Detailed Discernment Questionnaire

Detailed Discernment Questionnaire
The following questionnaire is designed to help us get to know you a better as we continue your discernment journey. We recommend giving responses which are thoughtful but not overly detailed. There will be the opportunity to discuss your answers in more detail in subsequent meetings.

The questionnaire focuses on three main areas:

1. Personal information - including how family and wider relationships have formed you.
2. Leadership information - including your journey of calling, gifting, and experience.
3. Theological information - namely, where you stand on beliefs that are core to who we are as a movement.

There are 54 questions to answer in total, and you don’t have to complete it in one sitting.

At any point, you may choose to select Save at the bottom of the page and Jotform will email you a link that you can click on to carry on where you left off.

For those planning to lead as a couple, it is important that both parties complete this form separately.
Personal History and Formation (1 of 3)
Personal Details
Your Name *
Name of Spouse (if applicable)
Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityCountry

Post Code
Phone Number*
Email*
example@example.com
Your Children's Names and Ages
Present Occupation*

Family of Origin
Please provide a brief bio, including key events and factors that have shaped you e.g. number of siblings, key relationships, bereavements, significant illness, key jobs and moves.*
What events or factors have most significantly shaped the person you are today?*
List what you feel are the most positive and negative qualities of your father. *
Describe your most pleasant and unpleasant experience with your father.*
What was/is your father’s goal for your life?*
List what you feel are the most positive and negative qualities of your mother.*
Describe your most pleasant and unpleasant experience with your mother.*
What was/is your mother’s goal for your life?*
What is the most significant challenge your family of origin has created for you in later life?*
What is the best quality in you that you would attribute to your family of origin?*

Experience of Church and Ministry:
What church environments have been your most formative to date, and why?*
List the experience you’ve had serving/leading in different ministry areas*
Of the various ministry experiences you have gained to date, which have been the most, and least, life giving, and why?*
Have you ever left church in painful circumstances? If so, please briefly outline and provide an explanation of why.*

Five Characteristics of a Pioneering Leader (2 of 3)
ONE. Vision and Calling
Describe the journey of your call to church plant.*
How confident do you feel in the sense of call?*
How have others confirmed this call? Please give specific examples (if not already covered in your first answer in this section)*
What do you feel God might be saying about timing and further training?*
Have you had to sacrifice anything so far to start following this call?*
Describe the kind of church you envision.*
How does this compare and differ with previous churches/ministry areas you’ve been involved with?*
Have you started to imagine what the next two years will look like?*

TWO. Spiritual and Emotional Formation and Capacity
What area of your discipleship to Jesus would you say needs the most attention and growth in the coming months, and what, if anything, are you doing to press into change in this area? *
What are your primary spiritual pathways (ways you enjoy and encounter God most easily), and how well do you prioritise them in the busyness of life?*
What is the most important question that needs to be asked about your spiritual formation, and who in your life have you empowered to ask it of you? *
When dealing with conflict, how would you describe your approach?*
What relationship has caused you the most anxiety or stress, and how have you dealt with this? If your answer to this is your children, please add another relationship too.*
Have you ever struggled with personal debt?*
How have you grown in generosity, and when was the last time you were generous in a way that cost you?*
In what ways have you engaged with and served “the poor”? *
Have you given any thought to what financing a plant might look like?*

THREE. Evangelism and Mission
List some of the ways you have reached out to un-churched people. Which have been the most fruitful? *
When was the last time you followed up on someone new to faith, and did you invest in their discipleship?*
What type of people do you feel most free to share the gospel with, and with what types of people have you seen the greatest fruit?*
When was the last time you led someone to the Lord?*
Have you ever trained others in how to share the gospel, and If so, how have you gone about doing so?*

FOUR. Leadership and Multiplication
Give an example of a typical small group you have led (or other community group if you haven’t led a small group), and how you trained and released ministry to others in this context.*
Describe your experience in training and raising up leaders.*
Describe how you identify the gifts, passions and skills of others.*
List the ministries you have started from scratch, and how you gathered people to join you.*
What unforeseen difficulties have you led others through?*
Describe a time when you put your trust and energy into someone only to have them suddenly turn their back on you. How have you dealt with it? *

FIVE. Communication
What experience have you had in preaching?*
What experience do you have navigating difficult pastoral conversations? *
Link to Vineyard Statement of Faith - http://www.vineyardchurches.org.uk/tools/statement-of-faith/
How natural is casting vision to others for you, and what experience do you have of doing it for the people/teams you’ve led?*
What are the areas where you communications skills need the most development? *
Have you ever taught on financial stewardship?*

Theological Position (3 of 3)
Doctrine and Belief
As we release people to lead Vineyard churches, we want them to do so in many different and creative ways.

However, it is important that in everything we do, we work within the boundaries of shared core beliefs.

As a relational movement, adhering to these core beliefs avoids family conflict. Please seriously engage with these questions, reading in depth and answering at length.

As with the rest of the questionnaire, your answers will guide a discussion, rather than an immediate decision, about your willingness and suitability to plant a Vineyard church.
Do you have any theological objections to the Nicene Creed? If so, what and why?*
The Vineyard Statement of Faith was written over a period of 10 years in a process guided by John Wimber, John McClure and Don Williams.

The Vineyard Churches Board of Directors formally adopted it as the official statement of faith in November 1994.

Click here for the Statement of Faith
Working through the sections of the Vineyard Statement of Faith share your reflections.*
Is there anything that you theologically disagree with? If so, what and why?*
The VCUKI Vision states that: “Vineyard Churches UK and Ireland exists to participate in the advancement of the Kingdom of God through the work of local Vineyard churches that communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and practise.

We summarise this as ‘Extending God’s Kingdom together, everywhere in every way’.”

Click here for the VCUKI Vision
What would it look like to have this vision underpinning your church’s own unique vision statement?*
How do you intend to structure the leadership of your church? What do you see the role of women being within that structure.?*
Do those guidelines raise any questions for you?*
Should be Empty:

Detailed Discernment Questionnaire

Personal History and Formation (1 of 3)

Personal Details

Family of Origin

Experience of Church and Ministry:

Five Characteristics of a Pioneering Leader (2 of 3)

ONE. Vision and Calling

TWO. Spiritual and Emotional Formation and Capacity

THREE. Evangelism and Mission

FOUR. Leadership and Multiplication

FIVE. Communication

Theological Position (3 of 3)

Doctrine and Belief