Leadership Planning Worksheet
“I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates
authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God's
creational intentions.”
John Wesley
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In preparation for the Leadership Retreat and the long range planning in the months ahead, please prayerfully review and
consider the following pages. The purpose is to spur your thinking, get you dreaming, encourage you to think big, and build
momentum for the retreat.
This is a tool for your use as you see fit. Use these pages however it works best for you. Please consider the pages with the
expectation of sharing your thoughts with others. Since each area has very different functions, not all the questions fit perfectly
for each ministry, but are intended to get you thinking, “What’s Next?”
This tool includes the following sections:
o Prayer and Preparation
o Where The Ministry Is Today
o What’s Next
We are only asking that you please bring the completed “What’s Next?” to the Leadership Retreat on the morning of
June 7. This is an important day for all ministry and administrative leaders to connect, share, and plan. This year, we are asking
a little bit more: a look ahead to 2016 and beyond. Your plans, hopes, and inspiration will be invaluable to the process. Your
contribution counts!
Pray that each individual leader is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in the direction of their ministry area. As we come
together corporately at the Retreat and future planning meetings, we will look for themes and ideas that fulfill our church’s
mission and give direction to the years ahead.
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PRAYER AND PREPARATION
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[A steward] is not at liberty to use
what is lodged in his hands as he
pleases, but as his master pleases.
He has no right to dispose of
anything which is in his hands but
according to the will of his lord.
(Wesley, from his sermon, “The
Good Steward.”)
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And they devoted themselves
to the apostles' teaching and
the fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and the
prayers. 43 And awe came
upon every soul, and many
wonders and signs were
being done through the
apostles.
.
Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not
of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding
these smaller differences ― John Wesley
And God is able to make all grace abound
to you, so that having all sufficiency in all
things at all times, you may abound in
every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Everyone then who hears these words of mine
and does them will be like a wise man who built
his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that
house, but it did not fall, because it had been
founded on the rock.
Acts 2:42-43
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"Sanctification means
intense concentration on
God's point of view. It
means every power of
body, soul and spirit
chained and kept for God's
purpose only."
Oswald Chambers,
in Run Today's Race
Matthew 7:24
1. Spend some time reflecting on the quotes above. How might they give some guidance to your planning strategies?
2. Take a few minutes to pray specifically and intentionally about your ministry.
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WHERE THE MINISTRY IS TODAY
1. In a few sentences, describe the mission of your ministry or administrative area:
2. Consider the activities of the past year.
a. Summarize key activities, recurring events, special programs, and any surprises you had this year in your group.
b. From this summary list. Add a word or phrase to each that explains the “so that” or purpose for each key activities.
c. Categorize each activity individually by assigning either a Low, Medium or High to its overall effectiveness. Don’t overanalyze – use
your first reaction in answering this question.
a. Key Activities of the Last Year
b. …So That…
c. Low, Medium, High
Effectiveness
4. Now take some time to think through your answers. Do you see commonalities among the low-ranked activities? Among the highranked activities?
5. Now consider your list on the basis of breadth and depth. Activities that focus on breadth reach out to include more congregants or
community members. Activities that focus on depth seek to increase the effectiveness and personal faith walk of individuals or groups.
(Some activities do both.) Are there any activities that are struggling to reach their intended goal? What activities might be refined?
Merged? Expanded? Phased out? If you acted on these possibilities, how does that affect the “so that…?”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Given the ministries’ thinking about where it is today as well as relevant information such as the demographics of our community in 5-10
years, let’s think big and “dream dreams.” What if you had unlimited resources? A generous budget? Plentiful and useful space? Time
to plan? Available skills and talent? Use this space to brainstorm and add more pages as needed.
We’ve always wanted to… Wouldn’t it be great if we…. The Holy Spirit has been leading me to…
[Please bring this completed sheet with you to the June 7 Retreat]
Thank you for your time in sharing your thoughts and ideas as we look at our future as a congregation.
Wesley’s Covenant Prayer:
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.