Creating a Ministry Action Plan for Breakthrough in Your Ministry

1. Why and how to create a Ministry Action Plan for breakthrough in your ministry  Rev. Nathan Stanton, Director of Congregational Excellence for the Great Plains Annual Conference

2. My perspective • Deacon in Full Connection first 1999, Ordained Elder in Kansas West 2004 • Work with local churches from 1999 – 2013 • Urban, Rural and multi-ethnic • Mentored through Spiritual Leadership, Incorporated (Ministry Action Plan foundations) • Kansas Leadership Center – Coaches Training • Derived from “Leadership on the Line” • Coach Approach Skill Training – “CAST”

3. Several Examples of MAPs University of Kansas Wesley: Campus Ministry Susan Mercer contact: susan@fumclawrence.org Lincoln, Nebraska Neighbors: Church Restart/Parachute Drop Trever Rook contact: trever@neighborscommunity.org Wichita, Kansas, Aldersgate Renew: Satellite Campus Jordan McFall contact: jordan@aldersgatechurch.org

5. Building a Ministry Action Plan is an “in- game” adjustment.

6. Building a Ministry Action Plan is not for spectators.

7. Building a Ministry Action Plan can guide you in unexpected times of ministry.

8. Step One: Build a Team

9. Step One: Build a Team • Passionate and active faith • A group who lives as disciples first • Disciples who have leadership you need on the team

10. Step Two: Context Why and how to create a Ministry Action Plan for breakthrough in your ministry 

11. Step 2: Context • SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats • Mission Insite: understanding your community trends • “Third Places” Where are people gathering besides home and work?

12. Step 3: Vision Why and how to create a Ministry Action Plan for breakthrough in your ministry

13. Step Three: Vision “Vision is born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be.” (Stanley – “Visioneering”) Definition of Vision: a picture of the future that produces passion (Hybels – “Courageous Leadership”) “Making Vision Stick” video from Andy Stanley at Willow Creek

14. Step Three: Vision • Use the process below to develop your vision. After brainstorming together, summarize it all in short phrases. • What is the problem? (Context) • What is the solution? (Possibilities) • Why us? (If not you, who?) • Why now? (If not now, when?)

15. Step Four: Operational Values

16. Step Four: Operational Values • View the list of Possibilities you built together as a team. • Also view the answers to the 3 key questions (Problem? Solution? Why?) • Why did someone say that? • What’s missing, why? • What does this say about existing vs. preferred values?

17. Step Five: Mission

18. Step Five: Mission • Think verbs • What are the 3-5 most basic steps to doing what you are called to do? • Ideally, our mission as a ministry articulates the key steps in our organic/growing disciple-making system.

19. Step Six: Strategy

20. Step Six: Strategy • *Establish System Steps • *Give Definitions to each System Step • *Place Existing Ministries • *Place New Ministries • *Determine Vital Signs • *Determine how Ministries Feed each other • *Begin Gathering Data to Test your New System Design

21. Ongoing Improvement • What’s your goal? • What’s your plan to get there? • How’s it working for you? • What are you going to do differently? • Accountability and follow-up • Track results: • - On-going activity • - Implement new initiatives • Hypothesis thinking • Quick demonstration/confirmation • Who’s going to do what by when?

22. Ministry Action Plan • Build a Team • Context • Values • Vision • Mission • Strategy • Ongoing Improvement

23. thankyou Questions?