Hi <<First Name>>,

A team of Alliance missions leaders around the country recently developed a free tool for Alliance churches to help gauge a church's missions engagement.

This is a self-assessment of 15 areas across 5 themes. The team identified certain parameters for what this tool is and isn't meant to do. Here are 10 things to consider before using it:

1. The goal is deeper engagement. There are hundreds of ways to be engaged in Alliance missions, and this tool’s goal is simply to help you determine new ways to be engaged.

2. This tool is only for Alliance missions. While most Alliance churches engage in other missions activity outside of the Alliance, the goal for this assessment is to help you engage more deeply within the Alliance and all it has to offer.

3. This is a self-assessment and not meant to compare against other churches. Year over year you should only use this tool to evaluate your own church and whether it is moving forward or backward when it comes to engagement in Alliance missions.

4. This tool should be used each year. After taking the assessment you will receive a score based on 135 possible points. This gives you the ability to measure in subsequent years if your church is making progress at engaging deeper in Alliance missions.

5. This tool is designed for global missions, but can be used for local ministries as well. You have complete freedom to use this tool in any way and any context you desire.

6. This tool is meant to be used by your church’s missions leadership. The assessment is very subjective and will be most effective when your primary missions leadership is the one using the tool. This could be a missions pastor or missions committee leader, lead pastor, key elder, or your entire missions leadership team.

7. The effectiveness of this tool will be found in the reasons for your answers. While you may answer a question quickly, take the time to write down why you answered the way you did. This will be the key to determining new and deeper ways to engage.

8. It will not always be clear how to engage more deeply, so ask for help. This tool may help you figure out where you are but it does not provide answers on the next steps. Talk to your district missions mobilizer, other missions leaders, or Global Link for help.

9. After using the tool, set clear goals on where your church can engage more deeply in the coming year. The tool will help you see many possible areas to deepen engagement. The best step forward, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is to create goals for how to improve your engagement score in the coming year.

10. This tool is really meant to help your church start the discussion. There are other tools and assessments for churches that also provide rich insight into missions engagement. This tool is meant to help Alliance churches, large and small, young and old, take the time to have the discussion, because every church is vital to Kingdom advancement.

You can download the tool for FREE here.