How far in advance of the new calendar year's Sermon Calendar do you start the planning process? When we're "firing on all cylinders," we begin the planning process the first week in October. The process begins with preparation for "data day," which is a meeting or two during which we look at the current year's measures and other inputs in preparation for a discussion about the coming year. This includes the … [Read more...]
Fall Refresher
Ten Key Planning And Preparation Areas Requiring Some Focus At This Time Of The Year
As a church leader, you know there's a "routine" to ministry related to the calendar. Our days are filled with various activities and different priorities depending, among other things, on the time of year. It's the fall season, and we are all focused on executing plans for the fall put in writing many months ago. Of course, we're also focused on planning for the coming calendar year. Church staffs are having … [Read more...]
Creating The Annual Budget
The Annual Process Of Developing The Budget, Along With A Few Pointers
In my role as Executive Pastor, one of the things I can never avoid is doing the budget for the church each year. The budget is due to the eldership in early December, and it takes a bunch of work to get it together. I usually start working on it in mid to late August. I wanted to share the process I go through each year, along with a few pointers. I’ll assume your church uses QuickBooks or some other application … [Read more...]
Church Strategic Plan
Another Important "Thing To Do" As Church Leaders At This Time Of Year
Statement of Purpose The Strategic Plan is the church’s guiding document developed by the church staff and Eldership, containing the detailed plan for accomplishing the church’s mission. It is always available via the Management System, functioning as the primary tool for communication and staff accountability. The bottom line is this; the Strategic Plan is “the plan,” demanding the attention, focus, and priority of … [Read more...]