Common Research Problems and Questions

Here is a list of the common research questions. From these a field team can choose which ones are most relevant for its ministry context.
1. What is the basic condition of the country?
2. What are the basic needs of the society?
3. What is the world view?
4. What is the geographic, social and ethnic mosaic of the country?
5. What is the degree of receptivity to the gospel?
6. What is the Church like in terms of maturity and resources?
7. What is the size of the Church?
8. What is the rate of growth of the Church?
9. How is the Church distributed geographically, ethnically, demographically, and socially?
10. How far has the Church progressed in discipling the nation?
11. Where is the Church growing most rapidly and effectively?
12. What segments of society/people groups are turning to Christ?
13. Where do churches still need to be planted?
14. Among which people groups do churches need to be planted?
15. Why has the Church grown or not grown?
16. What are the contextual hindrances to growth?
17. What are the institutional obstacles to growth?
18. What ministries are most responsible for gaining converts? '
19. What projections can be made for future growth?
20. What is 0C's contribution to the harvest?
21. How effective is OC in motivating, training and mobilizing the Church?
22. How are the ministry methods contributing to team goals and objectives?
23. Are the ministry methods accomplishing their stated objectives?
24. What changes need to be made by the church (new ministries developed, previous ministries improved upon) in order to increase the harvest?
25. Who are the key change agents most likely to bring about needed changes?
Each team will need to develop its own research plan. Within that plan, it will need to determine which of these issues are of greatest importance and relevance. These research questions should be reviewed annually to determine any necessary changes in the research emphasis of the team.