Planning can enhance your ministry and extend your impact.
Even if we manage to carve out some think-time, the actual planning portion is STILL TOUGH! It can be difficult to know where to start. What should change? What stays the same? Fresh ideas are a struggle.
There is no “one way” to plan successfully, but we have identified SEVEN QUESTIONS to help supercharge your planning. We’ll hit the first three today, and finish up with the rest tomorrow.
The STRATEGY question: What are we doing to help students be more like Jesus?
Begin by taking a 30,000 foot view of your ministry. List all of your programs (e.g. small groups), ministry processes (e.g. following up on visitors) and anything else that is part of your overall ministry. Looking at big picture is necessary to determine what you need to start, stop or continue. Evaluate each element against the overall strategy of your ministry.
The TRADITION question: Is there anything that we’re doing because we’ve “always” done it?
Inertia is real… and it’s alive and well in the church. It’s easy to spot apathy in other ministries, but just as easy to miss seeing in your own! Healthy planning requires honesty and courage to cut programs or change direction. Don’t change just because you’ve done it before, change when necessary—when what you’re doing is no longer effective.
The PASSION question: What do I personally love most about ministry right now?
We get into ministry because we love Jesus and we want to help teenagers love him too. Along the way, passion can morph into practice (renting vans, returning calls, editing content for church website, spreadsheets, etc…). Taking a fresh look at your passion can reveal what needs to change so you can focus on your passion and avoid burn out.
Planning takes a lot of work, but the future results will be well worth your time now.