As we begin a new calendar year, it is a great time to think through one’s leadership priorities for the next 12 months. Every leader in Christian ministry, whether a local church pastor or an organizational leader, must care well for people, address emerging problems and advance the mission of their church or organization.
Keeping all those moving pieces going in the right direction, and at the right pace, is the ongoing challenge of senior leaders. How can we keep it all together?
Here are five mission-focused questions to help us lead effectively as we move into 2025.
1. What is the mission? If you lead a church or Christian ministry, then your mission must connect to the Great Commission. How do you express Jesus’ mission in your unique ministry context? For the Kentucky Baptist Convention, our mission is that we were created by churches, for churches, to help churches reach Kentucky and the world for Christ. What is the mission of your church or organization and how will you align this year’s work with that mission?
2. What is the vision? Vision is different from mission in that it is a picture of God’s preferred future for your church or organization. Our vision at the KBC is that we work together and pray for the day when every Kentucky Baptist church is a thriving church, and every leader is a cared-for leader. A vision must be compelling, and it must point to the future goal of your work. Vision helps sustain your church or organization as it communicates where you are headed.
3. What are the core values? Values provide guardrails for our work. They remind us of who we are and what matters most to us as a church or organization. Maybe your church values Christ-centered worship, or expository preaching, or one-to-one discipleship or a wide variety of other things. Business leaders say that a good number of values to shoot for is three to seven. Identifying values will help your church or organization remember what is most important in carrying out its mission.
4. What is the strategy? A mission and vision with no strategy is only a good idea that never gets accomplished. Strategy is about the primary ways you will seek to carry out the mission and vision of your church or organization. Maybe your strategy is to reach families by focusing on men. Possibly your strategy is to train every member to be a soul-winner in their circles of influence. Your strategy helps identify the specific things your church or organization will do to fulfill its mission and advance its vision.
5. What are the priorities? What will you do specifically this year, and then what will you do next, to lead the church or organization forward in its mission and vision? A priority may be something you hope to accomplish in the upcoming nine to 12 months. Do you hope to launch a new Sunday School class, or hire a part-time student minister or remodel space in your building? Once you and your leadership team have your list of priorities for the year, then determine which is most pressing — and get started.
Asking and answering these questions with a core group of leaders, elders, pastors or team members will help you advance your mission in the year to come. May the Lord be pleased to use us to advance His gospel in the year to come.
___
