Transformational Ministry Assessment
Created in partnership between and SAMPLE
SAMPLE
© 2026 Published by the Ministry Leadership Center and Goodfaith Ministry Leadership Center 309 Franklin Road, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027 ministryleadership.org
Goodfaith P.O. Box 6122 Lawrence Twp., NJ 08648 wearegoodfaith.org
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
How to Use This Resource: Facilitator’s Guide
The Transformational Ministry Assessment involves three parts:
GROUP GATHERING 1: THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSION
QUESTIONNAIRE
Serves as a framing for the reflection you and your group will do together, and introduces the Transformational Ministry Framework.
A series of statements related to characteristics of ministry that we call the Signs of Transformation. Based on your responses, you will calculate an average score for four Categories of Transformation. These scores will show you what kinds of growth a ministry is emphasizing in participants.
GROUP GATHERING 2: DEBRIEF
Leads you and others in your faith community, if appropriate, to debrief your questionnaire scores. You will deepen your understanding of how you’re currently approaching ministry and to what extent transformation is being prioritized over transaction.
Getting Started
1. On your own, reflect on these questions: How does your faith community currently measure effectiveness in your ministries? What metrics do you use? Write your answers below.
2. Determine which ministry you will assess. This could either be a very specific program (e.g. youth confirmation) or a broader area of your faith community’s ministry (e.g. churchwide small groups). We do not recommend using this resource to assess all of the church’s ministries across the board.
3. Based on the ministry being assessed, assemble a group of 2–10 relevant stakeholders (staff, volunteers, past participants) who will complete the questionnaire and participate in two group gatherings with you. This group should be people who are knowledgeable about the ministry and bring their perspective as either a ministry leader or participant. If necessary, this resource can be used individually, but the experience will be enhanced by input from other perspectives!
4. Gather your group for a 75 minute discussion using the materials in Group Gathering 1. We recommend the group gather in person so distractions are limited. This will encourage people to participate thoughtfully and actively.
Group Gathering 1
Total time: 75 minutes
GROUP REFLECTION:
Meeting Preparation
Your group will need access to a Bible (online or print). Each person will also need a copy of this meeting guide and the questionnaire.
Walking With Jesus (45 MIN)
SAMPLE
As you begin this journey of transformation for your faith community, first pause and discuss the journey of two disciples in the days immediately following the death and resurrection of Jesus. Then you’ll reflect on this story as a framework for thinking about ministry assessment.
The Appearance on the Road to Emmaus
Found in Luke 24: 13-35, this Gospel account shows Cleopas and an unnamed companion leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Grieving and uncertain, they reflect on their experiences as Jesus’ followers. Along the way, they are joined by a new walking partner who, unbeknownst to them, is Jesus himself.
As a group, read Luke 24: 13-35.
Transformational Metrics Measure Signs of Transformation in Four Categories:
TRANSFORMATION OF THE
HEAD
Emphasizes growth in knowledge, understanding, and awareness that leads ministry participants to new ways of THINKING.
SAMPLE
TRANSFORMATION OF THE
HEART
Emphasizes changes in how ministry participants FEEL about themselves, God, and/or others in their community and world.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HANDS
Emphasizes growth that occurs when changes in thinking and feeling lead ministry participants to new ways of ACTING and being in the world.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE COMMUNITY
Emphasizes transformation that occurs when trust, relationships, and positive COMMUNAL changes occur that impact ministry participants and the whole community.
DISCUSS (5 MIN): Before you continue, each person in the group should respond to this question: In 3 words, what do you perceive to be the goal of the ministry you are going to assess?
When your faith community starts to measure growth through the Signs of Transformation instead of just transaction, it shifts your perspective on ministry. These Transformational Metrics tell stories of hope, new life, grace, belonging, purpose, and positive community change. Those are stories Transactional Metrics simply can’t reveal. These new metrics tell stories of transformation that Jesus longs to see unfold in every person’s life.
Transformational Ministry Assessment
QUESTIONNAIRE
Rate your agreement with each statement below with a number 1–5. Write the number in the box next to each statement. Then add together your responses to generate a total score for each category. Note that the phrase “faith community” refers to the church, parish, or organization where you serve. The word “program”refers to the ministry your group is assessing.
CATEGORY 1: TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEAD
Rate your agreement with each statement below with a number 1–5. Write the number in the box next to each statement.
Growth in knowledge & understanding of doctrines, teachings, and/or scripture
The growth in knowledge of religious doctrines, teachings, and/or scripture among participants is one of the most important outcomes for this program.
The extent to which a person can refer to or draw upon doctrine, teaching, and/or scripture and contextualize it within their life is a primary indicator of success for this program.
This program creates frequent opportunities for participants to demonstrate their knowledge of scripture and doctrine.
Growth in intellectual humility
This program invites participants to be open to multiple interpretations of an idea or experience.
Participants considering the needs and thoughts of others, in addition to their own, is a primary indicator of success for this program.
Leaders of this program encourage participants to limit their distractions and actively listen to one another in conversation.
Category 1 Total Score:
Mark the category’s total score on the spectrum below using an *
Group Gathering 2
Total time: 90 minutes
Now that your group completed the Transformational Ministry Assessment questionnaire, you’re ready to discuss your scores and discern next steps.
As you get started, recall from the story of the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:1325) that the disciples’ transformation occurred on their journey with Jesus. Transformation happened in each disciple individually and eventually in their community as they told others about their encounter with Jesus.
Meeting Preparation
Each person will need their Transformational Ministry Assessment questionnaire scores during this debrief discussion.
As your faith community begins to think in new ways about ministry assessment, it will likewise be a process. This discussion will identify where your faith community’s ministry is already prioritizing transformation in people’s heads, hearts, and hands, and the broader community. You will also discern how the ministry might need to shift so transformation is emphasized even more.
GROUP DEBRIEF: UNDERSTANDING YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE (25 MIN)
Average Group Scores
Take a moment to calculate an average group score for each Category of Transformation. Do this by adding each group member’s total score for the Category of Transformation and divide by the number of people in your group. Then write the average group score for each category in the spaces below.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEAD
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEART
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HANDS
TRANSFORMATION OF THE COMMUNITY
Average Group Score:
CATEGORIES OF TRANSFORMATION
In each category, which 1–2 Signs of Transformation are most important for this specific ministry to be effective? Why? Is there a Sign of Transformation you see unfolding through this ministry that was not part of the questionnaire? Add it under the relevant category below, if so.
How can you prioritize these Signs of Transformation in the ministry? Consider adding this question to the ministry’s goalsetting process, and asking for feedback from ministry participants during and after the program.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEAD
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEART
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HANDS
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TRANSFORMATION OF THE COMMUNITY
24 Signs of Transformation
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEAD
l Growth in knowledge & understanding of doctrines, teachings, and/or scripture
l Becoming aware of vocation and calling
l Engaging imagination to consider new possibilities in one’s life and the world
l Willingness to ask deep questions
l Ability to apply Gospel teachings and moral reasoning to one’s daily life
l Growth in intellectual humility
TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEART
l Feeling a sense of belonging
l Expressing empathy toward others
l Feeling compelled/convicted to make a change in oneself
l Growth in the engagement of spiritual practices
l Growth in emotional resilience within oneself
l Growth in relationships with God, self, and/or others
TRANSFORMATION
OF THE HANDS
l Willingness to take on a leadership role
l Acting with purpose and mission
l Agency to use personal gifts with confidence
l Engaging in acts of service, advocacy, and/or social justice
l Growth in protagonism, i.e. a sense of ownership in one’s own faith story
l Ability to articulate and bear witness to one’s experience of faith
TRANSFORMATION OF THE COMMUNITY
l Greater trust between those inside and currently outside the faith community’s ministries
l Developing relationships grounded in mutuality with others outside the faith community
l Evangelizing by sharing one’s faith and inviting others to participate in the life of the faith community
l Positive community changes that make the community a safer, healthier place for all
l Honoring the dignity of oneself, others, and creation, without exception
l Greater social cohesion is developing throughout the community