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Discovery Workshop

See what God has placed in front of you.

Discovery Workshop: Clarifying God’s Mission for Your Church

Workshop Goal:
To help your church uncover its unique missional identity by prayerfully examining where God is already at work, who He is calling you to reach, and how to begin moving with clarity and conviction.

Overview:
The Discovery Workshop is the first step in The Sent Life’s movement process and builds directly on insights gathered from your leadership’s pre-workshop preparation. Through the Discovery Workbook and Survey, your team will have already explored your church’s passions, strengths, and missional history. That vital input becomes the foundation of this collaborative workshop, where teams prayerfully synthesize what they’ve learned and visualize their church’s path forward. Through hands-on brainstorming and group discernment, your church will begin forming a clear, Spirit-led sense of missional direction.

Workshop Outline (3–4 hours)

  1. Welcome + Workshop Overview (15 min)

    • Introduction to The Sent Life’s 4-part movement process

    • Purpose of Discovery: “See what God has placed in front of you.”

    • Overview of the session structure and use of pre-work materials

  2. Session 1: Reflect on God’s Mission (30 min)

    • Short devotion on the biblical basis for God’s mission

    • Guided discussion using Discovery Workbook responses:
      “What is God already doing in and through us?”

  3. Session 2: Interpreting the Input (45 min)

    • Review themes from the completed Discovery Survey

    • Highlight patterns, values, and recurring focus points

    • Key questions:

      • What breaks our heart?

      • What are we already positioned to do well?

      • What gaps or opportunities surround us?

  4. Session 3: Sticky Note Brainstorming (60 min)

    • Exercise 1: Where is God already at work around us?

      • Post-it note storm: One idea per note, group and theme ideas

    • Exercise 2: Who are we best equipped to reach?

      • Group maps local and global opportunities

    • Exercise 3: What could we actually do?

      • Filter ideas through passion, opportunity, and capacity

  5. Session 4: Clarify the Calling (45 min)

    • Choose 2–3 potential focus areas from group brainstorms

    • Draft initial missional direction or statement

    • Prep a short written summary to guide next steps

  6. Next Steps + Debrief (30 min)

    • What we learned and what surprised us

    • Outline expectations for the upcoming Development Workshop

    • Encourage continued prayer and reflection on decisions made

Workshop Syllabus Summary

Pre-Workshop Requirement:
Participants must complete the Discovery Workbook and Survey before attending. These tools are essential in helping your team reflect on your church’s history, identity, passions, and context. Bring all completed materials to the workshop—they will guide and anchor each session.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Align your church with God’s mission both locally and globally

  • Identify key strengths and burdens revealed through the prework

  • Narrow in on people, places, and causes that reflect your calling

  • Lay the foundation for mission strategy in the Development phase

Included Materials:

  • Discovery Workbook & Survey (digital)

  • Discovery Survey results summary (digital)

  • Sticky note exercise templates and facilitation guide (Digital)

  • Group decision worksheets and take-home summary template (Digital)