© 2013 FEBC International

The Gray Matrix…a tool for understanding our audience, for ministry planning and analysis

It is Good to….. Understand where people are at in

their spiritual journey Know if our messages are

understood by our audiences Plan our ministry so that it is

suitable for our audiences Be honest with ourselves!

Meeting People Where They Are Spiritually:

What they know and understand (about Gospel) What they think they know – and misunderstand (about

Gospel) How they feel towards Jesus, the Gospel, Christians – and

the Church Their openness to Change Their context:

Problems they face Their interests

2 Things:1. How much people

know and understand

2. How open they are towards the Gospel

1. How much do people understand about the Gospel?

This is one of the first things we need to know

We need to know this so that we use words they will understand

We need to talk to them on their level If our message is not understood it

will turn them off… We can use a simple scale to

determine where people are at…

Knowledge (spiritual awareness) People generally start with “No

real awareness” of God (-7) As they receive input their

knowledge of the Gospel increases (-6 to -2)

By God’s grace they understand Repentance & Faith (-1) – and act on it

They begin to grow in knowledge and love of God

Covers the main doctrines: Triune God, the Creation event,

The Fall, Revelation, Incarnation, Redemption, The Church, The Return of Christ

2. Openness/Attitude Indicates their attitude

towards the Gospel Their attitude is not

tied to knowledge It depends on feelings

and experiences People often needs to

become Open before they can be taught

Knowledge + OpennessWhen we add these

two together we get the Matrix:

The Matrix – looking at it more closely…

4 quadrants (sectors) A, B, C, and D Each has its own

characteristics

Effective Communication Helps people to become

more open to Gospel Helps people to understand

more Both Knowledge and

Attitude change are necessary

For many people their Attitude needs to be changed first (how?)

People, Path and Programs(1) PEOPLE

(3) PATH (4) PROGRAM

(2) PEOPLE-2

Laying a Pathway

Pathway and Programs

Theory versus Reality We need to be honest with ourselves…

A common problem: We say we are

reaching people here

But in reality we are speaking to people here..

…or here !

To Analyse…

What groups are your programs currently aimed at? Plot them on the Matrix Are there some gaps? (if so – where?) How will you fill the gaps?

To Plan…

If our audience is located at -3,-5 what kind of programs do we need to make? What other activities might we consider?

If our audience is located at +2,-3 what kind of programs do we need to make?

On the Web:

http://thegraymatrix.org

For background information and studyFor interaction and comments