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Your purpose is to develop and document a solid base of knowledge, understanding and wisdom which captures what has been done by your ministry team as well as what can be done in the future. This type of analysis is founded on the Biblical principle that successful action is most often preceded by careful assessment.
Proverbs 24:3-6 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases power. For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
You will be completing your Team Analysis by sizing up your team's accomplishments to date and then, through a process called SWOT Analysis, assessing both the inner workings and external factors of your team. SWOT Analysis is based on the assumption that an effective strategy maximizes a ministry's strengths and opportunities while at the same time minimizing its weaknesses and threats.
At the conclusion of the Team Analysis, you and your team members will develop up to eight prioritized "issue statements." These will be included in your Ministry Assessment Report and used for the Ministry Planning that follows.
To complete the Team Analysis you will utilize input from the team members you selected and the worksheets on the following pages. Guidance and help facilitating group discussions with your team are available from your assigned facilitator. To keep the process easy to use, the definition of each dimension is provided along with cues to consider and several examples.
Consider the last twelve months of your team's ministry. From your own perspective, list what you feel have been your team's major accomplishments or results as well as greatest disappointments or downfalls. Strive to be balanced in your perspective by entering this exercise in prayer, knowing your tendency (overly optimistic or negative) and thinking objectively about what actually did or did not happen. In listing your accomplishments, also make note of contributing factors or other relevant observations that might help someone else's understanding.
Our team's major positive results to date:
Positive Result: Notes: ________________________________________ ___________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________
Our team's greatest disappointments/downfalls to date:
Disappointment/Downfall: Notes: ________________________________________ ___________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________
Now, with these accomplishments in view, complete the Team Analysis Grid. This grid calls you to first identify factors critical to your team's success factors and then second, assess the internal Strengths and Weakness and external Opportunities and Threats in front of your team according to each factor. An explanation is provided below, followed by the actual grid worksheet.
1. Identify "Success Factors" - What is Most Important for your Team's Effectiveness?
Thinking about the major challenges your ministry team faces, identify three to five factors that are most influential to your team's success or struggles. These "Success Factors" describe the most critical activities, functions or roles that influence your team's effectiveness.
For example, the key success factors for an evangelistic ministry team might include witnessing, follow-up, discipleship, and prayer. There may be many other success factors that apply to this or any other team, but keep two key ideas in mind. First, think specifically about your team's unique purpose and situation. Secondly, resist the tendency to list too many success factors and fail to differentiate the critical three to five that will make the most impact.
List these factors across the top of the worksheet.
2. Complete a SWOT Analysis for each Success Factor
The SWOT Analysis is:
An acronym for the internal Strengths and Weaknesses of a ministry and external
Opportunities and Threats facing the ministry; and
A systematic process of analyzing your team's Success Factors against these four criteria.
On the next page you will find definitions of the four criteria to consider for each Success Factor, followed by applicable illustrations and ideas. The completed Team Analysis Grid for the Front Door ministry team can also be reviewed in the Appendix.
Internal Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: A strength is a resource, skill or other advantage within the ministry team which will help to achieve its mission. A strength is a distinctive competence which gives the ministry team an advantage.
Weaknesses: A weakness is a limitation or deficiency in resources, skills and capabilities that seriously impedes effective achievement of the ministry's mission. Some weaknesses can become strengths once they are recognized and resolved.
Examples of internal strengths and weaknesses include:
* Degree to which your team is achieving its goals in a given area
* Skills, giftings, or valuable characteristics
* Leadership (recruitment, training, utilization, management)
* Availability and use of financial resources
* Amount of resources such as time, people, and money required
* Workers (spiritual gifting, expertise, motivation, knowledge)
Opportunities and Threats
Opportunities: An opportunity is a favorable situation in the ministry's environment (meaning within the church, target group, geographic area or general society) which indicates the potential to meet a need consistent with your mission.
Threats: A threat is a situation in the ministry environment which indicates a major barrier to accomplishing your goals. Some threats can become opportunities once they are recognized and resolved.
Examples of external opportunities and threats may include:
* Needs of the target group, recipient or audience
* Changing demographics in the target group being served
* Receptivity to the ministry
* Forces influencing change
* Availability of external financial resources
* Awareness of the church or target group
* Perceptions of those being served
Team Analysis Grid
What factors are most important to your team's success?
Success Factor #1 Success Factor #2 Success Factor Success Factor #4 Success Factor #5
Strength
Internal
resources
or
advantages
Weakness
Internal
limitations
or
deficiencies
Opportunity
External
favorable
situations
Threat
External
major
barriers
Your Team Analysis Grid covers a broad spectrum of your ministry's situation and provides a useful framework for identifying key issues. Your task is to formulate up to eight priority issue statements. These statements help lay the foundation for the next phase, Ministry Planning.
In developing these issue statements, you are answering the question,
"What are the most important issues that should be addressed as our ministry plan is developed?"
Keep in mind that issue statements are not tactical solutions or actions. Issue statements should:
To assist you in formulating your own issue statements, the following frameworks may provide a helpful framework to guide your thinking. Also, see the examples of issue statements developed by the Front Door ministry team in the Appendix.
With these issue statements, you now have the raw materials to build your team's ministry plan.
Senior Leader Action Steps: Team Analysis Wrap-Up & Goal Setting Session Preparation
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