3 imperatives for ministry planning
I once worked for a ministry that thrived on chaos and last-minute planning. Staff would joke that the culture was “build the plane while flying it.”
I had previously come from a church where excellence was in the details, and there was a noticeable difference between the two: community versus competition among the staff; money as a gift to be stewarded wisely versus a means to an end; attention to every detail versus focusing on the looming deadline.
The problem with building the plane while flying it—or lack of planning—is that it puts the church in reactive mode rather than engagement mode. There isn’t room to plan and respond in wisdom because staff is too busy reacting to last-minute distractions.
It leads to confusion and disorganization felt not only within the staff but within the church body.
Why does this matter? Because we serve a God that cares about excellence, which means you should too. Whenever I’ve heard statements like building the plane or “It’s just who we are,” I want to challenge that notion because I don’t see in Scripture a God who operates that way.
Reading the Old Testament, there is a clear order in so much of what our Creator does: creation, the ark, the temple. He gets specific about details, resources, and timelines. In Proverbs, we find God’s desire to be diligent.
In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 14:40 ends a dialogue on proper worship with “But all things should be done decently and in order.”
In seventeen years of ministry, I’ve mostly led in an organizational capacity with event planning, operations, or volunteer engagement. Within that time, I’ve found three areas to be key in a ministry of excellence.
1. Start with a clear vision.
Proverbs 29:18 warns us that without vision the people cast off restraint. Habakkuk 2:2 declares, “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”
Excellence starts at the top, and that includes a clear vision. If the leader is unsure of what to do or how it should look, the staff and volunteers certainly won’t have an advantage. The wings will fall off before the plane is able to land.
As a leader, ask God for clear vision for your programs, events, and ministry direction.
2. Plan ahead.
Strategizing seems simple, yet it can be so hard for some people to do. Especially if leadership has an idea that they want to run with quickly.
But there’s value in taking the time to plan well. Don’t try planning your conference in 5 months; give it a year. Get the right people in place. Develop the project timeline with care and consideration. Allow your ministry, and staff, room to breathe life into a flourishing program.
3. Surround yourself with the right people.
You want people around you who are diligent and thoughtful. People who will think about the details. I’ve noticed a trend in the church where we seem to value the extroverted and those with a stage presence. Yet, oftentimes the people keeping the plane flying are behind the scenes. They might be the quiet introvert.
Your staff roster shouldn’t be compiled of people who all look the same. There’s no cookie-cutter or one size fits all in the body. Every part is needed. If you want a ministry that operates in excellence, surround yourself with a wide variety of people who care about planning, budget, operations, and events.
Please don’t be that leader that operates with the mindset that “Well, I trust God will work it all out” without much effort on your part. We are His fellow workers which means we must bring to the table excellence just as He does.
Will God bless our patched together efforts? Oftentimes, yes. Should that be an excuse for half-hearted efforts? No.
Engage with our God of order and do your creative best with what has been entrusted to you. And remember—love is in the details.
 | Brittany Rust has a passion to see people impacted by the power of God’s Word and the beauty of His grace through writing, speaking and podcasting. She is the founder of Truth and Grace Ministries, For the Mama Heart and Truth x Grace Women, and hosts the Truth x Grace Podcast. She is the author of two books, including Here I Am: Responding When God Calls Your Name (2019) and Untouchable: Unraveling the Myth That You’re Too Faithful to Fall (2018). Learn More » |
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