By John Cole

Discussions about the Church's task ("What are we here for?" - the question faced in this chapter) can never be done in isolation. 

Even if (as is all too likely) your conversations as part of the suggested exercises have taken little account of your context ("Where are we?" - the theme of chapter one), you have probably already recognised that the manner and style of what we do is important, as is our integrity and identity.

The question of manner and style, the quality of our church activity, is the "How are we?" question - the issue underlying chapter three.

The issue of identity, and of the shape of the church that is needed if people are to see it as ‘gospel’, is the "Who are we?" question of chapter four. 

Only then can we perhaps face the implications of the question "Whose are we?" in the final chapter.

Meanwhile it is a fascinating fact that none of us will find these questions equally easy to tackle. We will each tend to gravitate to one or other of the first four, according to those deep-seated preferences described in chapter one!

These five questions can also form the basis of another simple audit exercise.