Lecture 4: Goals and Priorities

  1. Recognize how planning emerges from our partnership with God.
    • 1.We work with confidence, foresight and passion because we believe God is at work within us (Phil. 2:12). We can’t do it without him; he seemingly won’t do it without us.
    • -God’s part: he builds the Church (Matt. 16:18)
    • -He has dealt with the spiritual powers of opposition through the cross (Col. 2:13–15)
    • -He has defined our mission (Matt. 22:37-40; Matt. 28:18-20)
    • -He supplies the power, inner motivation and wisdom needed for the ongoing growth of the Church (Phil. 2:12)
    • -Our part is to learn to work in response to / harmony with God’s work (Matt. 6:28)
    • -The Church is an organism with God-given biotic potential (Mark 4:26-29) yet we have a real part in encouraging or inhibiting that potential (1 Cor. 3:10-15)
    • -Our task is marked by dynamic tension: natural / supernatural, organic / organizational, spiritual / structural, etc.
    • -We must learn to ‘go with the flow” of a living universe energized by God (1 Pet. 2:5, 1 Cor. 3:9)
    • -Planning is founded on the assumption of an orderly, interrelated universe enlivened and unified under God
    • - Leading / planning is an art: it is being “in tune” with God’s mind
  2. Recognize the key characteristics of effective goal setting.
    • Key characteristics of effective goal setting
    • 1.1.1. Because goal setting is empowering, it is absolutely essential that we choose the right goals
    • -We must choose goals that are centered on and connected to our vision
    • -We must choose goals that are aligned with our core values
    • -Under-promise, over-deliver
    • -Make them Crystal clear, Action-oriented, Measurable and Specific (Eagle’s Flight CAMS acronym)
    • -Goals require ongoing adjustment to maintain a balance between faith and responsibility
  3. Define (in 1-2 sentences each) ongoing priorities and strategic priorities. (Sect. 17.2 & 17.3)
    • Ongoing priorities
    • Ongoing priorities are those things which are always more important and central to our mission and purpose and therefore must be continually modeled, taught, practiced and structured.
    • Strategic priorities
    • Strategic priorities are those things that are presently most important and central in the unfolding of God’s vision for your community and will lead the way in connecting vision with reality
    • -Ideal time frame for these priorities is 12-18 months
    • -They are drawn from a comprehensive list of vision, values, roles, long-term plans and ongoing priorities
  4. Recognize John Wimber’s original priorities and the later broadening of priorities for the Vineyard movement.
    • John Wimber’s original list of priorities for the Vineyard movement (drawn from Venter, “Doing Church”):
    • Worship – Giving God’s love back to him
    • Fellowship – giving God’s love to others
    • Training – Giving God’s love back to ourselves in one another
    • Evangelism – giving God’s love to the world
    • Later broadening of priorities: addition of Word, Ministry and Sending
  5. Recognize the principle of scheduling our priorities (instead of prioritizing our schedules).
    • A GANTT chart is a matrixed project planning tool used by most project managers that is simple to understand and easy to construct
    • -It is constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total time span of the project, broken down into increments (days, weeks or months)
    • -It also has a vertical axis representing the tasks that make up the project
    • -Within this matrix, horizontal bars are created for each task connecting the period start and period ending symbols
    • 2. GANTT variants:
    • 1.Milestones
    • These are important checkpoints or interim goals for a project
    • 2. Resources
    • For team projects, it often helps to have an additional column containing numbers or initials which identify who on the team is responsible for the task
    • 3. Status
    • As the project progresses, the chart is updated by filling in the task’s bar to a length proportional to the amount of work that has been finished
    • 4. Dependencies
    • An essential concept that some activities are dependent on other activities being completed first
    • Steps in completing a GANTT chart:
    • 4.1.1. Break the project up into fifteen to twenty tasks maximum using a simple verb / noun form (i.e. create brochure)
    • 4.1.2. Estimate the duration of each task and determine whether it is sequential to, parallel with or overlapping other tasks (this enables you to determine the critical path of the project)
    • 4.1.3. Using graph paper, enter dates horizontally in days, weeks or months and vertically list all tasks (for team projects, add a column for initials for the person / people responsible)4.1.4. Enter the estimated time for each task by a hollow horizontal bar; you may also add “milestones” (important check points) in noun / verb form (i.e. report due)
    • 4.1.5. Once underway, shade in each bar as progress is made; a vertical line drawn through the date shows the status of each task (behind, on or ahead of schedule)
  6. Recognize the four principles that govern scheduling.
    • Key principles that govern scheduling:
    • 1.Balance: learning from agriculture
    • 2.Interdependence / connectedness
    • 3. Rhythm: establishing a regular pattern within the local church year builds continuity and stability
    • 4. Accounting for community evolution: we must build in mechanisms to ensure that each succeeding group is enabled to have the same experience as the first
  7. Recognize the four steps (and their sequence) in a practical scheduling process.
    • Steps in a practical scheduling process
    • 1. Track ongoing priorities through a Yearly Responsibility Sheet
    • 2. Define year-specific priorities
    • 1.1.1.1. Most of these are “projects” – multifaceted goals involving numbers of people at various levels of participation and a comprehensive action plan
    • 1.1.1.2. The most effective project management tool to bridge between the priority and practical steps that can be extended into your / other’s weekly plans is a GANTT chart
    • 3. Plan weekly
    • 1. First evaluate the last week and carry forward anything that is still a priority
    • 2. Second, enter priorities from yearly responsibility sheet
    • 3. Third, enter priorities from GANTT charts
    • 4. Each day, adjust schedule based on previous day’s experience and daily “exercise integrity in the moment of choice” (Stephen Covey)
  8. Match a GANTT chart’s parts (horizontal axis, vertical axis and variants) with their descriptions.
    • A GANTT chart is a matrixed project planning tool used by most project managers that is simple to understand and easy to construct
    • -It is constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total time span of the project, broken down into increments (days, weeks or months)
    • -It also has a vertical axis representing the tasks that make up the project
    • -Within this matrix, horizontal bars are created for each task connecting the period start and period ending symbols
    • 2. GANTT variants:
    • 1.Milestones
    • These are important checkpoints or interim goals for a project
    • 2. Resources
    • For team projects, it often helps to have an additional column containing numbers or initials which identify who on the team is responsible for the task
    • 3. Status
    • As the project progresses, the chart is updated by filling in the task’s bar to a length proportional to the amount of work that has been finished
    • 4. Dependencies
    • An essential concept that some activities are dependent on other activities being completed first
    • Steps in completing a GANTT chart:
    • 4.1.1. Break the project up into fifteen to twenty tasks maximum using a simple verb / noun form (i.e. create brochure)
    • 4.1.2. Estimate the duration of each task and determine whether it is sequential to, parallel with or overlapping other tasks (this enables you to determine the critical path of the project)
    • 4.1.3. Using graph paper, enter dates horizontally in days, weeks or months and vertically list all tasks (for team projects, add a column for initials for the person / people responsible)4.1.4. Enter the estimated time for each task by a hollow horizontal bar; you may also add “milestones” (important check points) in noun / verb form (i.e. report due)
    • 4.1.5. Once underway, shade in each bar as progress is made; a vertical line drawn through the date shows the status of each task (behind, on or ahead of schedule)
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Bubbles83
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82710
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Lecture 4: Goals and Priorities
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Lecture 4: Goals and Priorities
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