Leadership Assessments

The assessors are a collection of experienced new worshiping community leaders, those who oversee and support new worshiping communities for mid-councils, and other individuals with extensive experience in HR, coaching, social work, spiritual direction, etc.

We currently use Clifton Strengths by Gallup, and the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Indicator.

Your written feedback will be sent directly to you. If a presbytery, church or other organization is sponsoring you, they also have a right to access. We encourage you to share your results with a representative from that entity in the context of a face to face meeting. If the sponsoring entity contacts us requesting the written feedback, we will send it to them only after giving you the opportunity to share it yourself. Your written reports are also kept on file with 1001.

We understand that most attending the DML are hoping for a result that commends them forward in starting a new worshiping community. However, we also know that entering into this work when it’s not a good fit or a good time will be detrimental for the leader and others involved. We give all feedback seeking what is best for the participant. Regardless of the outcome, this assessment will be invaluable in understanding more fully the unique talents you have for any ministry.

Discerning Missional Leadership Assessments are an important part of your development because faithful and self-aware leaders propel new worshiping communities forward. The assessment also helps your presbytery or partner congregation be certain that you are the right person for the hard work of starting a new worshiping community.

The cost of the assessment is already significantly underwritten by the Presbyterian Mission Agency. We recommend that the presbytery or partner congregation share in the cost of the assessment. All parties benefit from finding the right leader for a new worshiping community. Seed Grants and other Mission Program Grants may be used to contribute toward the expense of the assessment. When the DML was added as a condition for grant recipients, the amount of the grant was increased to address the added cost associated with the conditions. Or, consider using the specific cost of an assessment to gain a new donor to your community. We are willing to consider need-based scholarships, but only after the above possibilities have been pursued.

No. There are other organizations and denominations that offer assessments for church planters. However, they usually cost more than the DML, are often grounded in a theology at odds with the PC(USA) and 1001, and sometimes have very different understandings of the profile of the ideal candidate doing this work.

We encourage spouses to attend regardless of their desire to take an active role in a new initiative. Spouses who will assume a leadership role should apply for assessment as well.

Yes. We offer a DML entirely in Spanish each year. For all DMLs, participants may request at the time of registration live interpretation into another language during their DML experience. We also provide, upon request, translated versions of all written materials created by us. Please make this request as early as possible, as the translation process takes some time. The Clifton Strengths and Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode inventories are also available in a variety of languages, and accommodations can be made to remove the timer on the Clifton Strengths test for those taking it in English as a second language.

Please register for the first available DML you will be able to attend. So long as you are registered for a future DML, we will consider the grant requirement met, and take it in a good faith that you will follow through and attend.

No. The only requirement for the grant process is that the leader attend a DML. The leader’s DML results are not shared with the Mission Development Resource Committee (MDRC, a committee appointed by the General Assembly of the PCUSA that reviews 1001 NWC grant proposals). Our hope is that this confidentiality will free you to be yourself during the DML process and remove any pressure to “perform.”

In the past, we’ve had NWCs send as many as three leaders to a DML, and they have found the process helpful. Alternatively, we can also arrange for a customized assessment process with your team. Contact us for more details about this option.

We think so! Reflecting on your own leadership, experiences, and fit for this work is an excellent place to begin discerning your call to this work. If you don’t yet feel ready to invest in a process as involved as the DML, consider taking the Missional Leadership Quiz and schedule a consultation call with Michael.