Developing a Missions Strategy That Fits Your Church

1. Developing a Missions StrategyThat Fits Your Church Part III: Getting Started and Getting It Done Process and Implementation David Mays

2. David Mays • Director of Learning Initiatives for The Mission Exchange • Ministry: Training, resources, and networking to help church and mission leaders • Dream: A movement of churches centered on The Great Commission www.DavidMays.org

3. PROCESS A. Guiding Principles B. Process Steps

4. A. Guiding Principles • Key Leader Involvement • Include Your Missionaries • Prayer • Consensus • Research • Proactive • Continuity • Open to Future Scrutiny

5. Key Leader Involvement • What may happen if key leaders are not involved? • Who needs to be involved in developing the strategy? • Whose input needs to be solicited or considered? • What issues or problems do you anticipate? • Are there prayer items here?

6. Include Your Missionaries • Let them know in advance. • Update yourself on their vision, goals, strategies. • Ask for their input. • Consider how their ministry relates to your hopes. • Reassure them.

7. Prayer • If we want God’s direction, we must ask for it. • If we want wisdom, we must ask for it. • If we want harmony, we must ask for it. • If we want commitment, we must ask for it. • How might you pray for this process? • How might you help others pray? Prayer moves us beyond our small agendas to his big ones.

8. Consensus • When we listen, we learn. • When we solicit broad input we have a better understanding of where we are beginning. • The loudest voice may not make the best decision. • When people are heard, they are more likely to commit to the end product. • Decisions made by all are better than those made by one.

9. Research • What do we need to know? • How do we learn what our leaders know and want? • How will we get key information on needs and opportunities in the world? • What will we do with what we learn? • How will we research our current ministries?

10. Proactive vs. Reactive How do we set direction and make decisions? Are we • Request Driven? • Relationship Driven? • Purpose Driven? • Involvement Driven? • Excitement Driven?

11. Continuity with Past Ministry • How much continuation? How much change? • Not a continuation but not a disconnection either. • What common threads or themes do we see? • What should be continued and what changed? • What current ministries fit new realities? • What ministries could be “tweaked” to fit? • What should be “grandfathered?” • Where do you expect disagreement? (prayer item?)

12. Open to Future Scrutiny • We do the best we can, with what we know, and God’s guidance, but realities change. • Future leaders may be expected to review and revise what we do here.

13. Key Leader Involvement Prayer Consensus Research Proactive Continuity Open to Future Scrutiny Which principles have we best incorporated? How is it working out? Which of these principles have most influence? Which principles do we need to elevate? Where do you anticipate disagreement? Discussion

14. The Key Question: What does God want to accomplish in the world through our church?

15. PROCESS B. Process Steps

16. B. Process Steps • Establish the Strategy Team • Set up a Meeting Schedule • Survey your leaders • Communicate with Congregation and Missionaries • Analyze the Missions Ministry

17. B. Process Steps • Research the major inputs. • Write a purpose statement for the missions ministry • Your key missions Scripture • Supplemental missions Scriptures • Your definition of missions • How the missions ministry fulfills your church purpose statement

18. B. Process Steps • Research the world and the church • Agree on the major factors • Establish priorities • Establish categories and goals • Draft the strategy document • Get feedback and approvals • Communicate broadly • Implement over time!

19. Grid for Priorities and Decisions

20. Grid for Priorities and Decisions

21. Grid for Priorities and Decisions

22. Grid for Priorities and Decisions

24. Discussion • Have we left out something important? • What have you been doing best? Benefits? • What do you see as • Most urgent? • Most difficult? • Most likely to cause misunderstanding? • Potential roadblock? • Prayer Items?

25. IMPLEMENTATION A. Principles B. Steps

26. A. Implementation Principles • Continuity • Addition • Attrition • Saying ‘No’ • Disassociation

27. Continuity Addition Attrition Saying ‘No’ Disassociation What have you done well so far? What do you need to change? Where do you anticipate difficulties? Prayer items? Discussion

28. B. Implementation Steps • Expand ministry in your priority areas. • Find out how current missionaries relate to the strategy and help them contribute. • Allow attrition in non-strategic areas. • Use a grid or point system for decision making. • Say “no.”

29. B. Implementation Steps • Project budgets and personnel for coming year. • Send mission trips to priority ministries. • Educate the congregation. • Raise up your own missionaries. • Recruit and deploy congregation members.

30. B. Implementation Steps • Establish Structure • Recruit and Train Personnel • Develop and Follow Policies • Develop and Follow Procedures

31. Strategy Diagram

32. Structure • Organization • Reporting • Teams • Subgroups • Number

33. Structure Possibilities • One person • Small group • Large group • Board, Committee or Team • Sub Teams • Steering Team • Task Teams

34. Organize team Assist leaders Learn about missions Develop strategy Set goals & plan Develop policies Generate prayer Educate church Orient new team Develop budget Coordinate projects Care for missionaries Promote missions Raise funds Handle finances Do mission trips Raise up missionaries Involve congregation Evaluate missions Develop cross-cultural understanding Missions Team Responsibilities 4

35. Planning & Policy Finances Education Promotion Prayer Mission Trips Projects Missionary Care Recruitment Training World Region Task Groups 10

36. Personnel • Qualities • Skills • Commitments • Knowledge • Job Descriptions • Responsibilities

37. Missions Pastor Job Description • Internal • External • Administration • People Orientation • Communication

38. Missions Pastor Tendencies FieldFocused Relational Administrative Church Focused

39. Personal Qualities Experience Missions Pastor Qualities

40. Learner Flexible Follow through Communicator Creativity Administrator Time Qualities • Spiritual maturity • Concern for lost • Active in church • Missions savvy • Leadership • Cooperative • Strategic Thinker 6

41. Missions Pastor Job Description • See Handout • Which responsibilities are most important for your church?

42. Who do we want on our team? • Qualities • Skills • Expertise 6

43. Learner Flexible Follow through Communicator Creativity Administrator Time Qualities • Spiritual maturity • Concern for lost • Active in church • Missions savvy • Leadership • Cooperative • Strategic Thinker 6

44. Indispensable Qualities • Leader – rallies & directs the troops • Doers – do the work • Administrator – keeps it all together • Influencer – persuades & recruits • Learner – builds knowledge 6

45. Policies • Criteria • Guidelines • Finances • Approvals Resource: Church Missions Policy Handbook

46. Procedures • Operation • Meetings • Responsibility Assignments • Orientation • Processes

47. B. Implementation Steps • Next Steps for Your Church • Prayer Items

48. Resources • Building Global Vision, David Mays • Operation World • Exploring World Mission • Stuff CD

49. This is the most rapidly changing and creative and productive time in the history of the world missionary movement.Paul Pierson

50. We are poised on the brink of the realization of Carey’s dream - the completion of world evangelization.Patrick Johnstone