Evaluate It
David Broodryk Reflections Part 7
By Lim MY
David Broodryk has been on a long journey into discipleship movements and seeking to see cities impacted by and for Jesus. He and his team now serve teams and leaders in cities all over the world. He recently spent time with several Asian city teams as part of the Urban Wheat Project. This is the final article in a series of posts I have shared from our time together.
Why Do We Evaluate?
Why do we evaluate anything—our lives, our teams, or our work?.
David suggests that if we do not know where we want to go, then it doesn’t really matter which fork in the road we take. However, if we know where we want to be, evaluation serves as a vital tool to help us know where we currently are and how to get to our destination.
In the city, the need for evaluation intensifies because cities are places of rapid change. Complexity is a hallmark of urban life, and one aspect of that complexity is how quickly things shift. We need to evaluate to understand what is actually happening on the ground. Without this, we risk acting out of mere impulse or outdated assumptions rather than responding to the current reality.
We want to have a real-time understanding as much as possible so that we can make informed decisions.
In these environments, nothing moves in straight lines. Movement in and out of networks is common, and because things are changing rapidly all the time,
we must become better at observing the landscape to make better decisions.
We must ask: What is God putting in front of us? Who are the people, the churches, the resources, the institutions, and the businesses working with us?
The Four Ways to Evaluate
To gain this understanding, David outlines four primary ways we can evaluate movement over time.
1. Mapping
We look at how the life of the kingdom is flowing from person to person through relationships and organizations. This is not just about individuals, but about the "ecosystem" of connections where the gospel is taking root.
2. Looking at Quantity
Quantity helps us understand if there has been change over time.
It is important to remember that movement is defined as "change over time". We cannot measure movement by where we are now in isolation; it must be relative to something that happened earlier. For example, having one million disciples both last year and this year indicates no movement. However, having three disciples last year and five this year demonstrates movement.
It is not strictly about large numbers or size; it is about multiplication.
3. Assessing Quality
Quality is an equally important aspect of evaluation. To study quality, we look at five specific indicators:
empowering leadership,
abiding prayer,
redemptive mission,
joy-filled belonging, and
scripture engagement
These indicators tell us if the communities being formed are healthy and sustainable.
4. Telling Stories
Stories are a profound way to measure movement because they tell us things that other indicators cannot. They reveal if ordinary people are carrying the gospel from person to person and provide a window into what is happening on the ground.
Human beings are wired for stories—God even gave us the entire Bible in story form rather than a list of to-do points.
A Story of Urban Evaluation: The Coffee Shop Strategy
David describes how these principles have played out in his own local area.
When he moved to a new city four years ago, he prayed, and God put it in his heart to reach young adults. He found many of them employed in various roles in local coffee shops and began finding opportunities to talk to them.
His approach was non-confrontational and centered on listening. The conversations naturally led to questions about their life goals. David would ask:
“What’s your dream?"
"What excites you about the dream?"
"How does that dream connect with your past?"
"How did God prepare you for that dream?"
"What are the struggles and the obstacles that you have to fulfill that dream?"
"How could somebody help and support you to fulfill that dream?”
Through this intentional time spent talking, David built relationships and eventually introduced the gospel and scriptures to those who were interested. For those who decided to follow Jesus, he began to disciple them.
However, a practical problem arose: David was on the road 60-70% of the time, making it difficult to maintain consistent time with his disciples.
To solve this, he involved local leaders who were already stirred up to disciple others. He brought different groups together—including leaders from a business group and teams with a desire to reach young adults. The outcome was a collaborative effort where he did not have to do everything himself.
Simple faith communities began starting through local leaders in various contexts, from pre-schools to areas struggling with violence.
Mapping the Ecosystem
While this growth can seem disorganized, David encourages drawing what is happening into a picture. In his own journey, he mapped everything God had been doing over an 18-month period—the people, the contexts, and the relationships. The resulting drawing depicted how the life of God was flowing and multiplying: new discovery groups, new disciples, and simple faith communities.
This process is often done on a big white board together as a team.
The team takes a step back to look at all the different moving parts and draws the flows and connections. This captures the ecosystem where God is moving. This is then presented to God in prayer.
Once the map is drawn, it allows the team to ask critical strategic questions:
What must we do next?
Where must we put our energy?
Who do we move towards and pour our lives into?
What must we do next?
Where must we put our energy?
Who do we move towards and pour our lives into?
By evaluating in this way, we move from acting on impulse to acting with the clarity that comes from observing God’s hand at work in the city.
Try This Out - The Ecosystem Map
Take a big, blank piece of paper or find a large whiteboard.
1) Draw the Flow:
Begin to draw a map of what is happening around you. How is the life of the kingdom flowing in your arena and your relationships?.
2) Include the Players:
Include your leaders, disciple-makers, disciples, simple faith communities, or churches. Don't forget non-profits, institutions, partners, and any other parties involved in the work.
3) Identify Connections:
Draw lines to show the connections and the "flow" of life between these groups.
4) Pray:
Submit what you have drawn to God in prayer. Present the ecosystem He has given you and ask for guidance on where to focus your energy next.
