Put Your Mission at the Center of Everything You Do

Do you enjoy shooting at a target with a bow and arrow? I have friends who have a nice bow and target set up in their backyard. It's always fun to shoot at the target when I'm at their house. My goal is to hit the center bullseye. Effective ministry is a lot like shooting with a bow and arrow at a target. Everything you do should be aimed at hitting your mission. There's too much at stake to just be randomly shooting at miscellaneous targets. Do you want to hit a ministry bullseye? If that's you, here are some important steps to take. Step One - Establish what your target is. Why does your ministry exist? What is your end goal? What is God's unique calling for you and your team? If you haven't put this in writing, then sit down and clarify what your target is. If you don't aim at something, you will always hit nothing.

A good starting point for establishing your target is to start with the end in mind. When kids graduate out of your ministry, what do you want them to know? What worldview do you want them to subscribe to? What kind of character do you want them to have? What do you want their relationship with God to be like? Then map out what steps it will take to help them get to the target. What Bible truths do they need to know? What scriptures do they need to memorize? What does their prayer life and time with God need to be? Step Two - Narrow your focus to the target. To hit your target, you have to be focused on your target. If you are not intentional, there are many things that will distract you from your target. People wanting you to start another program or the flip side - keeping programs that are no longer effective and are not helping you hit the target. Narrow your focus. Only do things that will help you hit your target. If you have some things that are not helping you hit the target, then it's time to make some courageous decisions. Yes. Some people will get upset when you start eliminating programs that are no longer effective or needed. That's just part of it. But it is worth it. You can't let yesterday's focus stop you from achieving today's new focus and goals. Step Three - Correct what is keeping you from hitting your target. When you shoot an arrow at a target and you miss it, it's because something is out of whack. You may be aiming too low or too high or you may not be compensating for the wind or the sight on the bow may need adjusting. If you want to hit the target, then you've got to make the needed corrections. For your ministry, this means every week asking questions like...

• What is going well?

• What needs to be improved?

• What do we need to stop doing?

• What do we need to start doing to be more effective?

And then out of the answers to those questions, create your steps and plan for implementation. There is too much at stake to just randomly shoot an arrow once in awhile. God has called you to fulfill the Great Commission and help reach every boy, girl, mom, dad and grandparent in your area of the world. Keep your focus on that and you will see much fruit come from it. P.S. If you have been thinking about putting your bow down and giving up, please reconsider. God has a call on your life. Connect with Him with an honest, open heart and He will ignite the passion you once felt for reaching kids and families with the Gospel.