Foundational Leadership Questions Every Church Must Answer

How Clarity Fuels Mission, Culture, Strategy, and Movement

In a world overflowing with ministry models, growth strategies, and leadership trends, it’s easier than ever for churches to lose their way. Here’s why I am committed to helping churches and organizations answer five foundational leadership questions:

We react.
We copy.
We survive.

But rarely do we pause to discern.

So, at Jeff Meyer Coaching, I guide churches and leaders through a time-tested, Spirit-led process built around Auxano’s Vision Framing—the gold standard for organizational clarity and Spirit-driven movement.

This isn’t about buzzwords.
Rather, it’s about building durable, sustainable, Spirit-anchored momentum for the long haul.

Because, here’s the truth:

Your church’s calling is local, specific, and Spirit-led.

Considering this then, faithful leadership starts by answering five foundational leadership questions.

🧭 The 5 Foundational Leadership Questions Every Church Must Answer

Let’s walk through them together.

Foundational Leadership Question #1: “What Are We Doing?“

(Clarifying Mission Through Context and Collective Focus)

Every church exists for the mission of God.
But your church’s expression of that mission must be discovered, not assumed, borrowed, or copied.

Mission clarity isn’t a slogan.
It’s a 7–11 word catalytic phrase that defines your unique calling, aligning your people around a Spirit-driven purpose.

Mission answers: Why do we exist, and what are we doing here and now for these people and this place?

Consequently, we must take the necessary time and make the essential investment of energy to discern our unique context. So, here’s where we start. The clarity we seek begins to be discerned through three Spirit-guided lenses:

📍 Local Predicament: Where Has God Placed Us?

Think PLACE

To begin, consider these questions:

Ask:

• What are the most urgent needs in our neighborhood that God is inviting us to notice?
• How are these needs reflected socially, economically, spiritually, politically, or relationally?
• What part of our community feels farthest from the Kingdom reality God longs to restore?
• What unique opportunities are present within a half-mile of our location?
• If our church disappeared tomorrow, what unmet need would be most noticeable in our community?

🧩 Collective Potential: Who Has God Gathered?

Think PEOPLE

In addition, ask yourself:

Ask:

• What strengths, skills, and spiritual gifts consistently show up among our people?
• Where have we already made the most significant impact locally or globally?
• If we could only do one ministry outside our church walls, which one would we choose?
• What do new members say drew them to our community—and why they stayed?
• How would we describe the atmosphere our people naturally create when they come together?

🔥 Apostolic Esprit: What Ignites Our Leadership?

Think PASSION

Finally, explore these deeper leadership questions:

Ask:

• What one broken reality in the world grieves or bothers us most deeply?
• If we knew we couldn’t fail, what Kingdom cause would we boldly pursue?
• What causes, burdens, or prayers most consistently stir passion among our leaders?
• What projects or actions (even small ones) have given us deep, quiet satisfaction over time?
• When our ministry story is told years from now, what do we most want people to say about who we were—and what we accomplished?

Because of this, when a church answers these questions honestly, a catalytic mission phrase emerges—one that is rooted, Spirit-led, specific, and powerful.

So, clarity of mission lays the foundation for everything else.
However, naming what we’re called to do is only the beginning.
If we want to stay true to our calling, we must also define the heart behind it—
The shared convictions that shape every step we take together.
That’s where Values come in.

Foundational Leadership Question #2: “Why Are We Doing It?“

(Clarifying Values: Anchoring Your Culture)

Values are not doctrinal statements or marketing slogans. Instead,

Values define the motivational DNA of your church—the soul of how your mission lives and breathes.

As a result, naming, defining, and illustrating our values answers:

• What matters most to us, no matter what?
• What unique motivational drivers show up consistently in everything we do?

In other words, values describe the DNA of how your mission breathes in real life.

🧭 Essentially, Strong Values Are:

• Clear: Easily understood and remembered.
• Concise: 4–6 values maximum.
• Compelling: Capturing your church’s passion and tone.
• Catalytic: Inspiring behavior, not just beliefs.
• Contextual: Rooted in your specific people, place, and history.

✨ Why Values Are Mission-Critical. Because They…

✅ Clarify our essential motivators behind everything we do.
✅ Align decision-making across teams and ministries.
✅ Protect culture through seasons of change and growth.
✅ Accelerate momentum by focusing energy around shared convictions.
✅ Multiply healthy leadership by shaping hearts, not just roles.

Foundational Leadership Question #3: “How Are We Doing It?“

(Clarifying Strategy: Designing a Unified Movement)

Strategy is not a list of programs. We’re not just growing a church by offering lots of choices for people to participate in. Instead, we are guiding people to growth.

Strategy is the visible movement of people living the mission out together.

🛠 Consequently, Strategy Clarifies:

✅ Movement:

• How individuals and teams flow toward deeper formation and mission—
  not in random activity, but in Spirit-led direction.

✅ Organizational Logic:

• How ministries fit together intuitively—not in competition, but in collaboration.

✅ Personal Participation:

• How every person knows their next faithful step—
  not in confusion, but in confident engagement.

✅ Rhythm of Life:

• How regular patterns (weekly, monthly, annually) form and support disciple-making—
  not in exhausting busyness, but in sustainable faithfulness.

Therefore, strategy turns ministry chaos into missionary clarity.

Strategy organizes our energy—but it still leaves one vital question:
How will we know if we are truly making progress?
We must define success the way heaven measures it—through transformed lives, not just busy calendars.
That’s where Measures focus our movement.

Therefore, we must be crystal clear about what true spiritual transformation looks like in everyday life. Otherwise, without realizing it, we will default to counting heads instead of cultivating hearts.

Foundational Leadership Question #4: “When Are We Successful?“

(Clarifying Measures: Focusing on True Spiritual Outcomes)

True success is not measured by how many people attend. Rather,

True success is measured by who your people are becoming.

Thus, measures anchor movement in real, Spirit-led outcomes.

🎯 Therefore, Strong Measures Focus On:

✅ Defining True Spiritual Success:

• A shared vision of the mature disciple.

✅ Prioritizing Growth Over Knowledge:

• Transformation, not information alone.

✅ Creating Systematic Accountability:

• Teaching, tracking, and celebrating ongoing growth.

✅ Prioritizing People Over Programs:

• Disciple-making, not busyness.

✅ Mapping Spiritual Formation Across Ages:

• From children’s ministry to adult discipleship, defining what maturity looks like.

Measures anchor us to real transformation.
But mission-driven churches never stay static.
They listen, adapt, and move forward, following Jesus into the next horizon of His unfolding story.
Ultimately, churches must continue asking:
Where is God leading us?

Foundational Leadership Question #5: “Where Is God Leading Us?“

(Clarifying Movement: Living with Horizon Vision)

Vision is not a static future dream. Instead…

Vision is a dynamic journey framed by following Jesus across four Spirit-led horizons.

✨ Four Horizons of Vision:

📖 Vision Has Two Dimensions:

✅ Qualitative Vision (“Missional Mountaintop”):

• A beautiful, inspirational picture of the future God is calling you to.

✅ Quantitative Vision (“Missional Milestone”):

• Clear, measurable steps that bring you closer to the mountaintop.

Vision isn’t about forecasting the future.
Vision is about faithfully following Jesus into it—one horizon at a time.

Need a simple visual summary for your team?
🎁 Download the “5 Leadership Questions Framework” Slide Deck here.
It’s perfect for staff meetings, elder retreats, or clarity workshops.

✨ Final Word

These five foundational leadership questions are not merely leadership exercises.

These foundational leadership questions are a Spirit-led pathway for shaping resilient, mission-driven churches in an unpredictable world.

When these foundational leadership questions are answered with courage:

First, Mission becomes specific—not in vague ambition, but in Spirit-anchored purpose.
Next, Culture breathes deep—not in surface slogans, but in shared convictions lived out daily.
Then, Strategy organizes energy—not in scattered programs, but in unified movement.
After that, Measures anchor outcomes—not in human metrics, but in Kingdom transformation.
Finally, Vision sustains momentum—not in chasing trends, but in faithfully following Jesus into the future.

Because clarity is not a luxury.
Clarity is a lifeline.

And no leader is meant to walk this journey alone. If you are ready to move from drifting to direction, from surviving to thriving, and from reacting to realigning, I would be honored to journey with you.

🧭 Ready to Answer the Foundational Leadership Questions and Clarify Your Church’s Vision?

Clarity isn’t something you stumble into.
It’s something you journey into—carefully, prayerfully, together.

If you’re ready to guide your team through the five foundational leadership questions and ignite a sustainable Spirit-led movement, I’d be honored to help.

📩 Schedule a free Vision Clarity Conversation

Together, let’s unlock the future your church was designed to walk into—one Spirit-led step at a time.

The next horizon is closer than you think.