Tag Archives: discipleship

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Correcting Spiritual Drift

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In my last post, we talked about what spiritual drift looks like in a Christian business owner or leader. Assuming you have been a Christian for any length of time, you have most likely experienced this kind of drift. The question is how to correct it. What do we need to do to get back on the right path, drawing closer to God?

spiritual drift

Antidotes To Spiritual Drift

Well, as I stated in the last post, I was fortunate to hear from a guest speaker at my church recently. His name is Muche Ukegbu, youth pastor at Blueprint Church, and he gave us the following three antidotes to spiritual drift. Take a look at them and see if you think they will work for you!

#1 – Private disciplines

Private disciplines are those “blocking and tackling” basic habits that bring our hearts closer to God on a daily basis. Examples of these disciplines are Bible reading and study, prayer, and fasting. While these may not be the only examples, they are likely the most common.

The point here is that drift often comes as a result of either eroding consistency in these habits OR from a dry spell in the execution of these habits. A great way to begin attacking spiritual drift is to jump back into these habits.

Either start them up again if you have gotten away from them or change them up if they have become dry. Mix up your reading pattern. Find a new study that may help with the struggles you are currently facing. Dig back into prayer in a way that postures your heart for God to mold it.

#2 – Personal Ministry

We are each uniquely wired to do ministry as a part of the body of Christ. When we are fulfilling this role, we are closer to the One who created us for this role. When we are closer to Him, we are not suffering from spiritual drift.

Don’t forget that He formed us to serve AND we are formed when we serve. As we are allowing ourselves to be conformed to the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29), we will begin to get clarity again with our vision.

If you are not currently involved in some sort of personal ministry, then you need to jump in! If you are, maybe you need to mix that up a bit. Whatever the case, this is a key part of countering spiritual drift.

#3 – Providential relationships

During our lives, God brings people to us that add depth to our spiritual journey. Sometimes we are not even paying attention when this happens and other times we see the impact immediately.

When experiencing spiritual drift, the Christian business owner or leader needs to take an inventory of these types of relationships. Maybe one of these individuals is just the one we need to reach out to for the purpose of support, advice, accountability, or partnership. It just might be that they can tell you immediately what is causing your spiritual drift!

Along this line, we should always remain aware of those God is bringing into our paths. It is very possible that He is introducing someone to us that will play a key role in our spiritual development. Don’t forget that the fruit of the spirit is displayed in community, not in solitude!

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To Teach Or Not To Teach?

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When I was being trained for the use of personality profiles in our business (and to teach others), I learned about certain personality types that run into frequent conflict in their personality. At times, they battle in their minds between (1) doing things exactly right and (2) making progress. It is called “Progress vs. Perfection Conflict” and it causes them to be ineffective in both cases.

teach

Conflict

A similar kind of conflict appears in many Christian business owners and leaders. This conflict comes from two opposite views in their mind. Let’s take a closer look at each of these perspectives.

To Teach Requires Full Knowledge?

The first idea is that we really should not teach on a topic if we are not fully educated in that specific area. There is nothing more frustrating that to be forced to sit through a seminar or class on a topic that you know more about than the instructor!

Because we know this, we decide that we will never step out and teach unless we are experts on the topic. While this mentality comes from good intentions, it can be carried to an extreme.

Full Knowledge Not Possible

If knowledge about almost all subjects is constantly expanding, then it is less and less likely that you will ever feel like an expert on any subject. As a result, it is just as unlikely that you will ever decide it is time for you to step out and teach on any given subject.

Is that actually a good thing?

Before I go further down this path, let’s take a look at the other end of the conflict.

We Are To Teach

As Christians, we have learned that we are to make disciples wherever we go. We are to baptize those disciples and TEACH them all that Jesus told us to do. This is central to our faith and any true disciple of Jesus will recognize this as part of his or her responsibility.

In our eagerness to fulfill this calling, we may volunteer to lead a small group study at work or we may decide to take on a children’s Sunday School class. Maybe we are really bold and we take on an adult class or go the other direction and simply take on one individual and serve as their mentor.

Teach Without Confidence?

Regardless of the extent of our teaching, we do not feel we are being the disciple we are supposed to be if we are not at least attempting to make disciples. We are not sure our teaching is completely accurate or fully backed up by our own walk, but at least we feel we are meeting our obligations.

Is this any better than the other extreme?

No Clear-Cut Answer

Like I said earlier, this is a common conflict and there is not necessarily a clear-cut answer. It is true – we should not teach on a subject with which we are not familiar. Neither should we teach something we are not attempting to live out ourselves.

Paul could confidently tell us to follow his example as he followed the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). We need to be able to do the same.

Grow To Teach

If we are going to teach something, we need to be working especially hard to better understand it ourselves. We need to be growing in that area if we want to be able to lead others.

On the other hand, we do not need to wait until we are experts on a topic before we try to teach others. We are commanded to make disciples and we must obey this command. We simply need to be wise about the topic.

Pick something God is teaching you about. Start with something that you are familiar with and trying to live out yourself.

Teaching Example

For example, my wife has recently been leading a class on parenting teen-agers. Has anyone in the history of mankind ever mastered that topic? No way! At the same time, the group has drawn from each other’s experience and all have benefitted in one way or another – my wife included!

She knew going in that she was not an expert. Sure, she was nervous about that, but at the same time she knew there is a point when you have to step out in faith. That is what she did and she was rewarded for it.

Step Out!

Whatever your situation, I encourage you to step out. Step out and begin allowing God to work in your life and teach you. Begin spending time in His Word and becoming a better disciple yourself.

Then, as you get a little confidence, begin looking for opportunities (equal to your maturity) to teach others what you have learned. Don’t wait until you are an expert…that will never happen.

You need to be a work in progress, but you also need to be comfortable with being a work in progress!

Have you dealt with this conflict?

What do you need to do to move past this conflict?

Who else do you need to encourage to step out?

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Please Pardon Our Progress

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If you were to drive by our Honda dealership during the next week or so, you would likely see an empty lot (no cars), a vacant building, and a huge sign that says, “Please Pardon Our Progress!” The reason? We are beginning construction on a full renovation and upgrade of this building and are now housed in a modular office building a block away.

progress

Change Is Necessary!

This process began near the end of last year when we finally decided it was time to make the necessary changes to our dated facility. While it is certainly still functional, it just does not accomplish our purposes any longer. For that reason, we are making a change.

As you can imagine, it will be a major inconvenience to make this progress. It does not just happen overnight. There are many ripple effects to this progress.

Ripple Effects

Customers will be inconvenienced as we have to shuttle them from the Honda service department to a waiting lounge in one of the other buildings.

There will be frustrations galore for employees and customers alike as new and used car displays will not be as easily accessible as they normally are.

Progress Not Always Welcome!

People will likely have their own opinions about whether we should be making this progress in the first place! They won’t clearly understand what we are doing and why. Some will actually feel we should have left things the way they were!

In an effort to overcome some of the confusion, we have tried to go overboard on signage. We are also coaching employees to be aware that customers may be a little confused or frustrated during the progress. It is up to us to minimize their pain!

My Own “Progress” Sign!

You know what I wish I could do?

I wish I could wear a sign around my neck that said the same thing. I wish I could do something to indicate to those around me – at work, home, and in the community – that I am a work in progress!

I Need Improvement, Too!

See, I know I am not all that I should be. I know there are certain parts of my personality and mindset that need renovating and upgrading. Just like our Honda store, there are parts of me that are not accomplishing the purpose that God has for me.

I know this and I promise that I am working on it, but too often others around me are still inconvenienced, frustrated, or confused. I say things or do things that I do not like. I think thoughts that I wish I did not.

I wish I could just walk around with that sign around my neck to let everyone know that I am aware of the needed improvement and that I am working on it.

Minimize Ripple Effects

Until then, I am just going to do the best I can at making the continuous progress that I need to make and to be aware of the ripple effects on those around me. I will continue to try to minimize their frustration with my slow progress. Hopefully, they will begin to see improvement and cut me some slack!

What we cannot do as Christian business owners and leaders is to decide against making the progress. We cannot decide that the way we are today is good enough. We cannot determine that making progress is too tough.

Progress Is Necessary

God is calling us to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus. While that is not an easy task, it is not optional for a true disciple. We must submit to the process and allow God to do His work on us.

Those around us will likely be inconvenienced, frustrated, or confused with us. Some will even think that we should not work to change, but should just stay the same as we were. While the short term may be easier if we agreed with them, the long term will not.

I encourage you to be a leader that is a work in progress. Wear the sign if you have to, but keep pushing ahead either way!

Are you a work in progress?

What areas are you struggling with the most?

Have you worked to minimize the effects on others?

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The Bible: Does The Enemy Know It Better Than You?

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How well do you really know the Bible? If tested on your Bible knowledge, do you think you would score in the top percentile, in the middle of the pack, or would you likely be embarrassed at your score? If someone came to you today and asked where he should look in the Bible for instruction on a certain topic, do you think you could point him to the right spot?

bible

Bible Illiteracy

Unfortunately, too many Christians are not very familiar with the Bible, even though it is THE book upon which we should base our lives, both here and in eternity. While most recognize that this is a real problem, too few are actually willing to do anything about it. This is truly unfortunate – mainly because our enemy does not have the same problem.

This is my fourth post in a series of lessons from one story in the book of Joshua that we can take and apply in Christian business. The story is about the experience Joshua and the Israelites had with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:1-10:15).

Lessons From Joshua

We have already learned the following lessons from this story:

1. Don’t relax after a victory; be prepared to face the enemy. (Read here)

2. The enemy sometimes comes as roaring lion, sometimes as slithering serpent. (Read here)

Now I want to give you the third lesson we can learn from this story:

The enemy knows the Bible (better than you) and will use it to his advantage.

God’s Commands

Let’s look at how this lesson is illustrated in the story of the Gibeonites and their deception of Joshua and the Israelites. If you read Deuteronomy 7:1-6, you will see that God intended ALL of the nations of the Promised Land to be destroyed. Not a one of them was to be left alive. This is very clear.

However, if you read further in Deuteronomy 20:10-20 (especially v.15), you will notice that God allows for peace with other nations – those OUTSIDE the land that He is giving them as an inheritance.

Joshua knows this Scripture and is fully aware that he and the Israelite army must destroy all of the cities in the Promised Land. He is also aware that he must first offer peace with those outside of this area.

Gibeonites’ Knowledge

What Joshua did not know is that somehow, the Gibeonites also knew of this law. As a result, they used it to their advantage to achieve protection. Had they simply come in peace without a disguise, they knew they would be destroyed. Had they attempted to fight the Israelites, they figured they would end up destroyed like the other cities Joshua’s army had faced. Their only hope was to convince the Israelites that they were from outside of the land of inheritance, and were therefore eligible for peace.

Our Application

How does this apply to us today, as Christians in business?

If you are in business as a Christian, you already know that there are obvious ways to ignore the Bible and make more money. You probably know many ways you could bend a rule here or there and see quick results on the financial statement. You don’t do these things because you know they are wrong and the decisions are clear.

Unfortunately, there are times when the decisions are not so clear, when the enemy sneaks up on us and we are presented with decisions we are not prepared to make. Decisions made when unprepared are rarely the right ones. Too much is left to chance.

Jesus’ Example

When Jesus faced direct temptation in the wilderness, He answered with Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). He was obviously prepared. If He is our model (1 John 2:6), then shouldn’t we be prepared in the same way?

In Deuteronomy 6:1-9, we are told to remember God’s commands, teach them to our children, and repeat them wherever we go. These commands are not to leave our hearts or minds. If that is the case, shouldn’t we take more time to learn them?

Our Responsibility

Having a ready word from the Bible can give clarity to an otherwise murky situation. On the other hand, if we are not familiar with Scripture, the enemy can use it against us. He tried this with Jesus, but was unsuccessful because Jesus was prepared. If the enemy were to come at you today in your business with a twist on God’s Word, how would you fare? Would you feel confident in your response?

Determine today that you are going to take action steps to improve in this area. If this is a strength of yours, turn to someone else and encourage them to join you!

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3 Reasons That Silence Is Not An Option In A Christian Business

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This post is the fourth in a series of posts that come from the material I recently used in a presentation I made to a small group of Christian business owners and leaders in Chandigarh, India.

The focus of this material is also the focus of this blog – God’s call for us to run our businesses as a platform for Christian ministry.

Hopefully, after reading this series of posts, you will agree that it is God’s will that we run His businesses as stewards with an eternal perspective. You should also have a better understanding of what a Christian business looks like in today’s marketplace.

Christian business

What Does The Bible Say?

Anytime we want to determine the heart of God, the first place to start is with His Word.  If He has already said it, then we are in no position to question it.

Reason #1: The Great Commission

After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, He appeared to the disciples.  Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave them their marching orders through what is called the Great Commission below.  I believe these are our marching orders as well.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you.  And I will be with you always, even to the end of the earth. – Matthew 28:19-20

We are all, as Christians, commanded to go to the nations and make disciples.  This is not a suggestion or a request.  It is a command.  This does not mean that we are all to sell our possessions and move overseas to be missionaries.  There are plenty of opportunities to make disciples right here where we are. We just have to look around.

Reason #2: Ambassadors For Christ

Let’s continue to see what Scripture has to say. Take a look at this verse from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. – 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

As you likely know, ambassadors have a job that requires them to be proactive. They are to live in a foreign land, learn the culture, and represent their king or government to the foreign people. They are not to move to the foreign country and remain quiet about the desires of their king. Neither are we!

As Christian business owners and leaders, we are to live and work in this culture, but we are to recognize that this is not our home. We are to represent our King to the people of this culture. This certainly includes those in the workplace!

Reason #3: Walking As Jesus Did

Finally, I want you to look at the following verse from 1 John. I think this is just as clear as the verses above!

Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. – 1 John 2:6

I don’t think this is referring to walking in sandals. My take on this verse is that we are to walk according to the Father’s will, no matter what we are doing. I believe this applies to our businesses as much as it applies to every other part of our lives.

If you believe that Scripture is God’s Word and that, as followers of Christ, we are to obey that Word, then I do not see silence in business as an option for us. We simply must do as we are commanded and Go!

Icing on the Cake: Barna Research

According to a recent survey by George Barna and his research group, almost 40% of American adults are classified as “unchurched,” meaning they have not attended a conventional church more than once in the past year.  Even worse, only 15% of adults surveyed considered their faith in God as their top priority in life!  It appears the field is ripe for making disciples and being ambassadors right where we are!

The Christian Business Opportunity

For typical business leaders, most of our time is allocated to our work.  We carve out some for family and leave a little left over for church on Sunday.  While some Christian business leaders may buck this trend, they are in the minority. That being the case, does it not make sense to fulfill the Great Commission exactly where we spend most of our time – in our business?

What better way for us as Christian business leaders to reach those people (customers and employees) than through our business?  If we exercise and example our love for God through the way we run our business, maybe we can connect with them in a way (and in an environment) they have not found in a church.

Have you considered your responsibility to make disciples?

Do you see opportunity in your business to impact others in this way?

What are your obstacles to doing this?

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Why You May Not Like Tim Tebow!

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I had the opportunity to attend the live event for the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast this past Friday. It was a fantastic chance to turn off my work mind for a day and learn from proven leaders. With a slate of 12 or more speakers, it was also easy to find plenty of leadership material for this blog. One of the first items that stood out came from Coach Urban Meyer, former Florida Gators football coach. He finally answered the question I have had for years – Why do so many people dislike Tim Tebow?

Tebow

Tebow Is Clear About His Faith

If you follow sports at all, you clearly know of Tim Tebow. If you know of Tim Tebow, then you also know about his faith in Jesus Christ. You see, Tebow is open and up front about what he believes. His banner is clear. There is no question about where he stands on the issue of his faith.

You may not agree on his skill as a quarterback. Actually, Tebow is not concerned about that. He will tell you straight up that he is not concerned with his recognition as a great quarterback. No, his main concern is that you know where he stands with Jesus.

Is Tebow Too Vocal?

This is the very problem, some people will say. They say that he is too vocal. Many believe that Tebow should quiet down about his faith and just let his play on the football field do the talking. In fact, many Christians believe we should all keep our faith to ourselves, that it is a private matter. If we will just do this, they say, there will be more peace and tolerance.

Let’s put that argument on hold for a moment and get back to Coach Urban Meyer’s answer to the question, “Why do so many people dislike Tim Tebow?” When asked this question by Soledad O’Brien, CNN journalist, Coach Meyer responded insightfully. In fact, his answer makes total sense to me.

Urban Meyer Tells Why

Meyer first talked about his respect for Tim Tebow and the kind of man he is. He explained how Tebow had taught him more in their four years together than Meyer had learned in the 44 years prior! Finally, Meyer answered O’Brien’s question.

Meyer said Tebow is the kind of man that forces people to look inward, to self-evaluate.

Think about that. That statement says volumes! In fact, it is almost an exact match, in meaning, to a quote from Jim Elliot that I shared with you several days earlier! Look at this quote from Elliot’s prayer journal again…

Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.

Tim Tebow Is A Crisis Man

I don’t know about you, but I cannot get that quote out of my head. When I heard Meyer’s answer, this quote was the first thing that popped into my mind. It is clear to me that Tim Tebow is a “crisis man.” Whether he is familiar with this quote from Jim Elliot or not, I am betting that he has prayed a similar prayer. If so, God has clearly answered it.

For me, there are two take-aways from this post.

Take Away #1

The first is that too many people are uncomfortable with looking inward and self-evaluation. When forced to do so by people like Tim Tebow, they get frustrated, even angry. Unfortunately, this group of people includes Christians and non-Christians alike! This simply should not be so!

I think we should all commit to looking inwardly and self-evaluating on a regular basis. Just like the Psalmist, we should ask God to help us with this (Psalm 139:23-24). We cannot grow in our conforming to the likeness of Christ without doing this!

Take Away #2

The second take away is that I think we are all commanded to shine our lights. Scripture is clear that we are the light and this light is not to be hidden (Matthew 5:14-16). I am not recommending a run on bullhorns at the local sporting goods store! I am, however, suggesting that we all step up our game when it comes to raising our banner. Silence is not an option.

Are you willing to be a “crisis” man or woman?

How are you shining your light in your work?

If hidden, when are you going to uncover your light?

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How To Measure Spiritual Value Added

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spiritual valueAs owners or leaders in Christian businesses, we should be looking at our businesses from an eternal perspective. Profitability is a must and team development is critical to our success, but the impact we have on eternity (spiritual value) should be our primary concern. Quite simply, nothing else will last.

Spiritual Value Added

When all is said and done and we stand in judgment, nothing material from this world will count. Only what we have done that survives the fire will matter. While there are no metrics that fully capture this eternal impact we desire, I believe we must do the best we can to track our efforts in this area. Let’s look at Spiritual Value Added (SVA) from C12’s Tri-Value model.

As the final component of the Tri-Value Model from the C12 Group, SVA consists of three elements (a.k.a. “The Three S’s”)”

    1. Salvation – those coming to know Jesus for the first time
    2. Sanctification – helping believers to grow or be strengthened in their faith
    3. Service – giving money or service to those in need, especially the “least among us”

Each of these elements requires different actions from us. Each has different results that we can expect. If we are serious about evaluating our performance from an eternal perspective, then we need to measure both our actions and the results they produce. We need to do this for each of The Three S’s!

Salvation

Let’s first look at Salvation. The first thing we must realize about this element is that we cannot make it happen! Nothing we can do will save anyone…that is the job of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, we certainly can make sure that we are spreading the Word – teaching people about the gospel message. Here are a couple of examples of when this could happen:

    1. Chaplain is given permission by employee to share the reason for his faith
    2. Gospel-centered devotion is shared with all employees
    3. Gospel is shared at company-sponsored Boy’s & Girls Club Christmas party
    4. New Testament given as gift after a transaction with a customer

Rate you and your team are doing in this area on a 1-10 scale compared to your potential. You will also want to have a system to gather the results – those who actually turned their lives over to Jesus. This is probably the most difficult to track because you may never find out about some decisions. Other times you may have just planted the seed and someone else will be there to see it harvested. Regardless, start counting those you are aware of and see what happens.

Sanctification

The next “S” is Sanctification. The activities in this area can range from Bible studies or classes offered to employees, customers, or anyone you choose. Any work done to teach, strengthen, or support believers in their walk with Christ should be counted here. Some examples include:

    1. Lunch-and-Learn video series offered to employees, customers, vendors
    2. Small group studies held at lunch or before/after work
    3. Classes offered to employees and their families on financial or marriage issues

Again, rate you and your team on a 1-10 scale compared to your potential. For the results in this area, you want to count how many people participated.

Service

The final “S” is Service. There are many ways you and your team can give to those in need. Get creative and include as many employees as possible. While it may be easier to just write a check at the end of the year and be done with it, you will miss incredible blessings if you do. here are some examples:

    1. Sponsor a Thanksgiving meal at a local shelter & enlist employees to volunteer
    2. Sponsor a team of employees in a local event like the March of Dimes walk-a-thon
    3. Sponsor a kids organization with Christmas toys & let employees do the shopping!

Rate yourselves on a 1-10 scale the same as before, comparing your actions with your potential. The results here are fairly easy to track. Whether you count the money given in dollars or percent of net profit, either works. I would also count the number of man-hours your employees log.

So there it is – Spiritual Value Added – the final component of the Tri-Value model series. Get started evaluating your performance and let me know how you are doing. If you are at all disappointed at your current performance, remember this is not a sprint! Just decide to make a change for the better and get on your horse and ride!

Looking back over all three assessments (TVA, EVA, SVA), where are you the weakest?

What will it take for you to see improvement when you do this assessment again next year?

What is your first step?

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Action Plan – Step 4 In A Strategic Ministry Plan

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action planThis is number 4 in a series of 5 posts about how to create a Strategic Plan for Ministry in your business. So far, we have created an effective mission statement with an eternal perspective, identified our potential mission field, and had a brainstorm session about how we will do ministry in the course of doing business. Now we will turn our attention to the laying out of the action plan.

Best Ideas

Now, I am assuming you have already completed your brainstorming session from last time. Depending on your preference of using a smaller team of key managers or a larger group of employees, you need to gather your team together again. Taking the list of ideas generated in your brainstorm session, the group now needs to sift through and find the best ideas, making sure they are in alignment with your mission statement.

Ideally, those that are the easiest to implement with the greatest impact should come first. You can also consider which ones are the most exciting in order to get the most buy-in from the stakeholders.

Categorize the Ideas

Once you have narrowed the list down to those that are the best fit for your current circumstances, you probably want to group them according to which of the three facets of ministry is appropriate (Evangelism, Discipleship, Service), as well as which mission field category applies (Employees, Customers, Suppliers/Vendors, etc.).

While it is not necessary to evenly distribute your activities across these categories, it is good to make sure you are not ignoring any of them.

Create the Action Plan

So you have a list of your best ideas sorted into the appropriate categories. Now it is time to create the plan to actually do them! A typical action plan should cover three elements:

    Task– What will be done and by whom?
    Timeline– When it will be done?
    Resources– What is required for it to be done?

Once you have laid out the action plan for each of your ideas, set some goals for the results. Don’t be shy!

Measurement Challenge

At the same time, you need to remember that by definition, the eternal spiritual impact we are attempting to make is sometimes difficult or impossible to measure, making it tough to set goals. Much of what we are doing is actually just “sowing seeds” and pointing people toward God. We cannot save anyone. Nor can we change their hearts. Even if heart change is a goal, how would you measure it?

Because of this challenge, it is my recommendation that you lean toward setting goals based on activity. If one of your action plan items is to place small new testament Bibles in your waiting area, then just measure how many are taken. If you are teaching a weekly Bible study for employees, then just measure attendance. In this case, you could take it a step further and measure how many of those in attendance go on to lead their own study! Either way, be careful how and what you target and measure. Stay true to Scripture!

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Of course, you need to make sure your action plan goals are S.M.A.R.T. goals as well!

    Specific– Determine exactly what will be done, when it will be done, who will do it, etc. and write it down.
    Measurable– Make sure you can measure the activity. If you cannot, how will you know if you accomplished it?
    Attainable– This does not mean to set the bar low, but to make sure they are realistic.
    Relevant– The goals need to be in alignment with your mission statement. They need to be important to you.
    Timely– You need to have a time frame or a target date. Open-ended goals are soft.

Start Now!

One hint here…though it is not set in stone, this is great advice. As the leader during this process, you need to encourage the group to agree on at least one or two action items that you will start tomorrow. Don’t lose any of the momentum you have built up to this point. Do something! You will gain a boost if you will be sure to do this.

Once you have set these goals for each idea on your final action plan, you are ready to move on to the last step in this process – determining the accountability process of measuring and monitoring the results. See you next post!

Are moving through the process with me or are you thinking this might be something for next year? Or the next year?

If you are, how is it going so far? Do you have some exciting goals?

Are you inspiring your people in a way that excites them?

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Brainstorm Session – Step 3 In A Strategic Ministry Plan

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brainstorming

This is number 3 in a series of 5 posts that outline a process for creating a strategic plan for ministry in your business.

So far in this series, we have crafted a mission statement that states, from an eternal perspective, why our business exists. We have also counted the various categories of people that will come into contact with our business on some level and identified them as our mission field.

In this post, we will look at how we, in the course of doing business, minister to those in our mission field in a way that impacts them for eternity.

Buck Knives Company

Probably the best example I can come up with is the Buck Knives Company. For decades, they have integrated the Gospel message into the course of business by including a small, printed Gospel testimony (pictured below) in the box with every product. As a result of years of doing this, they have multiple vertical file cabinets filled with letters and notes from customers that were touched by these Christ-centered messages.

ministry in business

So the question you must ask is this:

What is the true product of the Buck Knives Company, the knife or the Gospel message?

Let me ask you this…which one will last longer?

Brainstorm Session

This example from the Buck Knives Company aims to impact customers. What about employees and their families? What about your suppliers & vendors or any other groups we came up with when we identified our mission field? Well, that is what this step is all about. We have some brainstorming to do!

It is time to gather your team. Depending on your preference, you can include a large group of employees or you can start with your key people (that are bought in to the mission and vision). Depending on your size, you might even break into several groups. Either way, the point is to engage the participants in a creative session to determine opportunities and processes to minister to others while doing business.

This is a time for free-flowing ideas, not critique. That can come later.

Taking the three-fold definition of ministry I gave you in the last post (evangelism, discipleship, and service), encourage the participants to come up with ideas for each of the categories. You also may want to list the various mission field categories we identified last post (employees, customers, vendors, etc.) to help generate ideas.

The participants need to feel comfortable offering any idea that comes to mind, without the fear of rejection. This is a time for free-flowing ideas, not critique. That can come later. Any and every idea needs to come out. While one idea may later be scratched from the list for some reason, it may generate another idea that is a winner. Let them flow!

Expand Participation

While this is certainly a simple step in the process, don’t overlook it. Even if you start with your key people, I encourage you to later bring everyone into the process. You will likely get some ideas that would never have surfaced otherwise. Plus, you get much better buy-in when everyone is involved.

Now that you have your list of ideas, keep them handy. We will look at what to do with them in the next post. If you are interested, here is a list of 101 ministry ideas from C12 Group that you can use as thought starters. Feel free to implement any of them as well, but don’t use this list as an excuse to skip your brainstorming session!

Have you done this before? What were the results?

If not, are you willing to try it now?

When are you going to schedule it?

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Mission Field – Step 2 In A Strategic Ministry Plan

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This is number two in a series of posts on effective Strategic Ministry Planning for your business. In my last post, I described the value and characteristics of an effective mission statement for your company. Today, I will address the potential mission field for your company.  In business language, this is your target market or target audience.

mission field

Ministry Defined

In order to effectively determine where we are going to do ministry, I think it best we first define exactly what we mean by ministry. In this context, we are going to define ministry in three parts.

First is ministry in evangelism – leading those people without a saving faith in Jesus Christ to come to know Him. Not all people are wired for this type of ministry, but there are also people who are wired specifically for this type of ministry. These people cannot wait to share the love of Christ with someone else – friend or stranger.

Next is ministry in discipleship – helping those with faith in Jesus to grow in that faith. As Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 12, some are just gifted to teach. Some may enjoy doing so in a group while others may prefer a one-on-one discipling relationship. Either way, this is a critical part of ministry.

Finally is ministry in service – this consists of acts of love and kindness done in the name of Jesus. Just like some people are wired for evangelism and some are wired for teaching, this ministry requires those who embrace serving others.

Relational Ministry

When you think about it, the best ministry for Christ (regardless of which category) is done in relational contacts. God created us as relational beings. Look at Genesis 2:18 where He says it is not good for Adam to be alone. We need each other, therefore our ministry needs to be relational in the same way.

As a result of this line of thinking, we can see that every relational contact in the course of doing business is an opportunity to do ministry. Let’s take a look at a method of determining these mission field opportunities.

Mission Field

Courtesy of the C12 Group, we can use this Marketplace Mission Field worksheet (click to open in separate window and print out) to identify just how many opportunities your company has for ministry in a year.

Employees

    Employees– How many part-time and full-time employees do you have in your company? Do not count them in the same way you might for a financial report (0.5 for part-time or using Full Time Equivalents). If it is a person that gets compensated for their work, count them as one!
    Family Members– How many family members do your employees have in their households? Count them all! If you don’t know, just figure 1.5 family members per employee as an estimate.
    Applicants– How many applicants do you have in a given year? Consider all jobs and all applicants – whether online, by phone, or in person. If they inquire about a job with your company, count them.

Customers

    Current Customers– How many current customers does your company have? How many will you have this year?
    Past Customers– How many customers have you had in the past? In your database?
    Future Customers/Prospects– How many customers or prospects will look at your business this year? Even if you will not sell them, count them if they will have any contact with your company or any advertising from your company this year. Think about your website, trade shows, direct mail, flyers, etc. If they will get some impression of your business, they fall into this category.

Suppliers/Vendors

    Current– With how many suppliers and/or vendors are you currently doing business? Count the number of their individual employees that come into contact with your company, not the number of companies.
    Future (potential)– How many people come into your business in the period of a year to solicit your business (whether you do business with them or not)?

Others

    Competitors– How many individual contacts do you or your employees have with your competition? Some of these could actually fall under the vendor category as well. Don’t double count!
    Trade Associates– This category could include trainers, coaches, consultants, outside marketing reps, factory or franchise reps, etc. Count them all!
    Others– You may have thought of some not mentioned here. Add them in as well, but make sure to let me know what I missed. I want to add them to the template!

Total Opportunities

Now, all that is left is for you to total all of the above categories. Because of our website and the reach we have through nationwide vehicle searches, our number came to several million possible impressions! That is an unusually high number, but I bet your number is much higher than you were thinking before this exercise.

Folks, this is a real number representing the mission field opportunities you and your company will have in the next 12 months to impact people for eternity. Certainly, some of these will be greater opportunities than others. But regardless of the level of contact with your company, these are real people that could, in some way, see a different eternity simply because you decided to let God guide your business. How big is that?

Next time, we will begin to think about HOW we can impact this mission field.

What were you thinking before this exercise?

What was your company’s number?

Does that light a fire in your heart?