The next lens built into our leadership binoculars is Strategy – or Planning.  Once we determine that our Values lie within the scope of God’s Values (via His Word), and thus God’s mission (to make disciples in His world through His church), we pray earnestly for a specific Vision – or Picture – of how this massive Mission is carried out in our own local church cultural context.  God’s Vision for your urban church might be radically different than God’s vision for my suburban or rural church.  So far, so good?

 

The Strategy, or Plan, is the link between Vision and Mission.  I’m a horrible cook, but if I had a basket of apples and my mission was to make applesauce, I would need to figure how to best do that.  In other words, what is the best recipe for what I would envision as great applesauce?  This aspect of leadership can be the most challenging and also the most fun.  I would submit that the best types of applesauce are not all made the same way, but all involve apples and some sort of intentional process.  This process is what separates applesauce from great applesauce and it also prevents me from unintentionally producing apple pudding.   

 

Do you have clearly defined strategies – or specific plans – for successfully fulfilling every component of your holistic ministry Vision? 

 

When ministries simply fail to strategically plan, they are strategically planning to fail…

This note was written from Merritt Johnston who will be leading a session for the ladies at INTERSECT. Merritt has a wonderful ministry focusing on reaching and training up girls to be leaders and women of God. Hear a word from Merritt.


Family, school, work, ministry...struggling to find the balance? Join us for an incredible time with just the girls as we move beyond the world’s version of “liberation” to a God-centered approach to free and abundant living. Until we meet face to face, check out some resources from SAGE at our online home: sageministries.org

If you asked me what a deer looked like, I could give you a description so vivid that you just might end up smelling fresh venison in your own mind.  Previously, we defined our never-changing endeavor in every aspect of our ministry as making disciples.  The subsequent question then is “what is a disciple?” or specifically, “what does a disciple look like in Scripture and in our ministry?”  This is a question of Vision.  Most ministries never begin to flesh out this massive question that will ultimately form the paradigm through which all of your subsequent ministry functions should be filtered.  Quite simply, if you don’t know where you are taking your students, you will never get them there.  Conversely, if you know where you are taking students, you always do whatever is required to move them there.

 

Vision, it appears, is the single biggest factor in what determines a good ministry from a great one.  The nature of the vision, usually dictates the efficiency of the ministry.  Lance and I have discovered at least 4 mandatory Biblical elements that require a specific Vision in every ministry: Worshipping God through gifts and disciplines, Knowing God through His Word, Connecting with God’s People, and Impacting God’s World with His message.

 

Where are you specifically taking your students?  If I were a Freshman entering your ministry, where would you want me to be when I was a Sophomore, Junior, and Senior?

 

Can you see it?  More importantly, can they?...