The Missional Vitality Process*

*Architecture Framework Builds from the Bottom Up ** Movements Thread through Every Ministry Area of the Congregation – One Key Process with Variations Customized for Varied Congregations

M.V.P. Keys – Briefly Explained

1. Key Platform: The GO Process promotes healthy, holistic revitalization that embraces both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission by building two platforms: Spiritual Renewal with Strategic Initiative. Church leaders tend to lean toward one or the other, but when combined, Spiritual Renewal with Strategic Initiative, centered on Great Commission Ministry, sparks sustainable multiplication that builds congregations from within and reaches communities from without.

2. Key Scripture Planks: The Promise is that Jesus is building His church. The focus of our affection is to love God and love people. That love is expressed in obedience to His command to go and make disciples. Our witness begins in the center of where we are and then extends further and further outward. Jesus is on a search and rescue mission to seek and save and we are to join Him on that mission. When His message is fully multiplied throughout His world, He will come again.

3. Key Models: The Nehemiah Model reveals what happens when Spiritual Renewal meets Strategic Initiative. Concerned over the state of Jerusalem, Nehemiah wept and mourned, fasted and prayed. Then, with the hand of God upon him, he took action. The Great Commission Model reveals that we move in the authority of Jesus Christ when we follow His command to go and make disciples. More than evangelism, we are called to teach obedience to the commands of Christ and to rely on His presence through the Holy Spirit always.

4. Key Teams: The GO Leader Team is the aggregate of all church leaders, giving input to the revitalization priority and standing united. The Vision Team is a selected group of approximately six people who lead the revitalization effort. Prayer Teams surround the Vision Team to support its members as they lead with the power of prayer.

5. Key Markers – ROADMAP to Missional Vitality: Self-Discovery enables leaders to see the state of the church as it truly is. Motivation drives the church to take action. Skill-Training builds strength, knowledge and competence into the congregation in preparation for making revitalization happen. Implementation guides action on the field of ministry toward desired outcomes. Evaluation reveals results and informs GO Process next steps.

5. Key Alignments – M-PACT Action Plan (MAP): Aligning Perception enables leaders to see the state of the church as it truly is. Aligning Vision discerns and contextualizes God’s vision. Aligning Strategy develops skills in preparation for implementing the revitalization vision. Aligning Structure positions the operations of ministry to provide support and resourcing for the vision and strategy. Aligning People casts vision, promotes vision ownership and mobilizes the people of the congregation for revitalization ministry. 

6. Key Disciplines – Four Disciplines of a Great Commission Church: Pre-emptive Prayer provides power and protection for all actions to be taken in the GO Process. Basic Bible lays the biblical groundwork for a congregation to build its future on truth. Cost Commitment calls for high levels of sacrificial commitment to moving the church forward in realizing Great Commission impact within both congregation and community. Missional Multiplication solidifies the commitment and practice of going and making disciples.

7. Key Paradigm Shift: By default, church ministry tends to focus on the question, “How do we minister TO our congregation?” The GO Process shifts the question to, “How do we minister THROUGH our congregation to reach a lost community?” This paradigm shift sends the focus of ministry outward from the church with Great Commission ministry that strongly impacts the community. At the same time, by being mobilized for hands-on Great Commission ministry, congregational maturity is accelerated.

8. Key Strategic Tool – the Great Commission Matrix: The GO Process reaches its peak with the Great Commission Matrix, a strategic tool that organizes ministry through the grid of the Great Commission. At the heart of the Matrix is the transforming of Outreach, Evangelism and Discipleship from simply being programs on a list with other programs to being MOVEMENTS. These three movements are threaded through all programs or ministry areas of the church so that all become outwardly engaged with the community rather than being just inwardly engaged with the congregation. For example, youth ministry is not focused simply on ministering TO the youth of the church but is focused on ministering THROUGH the youth of the church to reach teenagers in the community.

Combined and properly sequenced, these 8 Keys outline the Missional Vitality Process.

An in-depth look at the M.V.P. Keys is found in Simply Vital: A Jumpstart to Basic-Yet-Complete Church Revitalization, an E-Book by Dr. Ken Priddy.

Just drop us your name and email and we will send you a PDF copy of the book.