Home Course Admin Foundations Spirit Centred Spirituality Evangelical Spirituality Contextual Spirituality Classic Urban Spirituality Slum Spirituality Incarnational Spirituality Indigenous Spirituality Self Analysis Family Life Readings
FiveFold Questionnaire
Breen, M. (2002). Fivefold Ministries. In The Apostle's Notebook. Eastbourne, England, pp. 161-171, 220
Fivefold ministries questionnaire
Read through the statements and decide as honestly as you can whether you strongly agree, agree, or disagree, and tick the appropriate box. Do not linger on each item, as your first thought is likely to represent the most accurate response.
| Item No. | Often | Sometimes | Rarely | |
| 1 | I remember names or at least where I first met someone | |||
| 2 | I have expressed my feelings about God as pictures or analogies | |||
| 3 | My ability to present Scripture clearly and accurately has been commented on | |||
| 4 | I can be counted on to contribute original ideas | |||
| 5 | I find myself talking about my faith to the people I meet | |||
| 6 | I get frustrated when I feel I'm not experiencing 'new' things as a Christian | |||
| 7 | When I communicate biblical truths to others I see resulting changes in knowledge, attitudes, values or conduct | |||
| 8 | I share what knowledge I have with others | |||
| 9 | I have an urge to share thoughts with people that I felt when I prayed and I have been told they meant something or were relevant to the person's current situation | |||
| 10 | I get upset at other people's difficulties and problems even if I haven't experienced them myself | |||
| 11 | I have strong sense of what God wants to say to people in response to a particular situation | |||
| 12 | I enjoy studying the Scriptures and find that I get fresh insights that people find interesting and helpful | |||
| 13 | When reading the Bible I am more able to grasp the wider picture or message than the specific details | |||
| 14 | I like to share what I believe | |||
| 15 | I have been successful in developing Christian discipline in others | |||
| 16 | I'll try things out if it will encourage others to do the same | |||
| 17 | I am quick to help when help is needed and often do things which I see need to be done without even being asked | |||
| 18 | I have been able to spot a 'person of peace' who is ready to receive a word from God and have seen a positive response | |||
| 19 | I have a clear vision and others have said that they feel confident to go along with me | |||
| 20 | I try explaining things in different ways if people are finding a concept difficult to grasp or understand | |||
| 21 | I think before I speak | |||
| 22 | I really fear that people I know will not be saved | |||
| 23 | I like to be clear and decisive when speaking about what I believe God has said to me | |||
| 24 | I am by no means an expert on Scripture, but I can grasp the point of a passage quite quickly | |||
| 25 | I get frustrated and even depressed at the lack of faith or understanding of others around me | |||
| 26 | People tell me that the things I say often help them to try new things for God | |||
| 27 | I am interested in living and working overseas or among people from a different culture | |||
| 28 | I am good at listening and taking in what people say | |||
| 29 | I have contrived situations so that non-Christians are prompted to ask spiritual questions | |||
| 30 | I have helped fellow believers by guiding them to relevant portions of the Bible | |||
| 31 | I get excited when I discover new understanding, insights and applications of God's word | |||
| 32 | I have reminded people of the foundations of their faith | |||
| 33 | Despite not enjoying the nitty-gritty details of the leadership, I still often end up leading things | |||
| 34 | People have told me that I have helped them be restored to the Christian community | |||
| 35 | I feel that I know exactly what God wants to do in ministry at a specific point in time | |||
| 36 | I dig out information and passages to explain a concept | |||
| 37 | I mix easily with a wide variety of people without having to try to be one of them | |||
| 38 | I have a deep concern to encourage people towards spiritual growth and achievement | |||
| 39 | I try to think of different ways of expressing the truth to gospel | |||
| 40 | Friends ask me to help clarify a situation or scripture | |||
| 41 | I am quite persuasive when encouraging people to examine their spiritual motives | |||
| 42 | I empathize with those who are hurting or broken and can support them through their pain to wholeness | |||
| 43 | When in a group, I am the one others look to for vision and direction | |||
| 44 | I enjoy being with non-believers because of my desire to win them to Christ | |||
| 45 | I will see a job through to the end so that no one has to pick up the pieces after me | |||
| 46 | My prayers surprise me with their clarity and unexpected direction | |||
| 47 | People comment that they remember what I tell them about God | |||
| 48 | I expect opportunities for witnessing to arise rather than react in surprise when they occur | |||
| 49 | I desire the gift of healing in greater measure (that the Lord would heal others through me) | |||
| 50 | The things I say in a spiritual contex make people feel uncomfortable | |||
| 51 | I have enjoyed relating to a certain group of people over a period of time, sharing personally in their successes and their failures | |||
| 52 | People have told me that I have helped them learn biblical truth in a meaningful way | |||
| 53 | I have led someone to a decision for salvation through faith in Christ | |||
| 54 | God has enabled me to reveal specific things which have happened or meant something at a later date | |||
| 55 | There have been times when I felt sure I knew God's specific will for the future growth of his work, even when others have not been so sure | |||
| 56 | People have told me that I have communicated timely words or pictures which must have come directly from the Lord | |||
| 57 | People call on me to help those who are less fortunate | |||
| 58 | I get great satisfaction from studying the Bible and sharing my insights with others | |||
| 59 | Others have suggested that I am a person of unusual vision | |||
| 60 | Non-Christians have noted that they feel comfortable when they are around me, and that I have a positive effect on them towards developing a faith in Christ | |||
| 61 | I am willing to challenge or confront people in order to help them mature | |||
| 62 | I regularly need to get space alone or long periods of time out to reflect, pray and think | |||
| 63 | I have just suddenly known something about someone | |||
| 64 | I enjoy taking notes when someone is speaking and pay close attention to the details of what they are saying | |||
| 65 | I am faithful in providing support, care and nurture for others over long periods of time, even when others have stopped | |||
| 66 | I enjoy mentoring individuals | |||
| 67 | I enjoy relating stories and sharing my experiences | |||
| 68 | I enjoy coming up with new and original ideas, dreaming big and thinking about visions for the future | |||
| 69 | I find non-Christians ask me questions about my faith in Christ, and my church involvement | |||
| 70 | I can accurately assess a person based on first impressions and know instinctively when something is not quite right | |||
| 71 | I like to provide a safe and comfortable environment where people feel they are welcome, that they belong, are listened to and cared for | |||
| 72 | I would like to start a church or a new ministry in an area which is not catered for at present | |||
| 73 | I have a heart to share my faith and to pray for those in my work and neighborhood who do not attend church | |||
| 74 | When I hear about situations of need I feel burdened to pray | |||
| 75 | I like to help churches, organizations, groups and leaders become more efficient and often find myself thinking about how things function | |||
| 76 | I enjoy spending time studying Scripture and prefer to do so systematically | |||
| 77 | I look for opportunities to socialize and to build relationships with non-Christians | |||
| 78 | People come to me to ask me my opinions on particular parts of the Bible or to answer their queries | |||
| 79 | I find that people trust me and come to me regularly, wanting to char and looking for my advice, prayers and help | |||
| 80 | I can clarify goals, develop strategies, and use resources effectively to accomplish tasks |
Now transfer your answers to the score sheet on the facing page and add up your totals.
Place a tick against each item number for which you answered 'often' or 'sometimes' (the 'rarely' answers are not counted, but you may wish to use the shaded column for 'rarely' to keep tabs on which answers you have transferred from the question sheet).
Note that some questions occur more than once in the columns on the score sheet.
Finally, add up the number of 'often' ticks, double the answer and add to the number of ticks for 'sometimes'.
Please refer to the appendix to discover which of the five ministries you are currently operating in.
Remember this is only a snapshot. If you want to use the questionnaire to provide a more accurate picture, you will have to use it on several occasions in the future and keep your results to compare. I think that if you answered the questions two or three times a year for two or three years, you would begin to get a clear picture of both of your base ministry and of the phases you were most regularly visiting.
