PLANNING YOUR MINISTRY # 1

It is a fact that most pastors and churches never create plans extending beyond next Sunday’s sermon. They have no written annual plans for outreach, maturity, worship, buildings or missions. One reason is the pastor may not understand its value. Another might be fear or laziness. You may wonder why one would be fearful to establish a plan. The answer is simple; if you plan, you might fail. Thus, the safest course of action is not to act or plan.

October is a good time to hold the planning session for your church. The date, time, place and who will attend should be put on your calendar months prior to the scheduled date. The pastor must spend some time alone looking at his purpose statement and asking himself some questions about it. Each question must be prefaced with “What do we need to do to…” The answers should be written down for his personal guidance at the planning meeting. This is pre-planning.

Prior to the meeting, an agenda should be created and distributed to all who attend. The time to be granted on each item must be listed. The moderator should ensure that the meeting stays on course and adheres to the allotted time. 

Write the question on the board, and then the moderator should ask, “What do we need to do to…” Answers should be written on the whiteboard under the question. The only response allowed to each idea is, “good, write that down. Now, what else do we need to do…?”  Do not allow any discussion or comments on the ideas until the team has run out of suggestions, if you do, you will squelch the meeting and people will stop giving ideas. Follow this procedure with all major ministry questions. This is the brainstorming of the session.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]A clear plan not only gives direction, it liberates and gives purpose.[/pullquote]

Once all the ideas are in on each ministry, decide which ideas the church should turn into ministry goals. Once this has been done on the major ministries, set dates on when each idea will be implemented and completed. Also, determine who will be responsible for that goal and what the expense will be. This gives ownership and responsibility for each goal. Review points should be set to determine progress.

A clear plan of how you are to achieve each goal, not only gives direction, it liberates and gives purpose. I want to challenge each pastor to schedule a planning session for his ministry. It will be one of the most helpful things you can do. So, start planning to plan.

Ken Blue

Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.