The framework to make your dream work
We often meet ministry leaders who are filled to brim with passion for a God-given dream but just don’t know how to get there”Â
Early on in my time with LINC I sat down with a young woman I knew. I recalled that she had a ministry dream on her heart and was curious where she was at in developing it. With tears in her eyes she told me that this dream was an overwhelming call on her life but she just didn’t know how to get there. It brought me great joy to share with her that “we can help with that.”Â
Since then I’ve had the privilege of helping leader after leader start, refine and achieve the God-given dream on their heart.Â
Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress” James Clear – Atomic Habits
One of the key ways that we do that is by laying out a roadmap for success. The framework we use to do that is called LINC’s Successful Ministry Pyramid. It is the framework that our ministry blueprints and new-start guide are built on. (You can download both of those tools from our resources page)
Â
Â
LINC’s  Successful Ministry Pyramid
Â
LINCâs Successful Ministry Pyramid provides a pathway for starting your ministry. For those already engaged in ministry it will identify areas for growth. Each section builds upon the last. If any component is missing or misaligned your ultimate win will be pointed in the wrong direction.Â
FOUNDATION OF PRAYER
Part One Objective: Develop a clear prayer plan.
Creating a foundational of prayer for your ministry is crucial to success. This is not a token nod to our faith, we believe that this is should be a foundational component to your ministry plan. Too often prayer is an afterthought.
In the Step-by-Step guide, found on our resources page, we share simple methods for incorporating prayer as the bedrock of your ministry. Â
With one of the ministry leaders we work with all we did for the first year of planning was meet (on a monthly basis) and pray for God’s direction. Â
We were not sure where the dream would go, but we were certain of Who we were following”Â
Three year’s late and we are being overwhelmed with the miraculous way that God is opening doors of opportunity, new partners and funding to see this dream become a reality.Â
We want to make sure that you have a solid prayer rhythm as the foundation of your ministry framework.Â
BUILD YOUR TEAM
Part Two Objective: Form your launch/leadership team
When we say that, “No Leader Walks Alone” we mean it. Building a team to walk alongside of you is an important building block in your ministry framework.
Having aligned team members who function well together is crucial to a successful ministry. We help you learn how to bring the right team together and how to unify them around the mission. Â
Here’s a peak at the Five Types of People to Have on Your Team. You can read more about this in our Step-by-Step Guide found on the resources page.Â
DEVELOP YOUR CULTURE
Part Three Objective: Define your values and set team member expectations.
It has been said many times, âculture eats strategy for breakfast.â
A clear plan for developing culture will align people around your mission, simplify decision making and attract new contributors to join your team.Â
Part three of the framework is where you learn how to create a clear set of values to shape the culture of your organization. Â Therefore building the right values into the DNA of your ministry.Â
LAY OUT YOUR STRATEGY
Part Four Objective: Develop your purpose statement and ministry framework.
A great strategic plan will help you see where you are going and lay a map to get there. We have some great tools for this.
One of them is the 1414 process that anyone whose done a strategy session with us will be familiar with.
Strategy is a big bucket. Building on the previous parts of the pyramid, this is where you can see a lot of traction really quickly! Parts of a good strategy include:
- Community Engagement
- Purpose StatementÂ
- Ministry Framework (how you do your ministry)
- Long-range Planning
- Communications Plan
- Fundraising Plan
Our resource library has tools to help and as always, we’re happy to help along the way.Â
Â
Â
CREATE YOUR SYSTEMS
Part Five Objective: Lay out your core processes and organizational structure.
Systems are what make the back-end processes of your organization run smoothly. Having good systems will multiply effectiveness, increase trust with donors and allow more energy to be put into accomplishing the mission.Â
Systems include things like: Â
- How you budget/handle finances
- How you follow up with donors
- How you run the day to day business
Systems are important to running a successful ministry. Systems, though, must always serve the greater mission. Beware that the more established a ministry/organization becomes, the more likely that the systems can feel more important than the mission.Â
The mission must always come first and the systems must work and be reworked to best fuel the mission. Â
CLARIFY YOUR WIN
Part Six Objective: Establish your unique measures of success.
It is important to measure the effectiveness of your ministry. Clearly articulating a ministry dashboard will keep your team focused on the right things and allow for swift course corrections if things drift out of alignment.Â
Note, that if any of the earlier parts of the framework are out of balance, the mission will point to the wrong direction.Â
--------------------------
Check out our resources page for more great helps on your ministry plan!
We’re with you every step of the way!
Related Posts
