Craig Tiley became the interim coach of the University of Illinois men's tennis team in 1993. During the off-season he developed a detailed, long-term plan that included winning a conference title within three years, competing at a national level within five, and winning the NCAA championship and producing "impact pros" within a decade. In 2003, Tiley's team won its first national title. Tiley won ...
Some church leaders find planning a formidable exercise. In reality, the planning process is simple — conceptually. It can be described as answering seven key questions:
Spiritual Needs Assessment: What are the greatest spiritual needs of our church and community?
Strengths and Weaknesses: What are the greatest strengths and weaknesses of our church?
Opportunities and Threats or Barriers: What are the most significant ministry opportunities for and potential threats (or barriers) to our church, given the answers to the first two questions?
How many times have you been in a committee meeting that went well, but in the weeks that followed, little or nothing happened? People either didn't remember or didn't act on what was said. So much talk, so little action.
Having endured that many times, I finally abandoned the traditional minutes of the meeting. Instead, I record a short, simple list of action steps. The only written record of the ...
ARTICLE 20/20 Foresight The importance of developing authentic vision for your church. Leith Anderson, Austin Chapman
Rating:Not yet rated
Major-league pitcher Steve Trout, to show off, recently attempted to throw a strike while blindfolded. He succeeded. The novelty of that exhibition, however, simply points out how unusual is such an accomplishment without being able to see.
Whether throwing baseballs, driving a car, or reading a map, we need well-focused vision. And in leading a church, vision of a different kind is equally vital.
A few years ago a low budget movie became a box office smash. The story line followed a boy who had a mysterious capacity to see what other people could not see—in this case seeing and interacting with people who weren't alive. The famous line in this movie, The Sixth Sense, was the boy's revelation, "I see dead people." It's eerie but quite memorable.
At 7:30 a.m. the bank president and I walked into the bank together. I was fresh out of college and beginning a career as a manager in the human resources department.
As we approached the foyer doors, Leonard, the janitor, was busy doing his three-times-a-day routine of cleaning fingerprints off the glass. After exchanging the customary pleasantries, the bank president said to Leonard, "You are one ...
Printer view of these results
