3 Questions to Discern Local Church Missions
In this episode, I share three simple but powerful questions any normal-sized church can use to clarify its missional priority and impact its local community in meaningful, sustainable ways.
I’m Chad Brooks, a Congregational Developer in the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, and I spend most of my time helping normal-sized churches understand their unique mission, grow in health, and live out the Kingdom of God right where they are.
Over the last year, I’ve written two books that shape this conversation:
Is My Church Healthy? – a framework for understanding church vitality and why mission cannot be an “extracurricular” activity done by a handful of people.
On Mission in the Inward Church – a short ebook on how inward-focused congregations can recover the outward mission of Jesus given in the Great Commission.
In this episode, I talk about:
Why mission must be the overarching energy and focus of both the global Church and every local congregation
Why so many churches treat “missions” as pet projects instead of a unified, church-wide priority
How our Jerusalem (Acts 1) – the community immediately around us – is the primary field where we live out the Kingdom of God
The difference between mission, mercy, and justice, and why we need clear definitions
Why I think the term “outreach” has become too generic to be useful
How to discern what your church can actually touch and affect right now
The 3 Mission Questions Every Church Should Ask
In the second half of the episode, I walk through three practical questions that can help your church discern its missional priority. These questions work especially well in normal-sized churches that don’t have unlimited people, time, or money.
Is anyone hungry?
Are there people in my community who quite literally don’t know where their next meal is coming from?
Do we have unhoused or indigent neighbors with limited access to food?
Are there kids in the local school system who don’t eat on weekends or during school breaks?
Is there a backpack program or something similar we could start or support?
Could we help clear school lunch debt on a regular basis?
I share how food insecurity is often one of the simplest and most tangible needs a local church can address, especially when we start with the school or neighborhood closest to our building.
Is anyone lonely?
We’re living in an epidemic of loneliness, across age groups and demographics.
Are there young adults in nearby apartments, living single and disconnected?
Is there a senior living center, retirement home, or day center nearby where people are isolated?
How are people around my church experiencing loneliness, and what kind of relational spaces or affinity-based gatherings could our congregation realistically provide?
I talk about why loneliness is both a mercy and justice issue, and why the local church is perfectly positioned to respond if we’ll take it seriously.
Is anyone not safe?
This includes physical safety, emotional safety, financial security, and basic needs like clothing and shelter.
Who in our community feels unsafe – children, single parents, unhoused neighbors, people living in deep poverty?
Do people around us lack adequate housing, clothing, heating, or protection?
Where can our church create or support safe spaces—through tutoring, mentoring, clothes closets, partnerships, or other ministries?
I encourage you to think broadly about safety and to start with what’s closest and most easily affected by your specific church.
DOWNLOAD the Missional Priority Scorecard.
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