Ministry Growth: Create Your Discipleship Strategy (BRETT WRITE)
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Strategic Ministry Alignment (Reedited)

VIDEO SCRIPT:
As you begin to clarify your ministry action steps and quantify what will define a successful ministry, you will begin to see the path to get there clearly. This will quickly lead you to begin identifying ministries that are out of alignment with your ministry’s vision.

What should you do with these outliers? They are good ministries, right? 

A good strategist understands that there are often two or more good things they could be doing at any given time. The strategist also knows they must choose to support ministries that are not only good options in the short run, but also that support the vision in the long run. 

Suppose you are an experienced chess player. You see ten moved in advance and how you can win the game. You plot them out exactly to reach the vision of victory. But then there is also this other move over here where you could scoop up a piece for free, but it will minimally set your victory back a few turns, and more likely cost you a guaranteed route to victory. Do you take the easy piece?

It would poor stewardship of ministry resources to support a ministry that will ultimately derail the long-term progress toward the vision that God has given your church. You must see the long game. 

You now must fit all of your programs and services into a stricter set of criteria. You can no longer have good ministries. You must have good ministries that are also in line with your vision.

If the ministry in question can be brought into alignment with your vision, it may remain in your ministry. If it can’t be brought into alignment, it needs to go.  

For Example: Suppose your ministry is hosting and funding a couples conference. The vision of your church is to do missions in north Korea and bring people to Christ. If the marriage conference is truly unrelated to the vision of your church then it’s time to prune. However, in this case, it’s possible to tie this event directly into the discipleship process of your churchgoers by explaining that you are supporting healthy marriages in your ministry because healthy relationships are needed when you are undergoing the stresses of the mission field. You are a missionary.

Consider this another way:

When Abraham was called away from his father’s land, God called him to a specific place. 

With each decision, Abraham was either getting one step closer or one step further away from the land God promised him.

RECAP: To create growth and reach the vision God has called you to, you must:

1. Clearly identify your vision

2. Focus all programs around your vision

3. Identify your desired results and measure your progress toward those results.

ACTION STEP: Work with your team to see which ministries can be brought into alignment with your vision and which cannot. If they cannot be brought into alignment with your visions, make a plan to phase the ministry out.

Furthermore, determine which action steps each of your remaining ministries will correlate with. For example: suppose the missions-oriented ministry (with the marriage conference) has the following actions steps:

Step 1: New Website User

Step 2: Conversion- (user gives name email and phone – at connect booth or in person)

Step 3: Joins Sunday Service

Step 4: Begins Discipleship Process

Vision Completion: Engages in Missions

What action step would the marriage conference correlate to? In this case, the marriage conference is discipleship and training to prepare married couples for missions – which is STEP 4. Do this for all of your programs and ministries.



CHAT GPT VIDEO NOTES:

[Introduction] In this video, we’ll discuss how to identify ministries that are out of alignment with your church’s vision and what to do with these outliers. We’ll also explore the importance of having a clear vision and maintaining focus on programs that support this vision to ensure the growth and success of your ministry.

Identifying Outliers and Addressing Them

  1. As you clarify your ministry action steps, you’ll begin to see ministries that are out of alignment with your vision.
  2. Strategists understand that there are often multiple good options; however, you must choose the ones that support your long-term vision.
  3. Determine if the ministry in question can be brought into alignment with your vision. If not, it needs to go.

The Importance of a Clear Vision

  1. Churches often fail to reach their promised land because they don’t have a clear understanding of where they’re going.
  2. Work with your church leaders to create a clear and concise vision statement that explains your church’s ultimate goal.
  3. Ensure that everything you do embodies the vision of your church, attracting like-minded Christians and encouraging ownership of the vision.

Avoiding Growth Strategies That Don’t Support Your Vision

  1. Churches can deviate from their vision by engaging in growth strategies that produce no results or good results that don’t lead them toward their vision.
  2. Measure your progress toward your desired results to ensure the effectiveness of your growth strategies.
  3. Reevaluate your growth strategies to make sure they align with your church’s vision and contribute to its success.

To create growth and reach the vision God has called you to, remember to:

  1. Clearly identify your vision.
  2. Focus all programs around your vision.
  3. Identify your desired results and measure your progress toward those results.

ACTION STEP: Work with your team to see which ministries can be brought into alignment with your vision and which cannot. If they cannot be brought into alignment with your visions, make a plan to phase the ministry out.

Furthermore, determine which action steps each of your remaining ministries will correlate with. For example: suppose the missions-oriented ministry (with the marriage conference) has the following actions steps:

Step 1: New Website User

Step 2: Conversion- (user gives name email and phone – at connect booth or in person)

Step 3: Joins Sunday Service

Step 4: Begins Discipleship Process

Vision Completion: Engages in Missions

What action step would the marriage conference correlate to? In this case, the marriage conference is discipleship and training to prepare married couples for missions – which is STEP 4. Do this for all of your programs and ministries.

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