How to read the scores
Every idea in this database is scored across five dimensions. The system is simple on purpose: it exists to help ministry leaders quickly decide whether an idea deserves their time this quarter, not to reduce complex discernment to a number. Here is how it works.
The Five Dimensions
Does this idea advance the kingdom of God in a meaningful, measurable way? A score of 5 means transformational potential — real fruit, real scale, real change in how people encounter God. A score of 1 means minimal direct kingdom impact in its current form. Kingdom Impact carries the heaviest weight because an idea that doesn't serve the kingdom isn't a ministry idea, regardless of how practical or urgent it might be.
A Kingdom Impact score of 1 discards the idea from the database regardless of its total score.
How many ministry leaders could realistically pursue this idea? A score of 5 means nearly any active ministry leader, regardless of context, denomination, or capacity. A score of 1 means this idea requires a highly specialized calling and most leaders should skip it. We weight this second-highest because an idea that only one person in a thousand can execute isn't broadly useful.
Can a motivated leader start this with the resources they already have? A score of 5 means you can start this week with minimal preparation or cost. A score of 1 means enterprise-level resources are required. Feasibility matters because ideas that demand what leaders don't have end up as guilt, not action.
Is there a real, felt need in the community that this idea addresses? A score of 5 means people are actively waiting for this — a critical, unmet need. A score of 1 means it's a nice-to-have. Need matters because timing a solution to an actual problem is half the work.
Does timing matter? A score of 5 means now-or-never — delay meaningfully reduces impact. A score of 1 means the idea is evergreen. Urgency carries the least weight because lasting ideas shouldn't be penalized for patience. A Timeless idea — one that scores well on every other dimension but has no particular time pressure — scores Urgency at 3 by convention.
How the Total Works
Each dimension is scored as a whole number from 1 to 5 — no half-stars, no decimals. The composite score is the unweighted sum of all five dimensions, out of a maximum of 25. The weights (30/25/20/15/10) describe each dimension's relative importance in our editorial evaluation, but the published total is a straight sum for transparency and simplicity.
What the Thresholds Mean
Briefed
This idea gets a full write-up and enters the active database. It has enough kingdom weight, practical accessibility, and community need to be worth your time.
Parked
This idea has promise but doesn't clear the bar for a full brief. It may be revisited if conditions change or a stronger version emerges.
Discarded
This idea doesn't meet the minimum threshold. It may be interesting, but it's not actionable enough to include in a database meant for practitioners.
Conventions
- All scores are whole numbers (1–5). No fractions.
- A Kingdom Impact of 1 discards the idea regardless of its total.
- A “Timeless” idea — one with strong scores but no time pressure — receives an Urgency score of 3 by convention.
- Scores reflect how this idea performs relative to other ministry innovation ideas in the database, not in the abstract.