Awakenings Prayer Institute Introduction to an Assessment

Introduction  The Awakenings Prayer Institute is a two-year learning community that teaches and practices contemplative patterns of prayer and encourages putting these disciplines to use in active ministry.  We do this through: Seminars Retreats Workshops Custom Training Events Special Prayer Assignments  We have a goal of training 1000 practitioners and 100 facilitators in 10 years.  We are in our third year.

I. Introduction II. Profile – Who We Are A. History B. Vision C. Structure D. Culture E. Stakeholders 1. Internal 2. External III. Outputs – What We Do A. Events B. Information Products IV. Processes – How We Do It A. Strategic Planning B. Marketing C. Internal Communication D. Learning E. Evaluation F. Professional Development G. Administration F. Finances V. Results – How We Did A. Strengths and opportunities B. Weaknesses and threats C. Lessons Learned. VI. Next Steps – Getting Better A. Recommendations 1. Keep what works 2. Abandon what doesn’t work B. Implementation Strategies 1. Who advises? 2. Who decides? 3. Timeframe 4. Monitoring

Measuring the Quality of Prayer Life  Before and after surveys with scaled ratings of: Time spent in prayer Desire to pray Tolerance for silence Sensing God’s Presence Frequency of receiving clear guidance  Anecdotal or testimonial data collected from: Remarks section of surveys Recorded interviews Class evaluations – especially end of year  Longitudinal follow-up with former students at intervals of: One year Three year Five year

Asking Tough Financial Questions  What financial benchmarks are available in similar organizations?  What are the sources of income?  What are some untapped sources of income?  How have the sources of income changed over time?  What are the types of income?  What are some untapped types of income?  What is the budget process?  What financial statements are produced?  How often and by whom is the financial system audited?  What processes are in place to control costs?

Awakenings Prayer Institute Pray and Be Blessed