16 Mar
Goal of the year!
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I am unsure as to how accurate the self appraisal is that I have read on Filter Through Life - it is certainly frank, open and straight shooting [and I am not saying it is true or untrue but rather I know we can sometimes be our worst critic].
Our goal: To lead teenagers to Christ and teach them that they are not the FUTURE of the church, they are a vital and functional part of the body of Christ TODAY!
But I can’t argue with that goal - great stuff!
I would argue that what you’ve shown is a mission statement… but it is not a goal.
A goal is measurable. There is nothing measurable about your goal here… in fact I think it will lead to frustration on your team.
How about that being the vision statement and the goal being, “offer a monthly opportunity for students to express their function in the body of the church.” That’s measurable and you know when you’ve reached it.
Just a suggestion.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:37 amAnd a good suggestion at that! However, does your goal express the heart of their vision? Is ‘offering an opportunity’ enough? Or is some measurement of how that opportunity is acted on needed?
March 17th, 2008 at 11:13 pmI think all goals need to be measurable. I know people in ministry either love numbers or hate em… but it all ebbs and flows together. This post actually brought to mind something I’ve been wanting to write for ages.
http://adammclane.com/2008/03/16/vision-goal-and-mission-statements/
It kind of walks through what a vision, goal, and mission are and how they all work together. A goal always has to lead you towards your mission. Think about it like an army on a march. The mission may be to march 100 miles by Saturday. But every day you have to have a measurable goal to track progress.
Same is true in ministry. Your mission may be to reach and teach everyone, the vision is “how” you do it and the goals are measurable steps.
At least that’s how it works in my brain. What do you think? Too over the top and businessy for youth workers?
March 17th, 2008 at 11:19 pmI fully agree with your comment about goals being measurable [S.M.A.R.T. = specific, measurable, achievable, resourced, timely.]
For me I think of vision as ‘what you want to see’ and mission as ‘what you want to do - to enable you to see what you want to see’. Goals then become the steps you take along the way - and the S.M.A.R.T. ness of them determine the ultimate success of your vision.
If that makes sense? [It is fast approaching midnight so i may not be as lucid as I would like].
Having quickly scanned your post it seems we disagree on specific terms and their definitions [but I can live with that!]
As for being too business like - I suspect that generally youth ministry could do with more business skills and I don’t see management and ministry as being exclusive - as Jim Collins said it is not about ‘either - or’ but ‘ both - and’
March 17th, 2008 at 11:34 pmFor goodness sake go to bed! It’s not quite 9 AM for me, so I’m looking for my coffee.
I think you bring up a very valuable point. It’s about vernacular within an organization. Until you can agree to use terms and how those terms interplay… you’ll spin your wheels!
Good thoughts. Thanks for getting my half-asleep brain working.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:52 pmI don’t disagree that a goal should be measurable and attainable. My wife and I have set measurable and attainable goals for Filter, the youth ministry for which we are the stewards. However, if taken in the context of the entire post [http://filterthroughlife.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/the-winds-of-change/] I believe one can deduct that what I was referring to was, in point of fact, “Our Vision” for the youth ministry.
We, as men, are often too analytical and choose to “nit-pick” the details. That’s why we are good at fixing things that some would not even know needed to be fixed. Had the tables been turned I might have pointed out the same mistake in vernacular so I am certainly not saying anyone is wrong here; I was an English major for crying out loud. However, the heart of the matter was, and is that my wife and I strive to help teenagers realize their value to God and the church now. It is a goal that we will forever strive for and will reach only by the grace of God.
Thanks Nigel, it is an honor to be quoted on your blog but I have to give the credit to God. He placed the vision and words in my heart.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:10 am