CHURCH MINISTRY ESSENTIALS MODULE 5: CREATING A STRATEGIC “NEXT STEPS” PLAN
MODULE 5
Shrink the Problem:
Have your leadership read through any materials, messaging or collateral pieces that share the vision and mission of the ministry. Identify any language or ideas that might: a) b) c)
Complicate the problem for your audience, not simplify it. Make sense to you but not to someone unfamiliar with foster care/adoption issues. Are not solution oriented.
Grow Your People This is a discipleship ministry in your church, not a recruitment effort. Therefore, proper training and equipping is necessary as you move people towards different areas of engagement. What training opportunities currently exist in these categories, and in what areas can you identify some potential growth opportunities? •
Awareness: What resources are you using to make people aware of foster care, adoption and the opportunities available to serve?
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Theological: What resources are you using in your “pre-marital counseling” process of walking people God’s heart for this, realistic expectations, clarity of roles and any issues that currently exist in an individual’s or couple’s life that might need to be addressed before moving forward?
(Note: If you do not yet have a “pre-marital” process for those pursuing foster care or adoption, what steps can you take to implemental that critical part of the ministry?) •
Back-End Support: What resources and mechanisms do you have in place to continue to disciple and support people spiritually, educationally and emotionally as they journey through the process of caring for children?
Chart the Path Are you working from a top-down or a bottom-up position in your church? Borrowing from the “circles” model presented in this module, briefly outline the pipeline of discipleship/training you have in place to move people towards engaging in the ministry. For example, pretend the average church attender is at a 1, and some of the most deeply engaged people are at a 10 in terms of their connection, clarity and involvement in the ministry. What steps, opportunities, programs, trainings, resources, etc. do you have in place to move people (read: disciple them) along the continuum from 1-10? 1------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10