Congregational Resolutions for the New Year
Take Baby Steps Toward Lofty Goals
January 2015. Did your congregation set any resolutions for the New Year?
Resolutions are daunting. Yearly good intentions are so easily side-tracked by daily demands.
Try this. Forget New Year Resolutions.
Work on Monthly Resolutions. That’s the true activity cycle of most congregations. Boards and councils meet monthly!
It doesn’t hurt for church planners to look at the longer picture. But it might be a big bite for the whole congregation to chew at one dinner.
Try this. At the end of each monthly meeting, identify one goal that will help you reach the more ambitious goal. Enlist support for just that one goal until your next meeting.
Example: A dieter could resolve to lose 40 pounds during the year. The January goal might be to eliminate snacks. The February goal might be to walk two miles a day. The March goal might be to choose less fatty meats. The April goal might be to add a mile to the daily walk.
Church Example: Your congregational annual goal might be to improve stewardship. January’s goal might be to advertise the needs. February’s might be to help the congregation understand giving. March’s goal might be to demonstrate what giving accomplishes. April’s goal might be to work with every church subgroup to enlist help with the congregational goal. And so on.
The New Year’s Resolution, broken up into mini-monthly resolutions becomes part of congregational life — and may even continue into 2016!