3 Strategies Our Church Uses for Achieving Our Goals

Last week our leadership team participated in a two day strategic off-site.

We walked out with a set of goals for the coming year. You’ve probably participated in something similar in your own context.

Setting goals is obviously important but I’ve been thinking, how often do we actually meet our goals? What do you think the success rate is in your life or in your ministry?

I hate to admit it but for most of my life, I’ve been far more likely to give up, forget or even pretend I never set a goal than actually achieve it. I know, I know. Lame. Hey, I’m just being honest.

Here’s the good news: Over the last few years I’ve learned a lot about actually achieving goals. As a result my success rate as a leader and also as an individual has improved dramatically.

So, let’s talk about three strategies for actually achieving goals.

1. Eliminate Other Goals

I’m sort of a visionary. I’m always dreaming up possible goals.

Here’s an example of a list of goals I brainstormed for 2017:

• Exercise 5x a week
• Read 52 books this year
• Take each of my 5 kids on a coffee date each week
• Write a book
• Write an encouraging note to a staff member every week
• Mentor a group of youth pastors
• Write a teaching series every month

Yes! So driven! Dream big! I’m such a visionary.

Guess how many of these goals I’m on track for this year?

One.

Yes, only one.

Am I lazy? I don’t think so. I work pretty hard.

So what happened?

I only aimed for one of them.

What I’ve learned is that often the greatest threat to my goals are other goals. I’m not talking about other bad goals either. I’m talking about other good goals.

You and I only have so much energy and time. We don’t need more goals. We need less goals. We need focus.

If you are having trouble achieving goals in your personal life or in leadership, I would encourage you to prioritize your goals based on what is most important right now and then zero in on that one goal.

That is your priority.

Once you have completed your one priority, move on to what is next on the priority list. I think you’ll be surprised at how effective this simple strategy is.

2. Create a Sustainable Rhythm

Here’s another funny thing about me. I really only have two speeds: max and zero.

Do you know what I mean? If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it. This means that whether my goal is a sprint or a marathon type goal, I will start out sprinting. It’s just how I’m wired.

Maybe you can relate.

The trouble with this is that I run out of gas. I’m a great starter and a terrible finisher.

Obviously, this is problematic for accomplishing goals. What I’ve had to learn is the art of sustainability. For me a sustainable rhythm is more important than passion, motivation or really just about anything else.

Let me give you an example: Let’s say the goal is recruiting more volunteers for a particular ministry.

Some things that I might do to make this more sustainable are:

• Instead of working on recruiting always, I will work on recruiting on Mondays from 9-12.
• Today I will call at least 5 people but no more than 10.
• I will focus on recruiting for the next three weeks and then take my foot off the gas for two weeks.

Often sustainability means putting a ceiling on your efforts. This ceiling preserves our energy and focus for later because any goal that is truly worth running after cannot not be accomplished in a day.

[tweetthis]Often sustainability means putting a ceiling on your efforts.[/tweetthis]

What I’ve observed is that it doesn’t matter who you are, if you attempt to go full throttle after a goal indefinitely, you will run out of gas. Creating a sustainable rhythm will help actually accomplish the goal because you’ll be able to maintain the energy and focus required.

So, if you’re having trouble achieving goals, I would suggest concentrating your energy through a sustainable rhythm.

3. Stop Measuring the Wrong Thing

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned about achieving goals has to do with measuring success in the right way.

Often, when we measure the goal itself, we are measuring the wrong thing. For example, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds, you can weigh yourself every morning but that isn’t necessarily going to change anything.

That might sound like a silly example but we do this sort of thing all the time in church. For example, we measure attendance every week but is that really what we should be measuring?

Let’s go back to the goal of losing 10 pounds.

What really needs to be measured is the activities that contribute to weight loss. What if you measured how many 30 minute exercise sessions you engaged in?

Now you’re actually measuring the activity that influences the goal of weight loss. This is a much more effective evaluation tool.

When it comes to church, what if we started evaluating ourselves on the activities that lead to greater attendance instead of the attendance number itself? Maybe we’re measuring the wrong things.

For example, here's what we measure in our student ministry:

• % of small group leader positions filled by great small group leaders
• Volunteer Small Group Leader Attendance

This strategy has led to dramatic improvement in our ministry.

So, if you’re having trouble achieving the goals you set as a ministry leader, maybe it’s time to spend some time thinking about what factors and activities influence the goal you have set.

Once you better understand the influences, you can begin measuring the right things.

Wrap Up

So there you go, three strategies for actually achieving goals.

We’d love to hear your own strategies for achieving goals in your life and ministry. Feel free to share your ideas below.

(Last Updated 11/22/17)