C6: Showing The Bible Has Answers To Our Most Important Questions

Showing The Bible Has Answers To Our Most Important Questions

What are the felt needs in the community?
What are the biggest problems that people face?
Describe any significant trauma that has occurred in this context.
Could some people benefit from a trauma healing workshop in your area? If so, who?
What other efforts (if any) have been made to bring healing to people’s life issues through God’s Word?
How big of a problem is drug abuse, alcoholism, or other addictions?
What ministries or resources focus on drug abuse, alcoholism, and addiction?
Summary Questions: Based on the answers to the questions above, what are the most important problems people are facing and what, if anything, is being done to help people address those problems?

What do people fear?
What do they believe are the sources or causes of misfortune, sickness, or premature death? (This may have to do with displeasing ancestors or spirits or may be the result of witchcraft or sorcery.)
What spiritual means do people use to maintain good health, to deal with sickness, to deal with misfortune, or to avoid premature death? (This may include taking revenge on a perceived witch or sorcerer.)
What are their views of life after death? Ancestors?
What is the local view of God and of mid-level deities like angels, demons, Satan, ancestors, animal spirits, or geographical spirits (spirits associated with particular mountains, rivers, trees, rocks, etc.)?
What Bible passages (if any) do people apply to their local deities?
What are the local life cycle rituals and annual agricultural cycle rituals?
What practices are involved?
What beliefs are involved?
What appear to be the functions of these rituals (what needs do they meet)? Why do they practice them?
How can God and Scripture fulfill these needs?
Which beliefs and practices disagree with Scripture?
Which agree with Scripture?
Which forms can be adapted and have biblical teaching brought into them?
Summary Questions: Based on the answers to the questions above, how well do traditional beliefs and practices about the spirit world align with what the Bible teaches? Are there specific beliefs and practices that are keeping people from following the teachings of Scripture? If so, which ones?

Give examples of good and bad behavior.
What are the characteristics of the most and least respected people in the community? What are the moral issues that members of the community are most concerned about?
What does the Bible have to say about these moral ideals and behaviors? Does it confirm that any of these are valid?
What brings good for the group?
What brings people honor?
What brings people guilt or shame?
Describe any revitalization movements in the area.
Describe any increased religious activity (Christian or non-Christian) in the area. What were the possible motivations or causes for these movements or increased religious activity?
Summary Questions: Considering the Answers to the above questions, how would a good person and good culture be defined? How well do those definitions line up with Biblical teaching?

What are the current issues among youth?
How different is youth culture from adult culture?
What strategies or ministries exist that focus on youth or children?
In your area, what are culturally appropriate ways to explain the Gospel that people easily understand and some respond to (if they are present)?
What are good discipleship resources available to the local community?
Summary Questions: Do adequate resources exist to meet the needs of these different groups? If not, what resources need to be developed?

Do an adequate number and variety of Scripture products exist (story sets, booklets, dramas, songs, videos, radio programs, etc.) that speak directly to the various felt needs of the community described above? Please list these products (if any) and the felt needs they address.
Is spiritual hunger so unusually high within the community that they are already instinctively turning to the Word of God for the answers to their life challenges?
Summary Questions: Considering these things, what Bible products or activities are directly answering the spiritual hunger of this community? What additional Bible products or activities could be used to address spiritual hunger in this community?