I have recently become excited about the simple, yet profound process known as Asset Mapping. It is described in the book by Luther K. Snow entitled “The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act on Its Gifts.” It is not original to Snow; it has been developed by John McKnight and John Kretzmann and has been used broadly as a community development technique that helps document the collective wisdom of the community and broaden the understanding of the assets available on which to draw. Snow brings it into the realm of the church.
So, what’s it about? Asset Mapping goes on the premise of the cup of your congregation being 1/2 full rather than 1/2 empty. Your congregation has many assets, and you may or may not be aware of them. Assets include the spiritual gifts that the people in your congregation have been given, but they include much more. Everything of value that your congregation has is included: in the people, the building, the location, the neighbourhood, and more.
There are 3 simple aspects to Asset Mapping. First, recognising your assets. Secondly, connect the dots. Thirdly, vote with your feet. The importance of having someone with experience lead the process for your group is that there are ways of digging deeper, thinking bigger and looking in places you might not naturally have thought of. In connecting the dots, the key is to not connect assets that are similar, but connect assets that, when brought together, can lead to a ministry opportunity that no one had thought of before. The way this is done is by writing down every individual asset and sticking them on the walls around the room where you are meeting. Connecting the dots is then literally taking an asset off the wall and sticking it beside another asset by which the two assets together give opportunity for a whole new ministry. Now, many people who catch the vision for bringing two or more assets together to form a new ministry are also the ones who could implement that ministry. Voting with your feet is actually walking over to a new ministry posted on the wall in which you are prepared to participate.
Like I said, it is really simple, yet for it to have the best potential, it requires a resource person. I would be happy to come to your church, your leadership retreat, or some configuration of leadership people - to walk you through this exercise. I think four hours would be enough. Contact me to set up an Asset Mapping gathering if you could see this benefiting your group.