© 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