How to create a church Ministry Action Plan

1. Ministry Action Plan
Going from Here to There

2. My purpose is to provide the Why, What
and How of a Ministry Action Plan so that
every church can share their story
effectively and enthusiastically.

3. A leader's role is to raise people's aspirations
for what they can become and to release their
energies so they will try to get there."
David Gergen

5. Every Church and Attender have a
Mission and a Vision!

6. Where Are We? - Assess
Where Are We going? – Assess, Align
How will we get there? – Align
Who, What, When - Action

7. Vision, Mission and Strategy Development
Our Purpose is to articulate a clear, compelling and contagious mission
and vision for the church that fuels our passion, guides our decisions
and sets boundaries for our journey.

8. “The future is purchased at the price of
vision in the present.”
Samuel Johnson

9. You choose your future long before it arrives.

10. Our purpose is to inspire people. We want
people to look at us and say “Because of you, I
didn't give up. I found Jesus”

11. Dr. Steve Gedon
Leadership 49 million
Church Leadership – 4.1 million
Leadership 175,000
Church leadership over 42,000

12. Dr. Steve Gedon
Mission & Vision
“In those days, Israel didn't yet have a king, so each person
did whatever seemed right in his own opinion. Judges 21:25
"Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall
soon yield to that which is about us." — P.T. Forsyth
28 [Jesus] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching
everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone
fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously
contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Colossians 1:28-29 New International Version (NIV)

13. Strategic Planning

14. Mission – What is our noble purpose?

15. Mission – What is our noble purpose?
Vision – What do you intend the future to be?

16. Mission
Who we Are
What we do
Our mission is to be a ‘bridge’ in our community that leads others to Christ, to discover
their divine design, and to impact that world.

17. Mission
Why are we here?
Church is not just a place to go, it is who you become.

18. Mission
Why are we here?
Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World
(1) Is it about Jesus?
(2) Will it make Disciples?
(3) Is it going to transform the World?

19. Mission
Vision
What will it be like?
What we want to be
A vision is ‘a picture
of a future reality
that ignites passion’.

20. A community of such contagious worship that can only be explained by
the presence of Jesus, a partnership where people are stretched,
connected and helping others reach their full potential in Christ.
Vision

21. Mission
Vision

22. Vision is the ministry compass that helps our
leaders navigate through the ocean of decision.

23. “A leader's role is to
raise people's
aspirations for what
they can become
and to release their
energies so they will
try to get there.”
- David Gergen

24. strat·e·gy
A method or plan chosen to bring about a
desired future, such as achievement of a goal or
solution to a problem.
Strategic

26. The Church is not just a remnant of what was or
security against what could be; it is an appeal to our
better selves; a call to become something more.

27. Church links together:
The Story of God - Past
The Promise of God - Future
The Mission of God - Present

28. Where there is no vision,
people cast off restraint.
Pr 29:18

29. Ultimatums
Threats
Intimidation
Bully Tactics
Passive Aggressive
Gossip, complaining
Parking Lot Mtgs

30. Its really all about Me!
Once Saved Always Saved
Membership has its privileges
The Church is a gas Station
Church is a theater

31. Survival of the Fittest
Young Families
Contemporary
Ministry
Connectional
Low income
Established
Traditional
Membership
Independent
High Income
Church Council

32. Strategic Pyramid

33. Mission Statement (What You Do):
A one-sentence statement describing the reason an organization or
program exists and was called into being. It guides decisions about
priorities, actions, and responsibilities.

34. A Mission Statement describes why we exists; its
purpose is to clarify and set boundaries.
It answers the questions:
 What defines success according to God!
 What is our Scriptural Mandate?
 What actions and activities define who we are

35. Vision Statement (Desired End-State, long):
A one-sentence statement describing the clear and
inspirational long-term desired change resulting from
an organization or program’s work.

36. Vision Statement (Desired End-State, short):
A short memorable statement describing the clear and
inspirational long-term desired change resulting from
an organization or program’s work.
Own Your Vision

37. • Who we are…
Community needs, financial, culture, social issues
Hopes, Fears, Needs, Desires, history
• What we believe…
Values, Boundaries, Wesleyan tradition, Apostle’s Creed
Own Your Vision

38. • Where we’re going…
Vision for the future, dreams, goals, hopes, etc.
Begin with the end in mind
• How we’ll get there…
Priorities, initiatives, imperatives, programs, technology
Own Your Vision

39. Align with God’s Mission
Assess Current Reality
Act to Achieve
“Why we exist?”
“What we want to be?”
Strategies
Specific Targets
Action Plan
Developing a Strategic Plan
Strategic Pyramid
5
4
3
2
1

40. Clarity – Who are we and where are we going?
Community – interdependence, openness
Commitment – ownership & responsibility
Courage – Strength, Support, and Steps
Why Bother?

41. The greatest barriers to creating
a realistic/useful strategy
is Honesty and Time.

42. Honesty
Honesty is the best policy,
Unless you want people to like you.

43. Honesty
How much do you trust your team?
Is confidentiality a problem?
How emotionally mature is your team?
How do you handle conflict?
Can you deal with Sacred Cows?

44. Approval Bias
What if your mission is really to make everyone happy?

45. Unspoken Mission Statement
Is your mission really to make everyone happy?
“Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be.”
Jack Welch

46. Preserve the building.
Keep everyone happy.
Maintain the organ.
Protect the pastor.
Get rid of the pastor.
Never upset the secretary.
Don’t offend the choir.
Never ask for money.
Protect the endowment.
Maintain a family feel.
Never increase the budget.
Avoid disagreement.
Focus on current members.
Survive at all costs.
Shadow Mission

47. Time
Discipline is choosing between what you want
now and what you want most.
The choice is between what is right, and what is easy.

48. Time
Discipline is choosing between what you
want now and what you want most.
How invested is your team?
Quick solutions are rarely good solutions

49. Values
Methods
Outcomes

50. Spiritual Maturity
Faith
Healthy Relationships
Love
Life Satisfaction
Joy
Self-Confidence
Hope
Wisdom Acceptance
Faith

51. 1. What is your noble purpose?
2. What do you stand for? What are the non-negotiable?
3. How are cultural forces are shaping your survival?
4. What is moving people to choose other churches?
Vision & Mission Questions

52. 1. What is your essential offering?
2. How will you delight and engage visitors?
3. Where will you invest to grow in the future?
4. What is your discipleship model?
Vision & Mission Questions

53. In those days, Israel didn't yet have a king, so each
person did whatever seemed right in his own opinion.
Judges 21:25 NIV

54. Reactive / Problem Solving Orientation
vs
Creative / Outcome Orientation
Two Distinct Approaches

55. 1. Energy and Focus is to make something go away or to
make someone happy
2. After Problem Solved – you may be farther away from
what you really wanted
3. Highly Risk Averse
Reactive / Problem Solving

56. 1. Energy and Focus is to bring something into
existence
2. Action is taken deliberately to move toward
something.
3. Requires risk into the Unknown
Creative / Outcome

57. What are your highest Aspirations?
What Price are you willing to pay?
What do you Value?

58. Strategic Planning
Risk

59. Risk, Commitment, Faith and Togetherness

60. 2. What is current reality in contrast to your Goals
1. What do you truly want?
Values and Highest Aspirations
(Membership > Ministry?)

61. 3. What Actions will move you toward your Goals
4. Focus on accomplishing actions
Measurable, Assignable, Specific, Simple

62. Where Are We? - Assess
Where Are We going? – Assess, Align
How will we get there? – Align
Who, What, When - Action

63. Assess
Align Act

64. Assess
Assess your current reality
1. What is the real condition of the ministry?
(facts, numbers, trends )
2. Where are the real opportunities?
3. What are the real costs? money, time, etc.
4. What is the real goal?
5. Is it a pet – project?
6. Can you describe it quickly and simply?
Assess

65. Align
Is it inspiring and motivational?
1. What is God’s Spirit and Word saying
regarding your vision?
2. Is it a calling, competition or sacred cow
3. Is your perspective, purpose and priority in
line with the Lord’s Vision / Mission?
4. Is it confirmed by your team?
Assess
Align
Prayer is asking God to align you to His will
rather than us asking Him to be aligned with ours.

66. Act
Map clear steps toward implementation
1. This is where assessment and biblical
alignment meet execution.
2. What training, reading or collaboration
3. Who will do what, when? (champion)
4. Reporting Structure - accountability
5. End goal
Assess
Align Act

67. 3
Phone calls
Interruptions
E-mail
Voice mail
Reports
Drop-ins
2
Planning
Clarifying Values
Relationships
Vision/Mission
Process -
Improvement
1
Crisis
Deadlines
Meetings
Repairs
4
Trivia
Internet
Games
“Escapes”
Junk Mail
Busy Work
3
Phone calls
Interruptions
E-mail
Voice mail
Reports
Drop-ins
Tyranny of the Urgent
1
Crisis
Deadlines
Meetings
Repairs
Urgent Not Urgent
ImportantNotImportant
2
Vision/Mission
Planning
Clarifying Values
Relationships
Process Improvement

68. S
TRENGTHS
W
EAKNESSES
O
PPORTUNITIES
T
HREATS
Negative
Internal
factors
External
factors
Positive
SWOT Analysis

69. S W
O T
Strengths
• Location & Parking
• Facilities
• Pre-School Center
Strengths: Characteristics of this
particular church that may give it an
advantage over others;
Ask someone outside the membership of the church

70. S W
O T
Strengths
• Location
• Facilities
• Pre-School Centers
Strength: The church is located on
a busy street and has high visibility
in the community.
Ask someone outside the membership of the church
Example

71. S W
O T
Weaknesses
• Location & parking
• Aging Congregation
• Worship Style
Weaknesses: Characteristics of this
particular church that may be a
disadvantage as compared to others;

72. S W
O T
Weaknesses
• Location & parking
• Aging Congregation, Family
• Worship Style
Weakness: A small percentage of the
church population is young families.

73. S W
O T
Opportunities
• Economic forces
• Social Forces
• Demographics
Opportunities: Conditions outside the
church that could potentially increase
attendance or revenues;

74. S W
O T
Opportunities
• Economic forces
• Social Forces
• Demographics
Opportunities: The church is located
in an area with a high population of
Hispanic families.
Example

75. S W
O T
Threats
• Economic forces
• Social Forces
• Demographics

76. S W
O T
Threats
• Economic forces
• Social Forces
• Demographics
Example

77. We value connections that awakens the soul, engage the
imagination and set aflame the hope of adventure. By
engaging the Word of God in worship, study and service,
we seek to elevate the ordinary and routine to become the
extraordinary and radical.

78. “A community of such contagious worship that can only be
explained by the presence of Jesus, a partnership where
people stretch and grow to reach their full potential in Christ,
and a contagious enthusiasm that fills the emptiness created
by poverty of mind, body and spirit.
Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact

80. Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact
Inspirational
Worship
Intentional
Growth
Filling the
Emptiness
Contagious
enthusiasm
2016 STRATEGIC PLAN
Initiative #1: Inspirational Worship Experiences
Initiative #2: Intentional Christian Discipleship
Initiative #3: Impacting our World
Initiative #4: Inviting Faith Conversations

81. Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact
We want as many people as possible to be brought into close proximity
to the gospel, so that they will experience Jesus. That’s the starting
point, for most people, on the journey to spiritual maturity. So what can
we do in the upcoming year to provide opportunities for true worship?
Goal One
Inspirational Worship Experiences
Our Goal: To inspire people through powerful praise and
intimate worship of our loving Father to become passionate
disciples of Jesus and build a community of caring.
Increase average weekly worship attendance by 10 %
within 12 months, create an environment invites
participation, reflection and commitment to the
journey
Current: Average weekly attendance is ~ 230

82. How will you use social media?
How will you utilize local media outlets?
How can you leverage local events or host special events?
What invite tools will you put in the hands of your members?
What major campaigns will you use as an entry point for new people?
Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact

83. The real issue is, how do we help people see that they really belong,
and that the best way to grow spiritually is to be a committed part of
the body. As we face another year, we’re wrestling with questions such
as:
Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact
Goal Two
Intentional Christian Discipleship
Create an environment for people to discover, develop
and pursue their full potential in Christ
Current:Appr. 85% of 2+ givers give less than $100/yr.
Median gift of 2+ givers is ~ $200 / year
Average Adult Sunday School Attendance ~ 50
Average Youth Sunday School Attendance ~ 50
Average Children Sunday School Attendance ~ 50

84. Disciples follow Jesus. They imitate his character and learn to be more
like him, which only happens as they grow deeper in his truth and grace.
Growing disciples don’t depend solely on the weekend message as their
source of spiritual nourishment. They become self-feeders who study
the Bible, pray, give, and serve.
Our role as church leaders isn’t to produce spiritual maturity. Only the
Holy Spirit can do that. But it is certainly our job to create the
environment and supply the tools for God to work with.
Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact

85. Partnership
A relationship between individuals characterized by mutual cooperation
and responsibility, for the achievement of a specified goal.
Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact
Covenant – Commitment – Cooperation

86. How can you get every member into a small group?
How can you give every member a job, a role serving the body?
How can you best challenge more people to commit to membership?
How do you get people to take ownership of the mission of your church?
How do you reward long-term faithfulness?
Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact
Accountability

87. Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact
Contagious
Worship
Stretch and grow
Filling the
Emptiness
Contagious
enthusiasm
How will your next twelve months challenge people to be like Jesus?
How can you get devotional material into people’s hands daily?
How can you remind people of the power and potential of prayer?

88. Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact
Contagious
Worship
Stretch and grow
Filling the
Emptiness
Contagious
enthusiasm
When your members get involved in ministry, they are far more likely to
become bringers. And the more leaders you have involved in ministry,
the more your members feel connected and cared for. Your church’s
capacity to grow increases as people leave their seats to serve others.
How can you help people discover their unique, God-given SHAPE for
ministry?

89. Inspire
Invite
Invest
Impact
Contagious
Worship
Stretch and grow
Filling the
Emptiness
Contagious
enthusiasm
How can you make people aware of all the opportunities there are to
serve?
How can you create more opportunities for people to serve?

90. Inspire
to excite, energize, and breathe life into
Invest
To commit in order to grow, produce, yield
Impact
To make a strong, lasting impression
“The mind cannot think without a picture.”
Aristotle

91. Inspire
to excite, energize, and breathe life into
Invest
To commit in order to grow, produce, yield
Impact
To make a strong, lasting impression
Strategic Planning
I want to Impact this world in light of the next.

92. Inspire
to excite, energize, and breathe life into
(1) Engage– Experiential, Image -rich, Sacraments,
Fasting, Solitude, Personal
(2) Communication – Slides, Podcast, Sermon Notes
(3) Experiential – Healing, Emmaus,
(4) Practical – Next Steps,
“Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon
yield to that which is about us.” — P.T. Forsyth

93. Invest
To commit in order to grow, produce or yield
“Then you will understand what is right and just -- every good path. For
wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your
soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.”
Proverbs 2: 9-11 (NIV)
Strategic Planning

94. Invest
To commit in order to produce
Strategic Planning
(1) Bible Study / Wisdom / Confidence
(2) Stewardship / Generosity
(3) Small Groups / Fellowship / Compassion
(4) Ministry Teams / Awareness / Gifts

95. Impact the World
To make a strong, lasting impression.
Strategic Planning
“If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the
needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.” Isa 58:10

96. Impact the World
To make a strong, lasting impression.
Strategic Planning
(1) Innovation / Creativity / Cultural Awareness
(2) Testimony / Leadership / Disciple
(3) Small Groups / Fellowship / Compassion
(4) Ministry Teams / Awareness / Gifts