A tool for every congregation’s toolbox
Make sure it's in yours.
Next week I’ll be back at my series on beautiful constraints (here are parts 1 and 2), but in the meantime, here’s an article I wrote about asset mapping, an exercise that is very much related in that it promotes an honest and hopeful look at resources.
When I trained to be an intentional interim minister more than 15 years ago, I picked up many “tools” that have been applicable in a range of ministry roles and settings. There is one tool, though, that I reach for in almost every circumstance in my coaching work with congregations. Asset mapping is a way of taking stock of all available resources, whether they are tangible or intangible, individual or collective:
Financial. How much cash do we have on hand? How many giving units contribute to our budget? What money do we have in various kinds of reserves?
Physical. What space is available, whether currently utilized or not? How is our property accessible to people with disabilities? What benefits does our location offer us? What items are contained in our physical space (e.g., communion sets, tables and chairs, curricula, art supplies, recreational equipment)?
Ministries. How are we caring for and discipling the people in our church? How are we showing Christ’s love to the world beyond our property?
Leadership. Who is on our staff? Who are our recognized lay leaders, and who are the informal lay leaders that exert positive influence and generously give their time?
Infrastructure. What core documents guide our work? What functional processes and procedures do we have in place to support our mission?
Legacy. What is our church’s DNA as determined by our dearly departed forebears and as carried on by us? How has our history shaped us and the world around us?
Relationships. Who are our community, denominational and global partners? What is our reputation in the eyes of our neighbors? What are the connections that individual congregants have to organizations and institutions?
Talents. What are the strengths of church members— whether or not they get paid for those skills?
Here’s how asset mapping works:
Click here to read more on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship blog.