Churches do it differently. Most miss the benefit of doing it at all.
So, leaders… if you don’t already have a next year focus, here’s a simple way to discover it together.
You’ll be surprised at what results when you leverage the collective energies of the people of God in your congregation around a common focus.
Here’s why: Leaders and congregations get settled into the blur of activity with its ministries and meetings, worship services and classes, and never really lift their heads and ask: Where are we going? What’s important? What’s next? Where is God leading? And, even worse, they allow themselves to drift from the Mission of God.
So, here’s a simple model:
- Make a list of ideas with your leadership team, board, group, congregation.
- Narrow your list. You want your focus to live at the corner of “really important” and “won’t happen on it’s own” It’s not simply maintaining!
- Leverage. It needs to be a leading focus that leverages something more. Many churches make the mistake of setting lagging goals about worship attendance, offerings, new members, etc., but then do nothing that actually leverages what might result.
- Keep score! Find a way to measure it.
- Create a rhythm of reporting the score.
- Is it winnable? Is it valuable? No one will invest themselves deeply if it’s not valuable and they won’t keep investing themselves if it’s not winnable.
Most leaders have discovered when they capture the corner of “won’t happen on it’s own” and really important” and they get everyone in the game, there’s a disproportionate effect on changing lives and/or moving mission and ministry forward.
So, here’s what you need to do.
- Gather the team.
- Tell them we want to discover a singular focus…on top of what we normally do… that might have disproportionate impact
- Pray. Ask God to stir imaginations.
- Communicate… Keep Score… Report… Communicate… Keep Score… Report…
You might find 7 Simple Steps to Better Focus as a Leader helpful.
I never cease to be amazed at what happens as I see leaders get focused with their congregations on annual targets that are compelling, clear and concrete. When, oftentimes they seemed out of reach at the start.
