Thanks to Lesley Baker for another great contribution!
Now that the Christmas decorations are put away and that busy season is past us, let’s gear up for a year of impact in 2012. This blog post is fashioned to help you start the year off on the right foot.
To be a successful cat herder – or, I mean, to be a successful ministry team staff member, is to be strategic with your time and where you focus your energies. One of the best ways to do that is to make a list of goals for the year. Have you made a list of goals you want to achieve in the office this year? I encourage you to do so.
You may be asking, “where do I start, how do I make a list of goals?” A good way to start is by examining what are some of the ministry goals and plans for this year. Compare that list to your role and the role you’ll play in carrying out the ministry goals. And, if you don’t know what your ministry goals are, ask.
For example:
Let’s say I’m at cat herder on a church staff. One of the ministry goals this year is to launch online giving. Well, any cat herder would know that research would be required to learn how the ministry will achieve this type of project. And lo and behold I’ve been asked to find out what ACS Technologies offers in this area. I already know that ACS Technologies offers online giving, but I don’t know all the details.
In my initial research, I would check out www.acstechnologies.com and see what information I could find. The first thing I would learn is that in order to launch online giving with ACS we have to use Access ACS – and we already have Access ACS. Cool, I’m one step ahead.
Next I discover that ACS has a ministry guide all about online giving, score! After reading through it I see there is a checklist and a sample timeline to aid me. There’s more to do then I thought, but it’s not difficult, just things we need to do and consider in advance. I add those points to my steps to launch online giving.
Then I start thinking about cost, there has to be a cost associated with online giving, right? I need to look into pricing.
One of my goals is now formulating into a project! After I’ve completed the rest of my research I can report back to the decision makers on my team with what I’ve discovered and what it’s going to require for our ministry to move forward with this goal.
That is one example of how to begin making a list of your goals this year and how to start working that list. Here are a few more tips:
1. Add ministry goals – we already covered this above, but it’s so important it bears repeating. It’s a good idea to align your personal goals with your ministry’s goals.
2. Dream big – outside of the ministry goals that I can contribute to, what other goals can I make for my position?What can I do to make a greater impact in this position that God has entrusted me to?
3. Pray through this process and let God guide you in your list/goal setting. And once your list is done begin circling those goals in prayer.
After your list is made start working your list. While I encourage you to dream big, I also advise that you use your best project management skills to carry out your goals. And don’t be surprised if God interrupts any of those plans. Don’t get frustrated. If He’s invited into your list to have His way, He will. Roll with it and keep moving forward. That’s why praying through these goals is important, you’ll sense in your prayer time if an interruption is from Him or an obstacle you’re to pray through and work towards overcoming.
Make your list if you haven’t already! It’s not to late. This is a perfect time to start. Give yourself a deadline of having this list completed by January 31. You can do it, cat herder!
I want to hear what some of your goals are. And if you need our help, just ask. We’re here to help. Happy new year!
