Officially form your Jumpstart Team that will report to your church council and begin the process of identifying to seek out where God is at work and develop a mission vision for a new Kingdom Growth ministry.

This team should be made up of 3-5 people, one of whom is a council member or staff member. It's extraordinarily important to have a council member or staff member so that there is buy-in and good communication between the leadership teams.

This team must be willing to meet twice a month for 3 months.

Communicate regularly with your council or leadership team.

Lesson Introduction

Every healthy church is called to reflect the life of Jesus — rooted in God, forming disciples in community, and engaging the world with the gospel. In practice, most churches tend to be strong in one or two areas and underdeveloped in another. JumpStart exists to help your church discern where God is inviting you to grow next.

This lesson will guide your team through identifying your two primary areas of Kingdom growth using the UP–IN–OUT framework.

At the end of this session, you will:

• Understand the Deeper Relationships Triangle (UP–IN–OUT)
• Diagnose where your church is currently strongest and weakest
• Identify your two growth priorities
• Begin discerning specific ministry opportunities through prayer and counsel

This is where discernment meets direction.

(From Veritas Community)

The Deeper Relationships Triangle: UP – IN – OUT

UP — Communion with God

Jesus prioritized His relationship with the Father (Luke 6:12). Before activity came intimacy. Before mission came prayer.

IN — Community with Disciples

Jesus intentionally formed a discipling community (Luke 6:13–16). Spiritual formation is relational and reproducible.

OUT — Mission to the World

Jesus engaged the lost, the hurting, and the spiritually hungry (Luke 6:17–19). He moved toward the crowds with compassion and power.

A healthy church lives in all three directions.

Step 1: Diagnose Your Church’s Current Reality

Exercise: Map Your Ministries

1. List every ministry currently active in your church.
2. Assign each ministry a primary category (Up, In, or Out).

• • Every ministry expresses all three — you are discerning the primary emphasis.

1. Tally the results.
2. Identify your weakest two categories.
   These will become your two areas of Kingdom growth.

Note: This exercise is adapted from Mike Breen’s “Building a Discipling Culture.”

Step 2: Learn from Jesus’ Rhythm (Imitation)

Jesus balanced prayer, discipleship, and mission. Review Luke 6:12–19 with your team and discuss:

• How does Jesus model each dimension (UP–IN–OUT)?
• Which dimension do you find most natural personally?
• Which is most natural for your church?
• Which is least natural — and why?

Churches tend to drift into two-dimensional patterns:

UP + IN

Primary Strengths: Strong worship, teaching, discipleship groups, community          

Missing Dimension: OUT (Mission / Evangelism)         

Consequences: Good fellowship + formation but little outward impact or evangelistic fruit

UP + OUT

Primary Strengths: Strong Bible teaching, outreach, evangelism, theological clarity

Missing Dimension: IN (Community / Belonging)        

Consequences: Highly active and evangelistic but community feels thin; people can burn out or feel disconnected

IN + OUT            

Primary Strengths: Strong relational community and service to the world      

Missing Dimension: UP (Dependence on God / Prayer)

Consequences: Active and caring, but spiritual depth weakens over time; mission becomes social-only rather than Spirit-led

Healthy churches pursue balance in UP, IN, and OUT — like Jesus in Luke 6:12-19.

Step 3: Prayerful Discernment Together

Guided Listening Prayer (20 minutes)

Each team member prays aloud asking:

• Where is God already at work in and around us?
• Where are you calling our church to grow?

After each person prays, pause — and the group names:

• Scriptures that came to mind
• Images, promptings, impressions
• Themes or repeated ideas

This is not brainstorming. It is listening.

Repeat for each person.

Record keywords and themes. Patterns often reveal calling.

Step 4: Align with Church Leadership

Meet with your council/leadership team and:

• Share your UP–IN–OUT ministry map
• Discuss your two identified growth areas
• Ask for feedback and prayerful confirmation
• Seek permission to explore new ministry pilots in those areas

Assign someone to keep brief notes so you can report on progress in the next cohort call.

Communication is not a formality — it builds shared ownership and accountability.

Assignment

1. Complete and tally your UP–IN–OUT ministry map.
2. Formally confirm your two growth areas with leadership.
3. Document your prayer discernment themes.
4. Identify 1–2 possible ministry expressions in each growth area.
5. Appoint one person to record your team’s progress for the cohort.

Reflection Questions

Use these questions in your debrief:

• Where is our church over-invested? Why?
• Where are we under-invested? Why?
• Which direction of Jesus' ministry feels most unfamiliar to us?
• How do faithfulness and fruitfulness work together?
  • Can faithfulness exist without fruitfulness?
  • Can fruitfulness be pursued without faithfulness?
• What Scriptures or themes surfaced repeatedly in prayer?

Spiritual Posture

Innovation in the Kingdom always begins with obedience, not ambition.

You are not inventing a ministry.
You are joining God in work He is already initiating.

Discern first. Build second.