Why You Must Develop a God-Directed Strategic Action Plan This Fall
by Bill Allison

I’ve never really appreciated 1,000 piece puzzles. To my pragmatic mind, such trivial pursuits are a waste of time, money, and energy. (In other words, I lack the patience, persistence, and creativity to put one together!) My mother, however, regularly undertakes the task of constructing the most difficult puzzles and—through sheer moxie and fastidiousness—puts every single piece in its proper place until the puzzle is completed.

I’ve noticed that my mom always starts a puzzle project by placing the box cover of the puzzle in plain view so she can continually consult it. Why? Because the cover has the picture of what the completed puzzle will look like in the end. Throughout the entire process, the big picture on the box cover is her constant guide and compass. Eventually, my mom puts the last puzzle piece in its place and ends up with the finished product. She knows she is finished; there are no pieces left over, and the completed puzzle looks exactly like the picture on the cover of the box.

As a volunteer or vocational ministry leader, you are in the process of putting together a 1,000 piece puzzle called “your ministry.” Isn’t it time you tried to figure out specifically what God wants the box cover of your ministry to look like?

Ah, but taking the time and energy to determine what God wants the big picture of your ministry to look like sounds like a lot of work… doesn’t it?

If you DON’T take the time to figure out what God wants the box cover of your ministry puzzle to look like, you will continue to labor every week not knowing if you’re making any progress. Sure, you’ll conduct a lot of activities in your “program”—but there’s a huge difference between keeping people busy in programmatic activities and making progress toward God’s vision for your ministry.

Here’s a thought: BEFORE you re-launch your ministry this fall, why not try to clearly define what you think God wants you to accomplish through your ministry? Like I said, it’s just a thought. And it IS work. However, the alternative to doing some God-directed strategic planning for your ministry is to continue doing good—but random—activities and hope that your hodgepodge approach of putting a piece of the ministry puzzle here and a piece there will, in the end, produce a picture that is complete and beautiful.

Yeah… right.

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What You’ll Need to Train Volunteer Youth Workers, Sunday School Teachers and Small Group Leaders This Fall

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09/09/2006 South East Nebraska, Saturday High Impact METHODS of Teaching Date: 09/09/2006 - 09/09/2006 Location: Evangelical Free Church, Geneva, NE, 8 AM to 12 PM Tuition: $10.00 (Training materials included) Trainer: Pastor Jeff Jensen For more information, please contact RevJeffrey@genevaefree.com

09/10/2006 Peoria IL CONVERGE (Cadre's Evangelism Is Relationships training) Date: 09/10/2006 - 10/03/2006 Location: Four Different Training Hubs in Peoria, IL, see www.convergepeoria.com for dates & times Tuition: $10.00 (Training materials included) From 9/10 to 10/3 the Peoria IL area will be hosting four of Cadre's Evangelism Is Relationships training workshops as a part of CONVERGE. Visit www.convergepeoria.com for complete info. For more information, please contact oneheartbeatministries@hotmail.com

09/10/2006 Central Illinois Area, Sunday Moving Volunteers from Pew Potatoes to Passionate Participators Date: 09/10/2006 - 09/10/2006 Location: Central IL, 5:30 PM Tuition: $10.00 (Training materials included) At this training lab (a mini workshop) you'll learn and implement five essential steps for recruiting volulnteers to work in your ministry. For more information, please contact bill@cadreministries.com

09/15/2006 North Central Iowa, Friday Night The Teaching Genius of Jesus Date: 09/15/2006 - 09/15/2006 Location: Steamboat Rock, IA, 6:30 PM Tuition: $20.00 (Training Materials and lunch included) In this training workshop you'll explore how you can become a P-E-A-C-H of a teacher: * Preparation * Engagement * Authenticity * Challenge * Heart For more information, please contact bill@cadreministries.com

09/16/2006 North Central Iowa, Saturday AM Becoming a High Impact Teacher Date: 09/16/2006 - 09/16/2006 Location: Steamboat Rock, IA, 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM Tuition: $25.00 (Training Materials and lunch included) At this training workshop for volunteer teachers in the church you'll have a blast exploring SEVEN distinguishing characteristics of high impact teachers in the church—and how YOU can become one! Optional afternoon trainer's certification. For more information, please contact bill@cadreministries.com

09/30/2006 St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN Church Ministries Expo Date: 09/30/2006 - 09/30/2006 Location: Brooklyn Park, MN, 8 AM to 4 PM (Materials not included) Four Cadre training labs and Bill keynote For more information, please contact information@mcmaonline.org

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Cadre staff serve as support-based, God-dependent missionaries to come alongside volunteers and those who care for volunteers in the church to help accomplish their God-given mission.

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