I love having a plan! A plan is a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something. If we want to grow people in the church, it is a good idea to have a plan. When a good plan is in place, more can be accomplished as a team, in a short amount of time, with less stress than would be possible otherwise. Did I say less stress? Yes, because Together Everyone Accomplishes More! Although this thought is not original with me, it is a great plan for planning!
If you have ever played sports or had a child on a sports team, you have heard the team concept many times. When our sons were in high school their basketball team motto was, “Play hard, play together.” This motto remains in our home on a wall hanging. Because of the coach continuously working towards this concept, the team became unified. Winning was the result!
Together—Togetherness is a wonderful thing. Not just being in the same room together or doing a project together, but actually being together in harmony; not because you have to be together, but because you want to be together. Togetherness actually makes work enjoyable, exciting, and exhilarating!
Togetherness is accomplished when a team of people pull together to have one mind on the project or event that is taking place. When a ladies event is about to take place and a team of ladies is invited to attend a planning meeting, everyone may come with ideas that are going in different directions, but at the end of the meeting everyone on the team feels an overwhelming togetherness about the theme that has been agreed upon.
When togetherness becomes reality, it is easy to work with people different than you. Excitement is built through many different ideas coming together to form one exciting event. Often times it is said at one of our planning meetings, “Remember that this is only a two hour event.” When togetherness explodes in a good way, there is no end to what can be accomplished!
Everyone—Everyone on the team can have a responsibility that adds to the building of a great activity or event. Everyone doing their part proves the saying, “Many hands make light work.” Everyone pitching in with a team spirit allows freedom for ideas to continue to flow even after the team meeting has ended. Once responsibilities have been given, freedom to create within your area and your budget is limitless. Once everyone has their assignments, they should seek to bring in others to help in the area that they oversee.
Accomplishes—When each lady on the team completes her portion of the event with a good and right spirit and stays within the theme and budget set in the team meeting, that is a good accomplishment. The lady who is in charge of the décor understands that she is to completely carry out the theme through her décor. Accomplishing this task is a must for a first class ladies event. The lady in charge of the meal works in the same manner. If you are having a picnic theme, then a picnic meal is on target. This team spirit accomplishes a complete thematic event when the thread of togetherness continues to completion.
There are more accomplishments, however, than just completing your area assigned to you. The accomplishment of including others so that they have a part in the planning, going to a deeper friendship level because of working together, growing spiritually through working with others due to our willingness to reach out to others, showing less of self by being flexible and showing more of Christ through our being controlled, dominated, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Serving Christ as we serve others is the most important accomplishment of them all!
More—It is necessary for you to have a vision for what your ladies ministry is capable of being. It is important to set goals with a timeline. Our son, Tim, recently said that, “Vision without a plan is only a dream.” How many people is your church capable of having in attendance at a ladies event? How many events per year can your church calendar handle?
All churches cannot handle the same amount of ladies activities and events, but all churches can handle some. It is so important that your ladies ministry reach out to ladies, always bringing them to another level of spiritual growth in their Christian walk.
What’s your plan for planning?
