How to Plan your Ministry Calendar

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the art of planning your ministry calendar—a vital tool for achieving your organization’s goals, enhancing communication, and maximizing impact. Drawing from a recent webinar hosted by Servant Keeper, we’ll explore practical steps, invaluable insights, and real-world examples to guide you on this transformative journey.

Setting the Stage:

At the heart of effective ministry planning lies a clear understanding of your organization’s vision, values, and goals. As Crystal and Tina emphasized in the webinar, before diving into the specifics of scheduling events, it’s crucial to first establish who your ministry is, why you’re in ministry, and what you’re hoping to achieve in the future. When you have a clear vision, values, and goals, they become a sort of litmus test or filter through which (almost) everything must pass before earning a spot on your calendar. This keeps your ministry strategic and also helps you be a good steward of your time and talents.

Identifying Your “Rocks”:

One of the key concepts introduced during the webinar is the idea from Steven Covey: that all the activity an organization does is either a rock, a pebble, or sand that needs to be fit in a jar.

Rocks: These are the most important tasks and goals in your ministry. They require your focus and attention because they contribute significantly to your ministry’s long-term goals, vision, and values. These are the “big rocks” that should be placed in the jar first. For your church, this might be something like your monthly food pantry distribution that serves as a Gospel sharing activity, an outreach effort.

Pebbles: Pebbles are tasks and activities that are important but may not be as critical as the rocks. They include both urgent and non-urgent activities that need attention but can be scheduled around the rocks. So here’s the thing, pebbles are still important; they can even be urgent, but they aren’t mission-critical. And when head-to-head with a rock, competing for time, space, volunteers, resources, they’ll have to find another place on the calendar.

Sand: Lastly, sand represents the sometimes trivial, sometimes time-wasting activities that don’t contribute much to your overall goals. Again, these can sometimes be “good” things, but if they’re pulling from your rocks, they may need to be taken off your plans altogether. Or someone is going to have to go find additional resources to make them happen. These are distractions that can fill up your time if not managed properly.

In our webinar, Tina explained how these rocks serve as the cornerstone of your calendar, guiding your decision-making process and resource allocation. By prioritizing these essential activities, you ensure that your ministry remains focused and impactful, even amidst the busyness of day-to-day operations.

Practical Steps for Planning:

With a clear vision in mind and an understanding of what your ministry’s rocks are, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start planning. Tina outlined a practical approach to building your ministry calendar with post-it notes on a whiteboard.

Put the months of the year across the top, and different areas of ministry down the side. Fill in your rocks first. Then if your ministry has key themes you want to teach on or address ministry-wide, include some of those themes across the top as well, and let all the activity below it ladder up to those themes for the month.

Tina gave an example of taking the months leading up to a big election (a sometimes stressful time in our country), to have sermons on God’s sovereignty and love, to have Bible studies on how Christians should view authority, and to plan events that bring God’s love to your community.

Fill in your other activity around your rocks, leaving enough space on the calendar for your rocks to be supported and executed well. Make sure your mindset is not to fill up your calendar, but to wisely include only those activities and events that are worth your ministry’s time and resources. Use your vision, values, and goals to make those hard decisions that sometimes require cutting activity and events you’ve “always done.” Then step back and see if there are any needs inside or outside your ministry that aren’t being met; are any areas of ministry being neglected?

Take other important life events and other organizations’ plans into consideration.

As you fill in your calendar, it’s essential to consider strategic factors such as community events, seasonal trends, and the availability of resources. Knowing what’s going on in the community around you and in the lives of your members can help you:

– Avoid doubling up efforts of other churches and instead stack hands with them. For example, if you know that there are 8 other VBS programs going on in your community this summer, maybe your church can help at other events. Or maybe you can divert that time and resources to a back-to-school event.

– Find ways to engage with the community during other big events and times in your community.

– Avoid planning important ministry events and activities when your members and those you’re trying to reach are going to be busy.

– Get creative and serve in new ways.

Embracing Flexibility:

While planning is essential, it’s equally important to embrace flexibility and adaptability. As Crystal and Tina emphasized, unexpected opportunities or challenges may arise throughout the year, requiring you to adjust your plans accordingly. By maintaining a mindset of openness and agility, you can navigate these changes with grace and resilience. Remember, we make our plans, but the Lord directs our steps.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, planning your ministry calendar is not just about scheduling events—it’s about unlocking the full potential of your organization to make a lasting impact. By grounding your planning process in your ministry’s vision, values, and goals, you create a roadmap for success that guides your actions and inspires your community. So, let’s embark on this journey together, armed with wisdom, insight, and a shared commitment to excellence in ministry.

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