One of the biggest secrets of successful church growth lies in the ability of a pastor to plan effectively with his ministry leaders. I’m continually surprised at how many churches do not take full advantage of this proven principle. In previous articles I outlined two simple, but important aspects of effective church growth planning: First, schedule an Annual Planning Retreat. Get away at least once a year with your key ministry leaders for an over-night, idea-intensive brainstorming session to solve problems and plan the coming year. Second, ask each ministry leader to hand in a Departmental One-year Plan. This is a simple written outline of their departmental plans and goals for the coming year. Both these steps go a long way in helping your leaders stay focused on their primary goal and purpose.
Tim Massengale is an instructor for Indiana Bible College in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also the editor of the IBC Perspectives magazine and the director of the Apostolic Information Service. Tim Massengale also travels as a church growth lecturer and consultant of the UPCI. He is the author of many church growth resources, including The Total Church Growth seminar and tape series, and the book “Let My People Grow”.
