GPS is a wonderful invention. All one has to do is either type in (or
speak) a destination and step by step directions are provided to get
there. I must say, however, that I often
pull up an overview map that shows me the “big picture” of how I will get there
as well as some perspective on the arrival point. I like clarity about where I am going to end
up.
Author Lewis Carroll wrote, “If you don't know where you are going, any
road will get you there.” Before you
depart on a journey, it is a good idea to know where you are going. As a church makes decisions about the change
it wishes to initiate, there should be clarity about the desired future before
planning on how to get there. This is
the desired goal the church is working toward—more engaged worshippers,
expanded ministry to the community, or a great commitment on the part of
participants to Christian formation, for example.
There will always
be those who resist setting goals.
Several objections often surface.
First, there is the
argument that the church is a spiritual concern, not a business endeavor, and
goals are secular. (These people
overlook the fact that the church has a bank account, a budget, pays staff,
follows fire codes, etc.) Certainly, the
work of the church is spiritual in nature rather than profit-generating, but
this does not mean that there should not be clarity and a direction for the
work of the church. The Gospels indicate
that Jesus had a clear idea of where he was going and stayed the course to the
end. There are any number of examples of
believers who set goals in their own lives for Christian growth and service. Goals can be very spiritual.
Second, some argue
that we don’t know what the future holds, perhaps citing James 4:13 about the
uncertainty of the future. This is a
good argument, but there is nothing to prohibit us from modifying or changing
goals to meet new challenges and circumstances.
In fact, to do otherwise would be foolish.
Third, there is
always the situation where someone says, “We did that years ago, but those
goals were just put in the file and forgotten.”
The problem here is not in the process but in the execution. We will
discuss that in the next post.
Goals give us
direction, purpose, and a challenge to plan.
Once we set our goal, we begin to design ways to reach the goal, using
all of the creativity and curiosity that we can muster. If there is a fear of trying something new or
attempting an especially challenging goal, it might be helpful to conduct small
“experiments.” When we experiment, we
are making a low level commitment to try something new, but we can learn things
even when the attempt is limited.
For example, if the
church is thinking about adding a worship service, leadership may suggest that
a first step might be to do some interviewing or a survey to see who would be
interested in attending or leading the new service. A more extensive experiment would be to do a
pilot offering for a couple of weeks as a “test run.” The next step might be to schedule the
service for a limited period of time—three to four months—to see if it gains
traction. Each step can provide more information
about the best way to pursue the goal.
Goals stretch us
and encourage us to try new things for the Kingdom of God. They open new doors for ministry.
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