what are your plans?

Seth Godin is one of my favorite blogger, speaker, writer people out there and one of the few blogs I have emailed to my email inbox every day. This morning he wrote on his blog that making big plans is the only way to make big things happen. I think this principle applies for our families and the ministries we lead. Planning is such a huge part of helping our families accomplish great things. We plan our extracurricular activities, the time we spend at church, the trips we take, we plan for college, weddings, and retirement. Show me a family that does not plan and I will show you a family in constant chaos. The same principle goes for the ministry you lead. It doesn't matter if you are leading a small group or you are the point person for an entire kids or student ministry...planning is the only way you will ever see big things happen. What does planning do...

• Planning allows our prayer lives and God's plan to intersect. When we plan we know how to pray and we get to invite God into the journey of advancing the Kingdom. We see God work more clearly when he advances or changes our plans rather than in the middle of ministry chaos.
• Planning lets us know what kind of systems we need to put in place in order to accomplish the goal. Lack of a plan leads us to grasp at straws and implement systems that in the end hold us back. Without a plan we build our ministry around systems we can't sustain.
• Planning lets us know who we need on the team. You need the right people on your team. You will never know who to recruit if you have no plan. This principle goes for staff hires and volunteers. The plan helps us know who to invite to the "ministry party."
• Planning keeps us moving forward. Forward motion is so critical to the health of an organization. You need to know what is next and at minimum what direction you are headed. Looking ahead keeps us focused and dependent on God to do what we can never do in our own strength.