation and evaluate its health by answering the following questions in these six areas:

1. Union with Christ

• What is the quality of the spiritual life in your organisation?
• How many people, individually, know God?
• What is the spiritual quality of your corporate meetings?
• How often is the normal agenda in your meetings interrupted by the moving of the Holy Spirit in repentance or worship?
• When you need to determine future direction, do you only brainstorm and strategise or do you deeply pray and seek God?
• How often do you practice corporate fasting?
• Do you have corporate times for spiritual nurture (e.g., retreats)?
• Do the leaders and people take times of spiritual rest when they come before God for reflection and prayer?
• Is spiritual life seen as more appropriate for “Church on Sunday” or is it a normal and natural part of daily organisational life?
• Is your highest organisational aspiration to be efficient and effective or to do the will of God and please Him?

2. Every member functions

• Do your people only function in their specific jobs or do they take initiative in areas for which they are not directly accountable?
• How many of your people can describe their specific calling in God?
• How many of your people are in the “right place” organisationally that fits their specific calling and giftings? How do you know they’re in the right place?
• If someone asked you, “Tell me about your organisation?” would you answer by describing the programs or the people?

3. Grows in God

• Do you prioritise giving opportunities for the spiritual development of your people? For example, giving them a day each month devoted to spending time with God?
• Realistically, how many of your people are growing in God?
• In what specific ways are they growing?
• Do the people desire more of God? What indicates that?
• How does the people’s relationship with God affect their daily lives and work?
• How often do the people engage with God’s Word individually each week?
• Do the people obey God’s Word?
• Do the people align their lives with God’s calling for them?
• Are the people thankful to God?
• How often do the people initiate prayer in the daily life of the organisation?
• How often and how deeply do the people pray privately?
• How often do you hear of significant answers to prayer?
• How many people can you call upon to deeply pray for others?

4. Serves others

• Do your people express kindness, respect, care and servanthood toward each other?
• How many people serve one another in ways that are outside of their normal job responsibilities?
• In what specific ways are they serving?
• What is the attitude of the people toward serving? Are they willing and joyful, or acting only out of duty to please people?
• What is the attitude of the people toward giving? Are they generous?
• Is giving truly selfless or is it only motivated by reaping personal benefit?
• Who else besides the HR department takes responsibility for the practical needs of your people?

5. Builds others

• Do the older leaders take responsibility for building the next generation of leaders?
• Does the older generation share their lives and experiences with the younger generation?
• In what ways do leaders build leaders?
• How many people are mentoring others to know God more deeply?
• Does “training” occur in the normal context of the daily life of the organisation or only during formal classes?
• Does “training” focus more on academic subjects or on building the whole person?

6. Works with purpose

• Realistically, how many of your people are just faithfully doing their “jobs” and how many genuinely and personally own the vision?
• Do your people own and live the vision during their own time, or only when they’re “on the clock”?