G. R. O. W.
10/7/2008
In youth ministry, we often
talk about having healthy and growing ministries. We all know that numbers do
not always reflect the health or growth of a ministry. But if our ministries
are not growing in their relationships (with students, parents, volunteers),
ministry opportunities, biblical purposes, then there may be something
hindering what God could be doing. One tool I have found to help me stay on
track is the acronym G R O W. Let me break that down for you.
G- GOALS: As a student ministry, you want to have something that your ministry is working to accomplish. You want to set goals for yourself, your staff, volunteers, and student leaders. Those goals could be the amount of students your volunteers really connect with, the quality of your student ministry gatherings, the amount of time you spend with students each week, or how often you encourage your student leaders. This list could be endless. But when we set goals, we need to know that they are attainable & reachable. If you live in a city of 4,000 and you want to see 5,000 students show up for Sunday school . . . well, the odds are against you. For me, my goals are a way to help communicate vision and passion to myself, leaders, and our students. These are things that can flourish the life and health of our ministry. This also helps me communicate how well our student ministry is fitting in with the overall direction of the church to my pastor and board.
R- Reality: This is the gut check after you set your goals. If you set one of your goals as volunteers connecting with three students deeply each week, then you have to know your starting point. If your volunteers are not even connecting with one student, then that is your reality. The reality question helps you know where you are starting from as well as from what type of foundation you have to work. For me, the reality of where things are helps me know how I need to communicate my goals to the audience they need to be directed to. Sometimes the reality check can be encouraging, frustrating, or scary—but remember, it just gives you a place to start, not a finish. It also helps you know the training both you and those around you may need.
O - Opportunities/Options: This is the spot that I love. This is your brainstorming attack session. How are the goals going to stimulate the reality of where things are and move forward? This is where I love working with a team. It allows us all to know where we are at and where we are going, but the “how do we get there” is up in the air. I love allowing a “sky is the limit” type thinking because of the amount of excitement that can be built and used to move forward. You have look at what type of resources or people do you currently have in place to help reach your goals. It also helps you maybe know what you will be looking at in the future, so you can prepare now for what is coming. Sometimes your options may seem inadequate or non-existent, but remember we do the possible; God takes care of the impossible. I believe that when goals are honoring to God, and our hearts love Him and embrace the lives of teenagers, our options and opportunities are enjoyable to tackle, and we see God provide.
W- What’s Next: This is the part where many of us can get stuck, the part of the process where we put our thoughts to the future. As we set these goals for healthy student ministry and begin to push forward to reach these goals, we have to be in the process of thinking of where we are ultimately going? What do we need to prepare ourselves for? This part of the strategy helps both us, as leaders, and others around us embrace what we are doing and continue to push ourselves forward to keep health and life in our student ministries.
Here is a quick example of one way this tool can be used. When we first set out to initiate small groups in our student ministry, we set a goal of two small groups available for students. The reality was we had zero small groups and no leaders. Our options were a set of four possible leaders, and we used the two who were the best for the time/season of our ministry. But we knew we were going to grow. So in the meantime, we trained the other leaders so in six months we planned on going from two small groups to four or five. Eventually, we went from two small groups to four small groups, and we had adequate leaders, healthy environments, and teenagers who benefited.
Let’s face it, none of us set goals and expect them NOT to be obtained. If that’s the case, then what is the point of setting a goal? Why put forth the energy if we are not going to do what it takes to make it work? There are many times where we have to become flexible and make adjustments along the way. There is no steadfast rule that once a goal is set, it is set in stone. There is nothing that says you will always have options at your disposable. Sometimes certain goals you set could be great goals, but it might be the wrong time in your ministry to try and make them work. I believe a key is flexibility and creativity.
Working through this process with a team is highly encouraged. I also believe that as the leader, you may not be wired to facilitate all of these steps. If that is you, then maybe there is a ministry-minded friend or teammate who could help you process these steps out.
G- GOALS: As a student ministry, you want to have something that your ministry is working to accomplish. You want to set goals for yourself, your staff, volunteers, and student leaders. Those goals could be the amount of students your volunteers really connect with, the quality of your student ministry gatherings, the amount of time you spend with students each week, or how often you encourage your student leaders. This list could be endless. But when we set goals, we need to know that they are attainable & reachable. If you live in a city of 4,000 and you want to see 5,000 students show up for Sunday school . . . well, the odds are against you. For me, my goals are a way to help communicate vision and passion to myself, leaders, and our students. These are things that can flourish the life and health of our ministry. This also helps me communicate how well our student ministry is fitting in with the overall direction of the church to my pastor and board.
R- Reality: This is the gut check after you set your goals. If you set one of your goals as volunteers connecting with three students deeply each week, then you have to know your starting point. If your volunteers are not even connecting with one student, then that is your reality. The reality question helps you know where you are starting from as well as from what type of foundation you have to work. For me, the reality of where things are helps me know how I need to communicate my goals to the audience they need to be directed to. Sometimes the reality check can be encouraging, frustrating, or scary—but remember, it just gives you a place to start, not a finish. It also helps you know the training both you and those around you may need.
O - Opportunities/Options: This is the spot that I love. This is your brainstorming attack session. How are the goals going to stimulate the reality of where things are and move forward? This is where I love working with a team. It allows us all to know where we are at and where we are going, but the “how do we get there” is up in the air. I love allowing a “sky is the limit” type thinking because of the amount of excitement that can be built and used to move forward. You have look at what type of resources or people do you currently have in place to help reach your goals. It also helps you maybe know what you will be looking at in the future, so you can prepare now for what is coming. Sometimes your options may seem inadequate or non-existent, but remember we do the possible; God takes care of the impossible. I believe that when goals are honoring to God, and our hearts love Him and embrace the lives of teenagers, our options and opportunities are enjoyable to tackle, and we see God provide.
W- What’s Next: This is the part where many of us can get stuck, the part of the process where we put our thoughts to the future. As we set these goals for healthy student ministry and begin to push forward to reach these goals, we have to be in the process of thinking of where we are ultimately going? What do we need to prepare ourselves for? This part of the strategy helps both us, as leaders, and others around us embrace what we are doing and continue to push ourselves forward to keep health and life in our student ministries.
Here is a quick example of one way this tool can be used. When we first set out to initiate small groups in our student ministry, we set a goal of two small groups available for students. The reality was we had zero small groups and no leaders. Our options were a set of four possible leaders, and we used the two who were the best for the time/season of our ministry. But we knew we were going to grow. So in the meantime, we trained the other leaders so in six months we planned on going from two small groups to four or five. Eventually, we went from two small groups to four small groups, and we had adequate leaders, healthy environments, and teenagers who benefited.
Let’s face it, none of us set goals and expect them NOT to be obtained. If that’s the case, then what is the point of setting a goal? Why put forth the energy if we are not going to do what it takes to make it work? There are many times where we have to become flexible and make adjustments along the way. There is no steadfast rule that once a goal is set, it is set in stone. There is nothing that says you will always have options at your disposable. Sometimes certain goals you set could be great goals, but it might be the wrong time in your ministry to try and make them work. I believe a key is flexibility and creativity.
Working through this process with a team is highly encouraged. I also believe that as the leader, you may not be wired to facilitate all of these steps. If that is you, then maybe there is a ministry-minded friend or teammate who could help you process these steps out.
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