CALENDAR MEETINGS. Even the name sounds like something out of a medieval torture chamber. Are they even necessary? Why do we even have them?

Many times they are filled with people arguing over their own events, convincing others that what they do is more important than what you do. When the dust settles and a calendar is finally decided there can be left over resentment that could have been prevented.

In order to plan a successful calendar there needs to be:

CLARITY AROUND YOUR MINISTRY’S VALUES AND VISION

A healthy ministry knows why it exists. It’s a ministry that knows that there are great ideas out there; however, not all of them fit their vision. To understand the value and vision of your ministry it’s important to look at:

  • Who you are trying to reach.
  • The resources and limitations that surround your ministry.
  • The overall outcome you want for the next generation.

If you can address those areas knowing which events to do when should come with more ease.

A LOT OF TRUST WITH EVEN MORE COMMUNICATION

There will be disagreements when it comes to what events and programs should go where, and that’s okay. To move through those disagreements and decide what belongs and what is eliminated their needs, to be honest, and open communication.

Trust will promote the honest and open communication. And trust develops from knowing the personality and passions of the people on the team. A team that trusts one another will be able to listen to the criticism and pushback on an idea because they’ll believe it’s coming with the best intentions.

We can cultivate trust by making the effort to getting to know our co-workers and volunteers on a personal level. We don’t need to know every detail, but understanding what fuels them will give us a deeper appreciation as to why they are passionate about getting a certain item on next year’s calendar.

CHECKS AND BALANCES IN THE DECISIONS

In the end, there needs to be someone who is making the final decisions. While getting 100% agreement would sound ideal, it’s not realistic. Not everything belongs on the calendar.

The leader needs to be able to determine:

  • What is matching the vision and the mission?
  • What will compete with other events and opportunities?
  • What needs to be decided at the meeting and what should have a further discussion?

 

There will be hurt feelings; however, a leader needs to make sure that things aren’t just thrown onto the calendar. If planning the calendar is just a task and not a means to the vision it’s easy to waste time and resources.

Calendar meetings will expose passions and raw emotions. People will feel very tied to what they’ve thought and dreamed about doing for the church.

That’s why as leaders we need to focus on building healthy teams that communicate and trust one another. A team that is willing to circle around the vision and knows what’s most important is going to be able to create a calendar that makes sense and builds the momentum of the ministry.