

The two simple questions to ask in prayer are:
1. God, who are you sending us to? Remember that we are typically called to either a neighborhood or a network of relationships. Most of the time, God will reveal this to you by bringing you a person of peace from that neighborhood or network.
2. What is good news to those people? Once we find the person of peace, we begin to ask the gospel question: What is the good news for this group of people? What aspect of the gospel will speak to their hearts most powerfully? How can we live out the message of Jesus and also talk about Jesus effectively? In other words, how do we show them and tell them the good news of Jesus?
Also, consider the questions below (a “passion audit”), which we often use to help missional community leaders determine where God is calling them.
1. What are your heart’s desires? What are you passionate about? What excites you (kids, environment, people, family, healing, etc.)?
2. What is your holy discontent? What grieves or saddens you? What do you see and think, That’s not fair! (Kids on street corners, litter, abuse, families breaking up, etc.)
3. What are the opportunities? Where are there places of grace, influence and invitation?
4. What are the needs of the community? Where could you be a blessing/good news to the local community?
5. What have you heard from God? What has God said in the past, through Scripture and other people, about the present or the future?
As you begin to pray through those questions, and begin building the discipling culture of your missional community, you will begin to see how to structure your missional community in appropriate ways. If we start with passion and vision for mission, birthed in prayer, the logistical and detail questions become clearer.