By Mark Satterfield
You likely meet with your ministry department or team regularly. Whether you meet weekly, monthly, or some frequency in between, it’s important to establish a framework of what will be covered during the meeting to maximize your time together. Here are six components to consider.
1. Prayer
Always start your meetings with prayer.
2. Celebrate
Celebrate success stories with your team and what God is doing through your ministry.
3. Review goals
Look at your ministry’s goals and the measures you have in place, both qualitative and quantitative
4. Look ahead.
Review your ministry calendar for the next three months. For the current month, finalize details. For the next month, get in the weeks, discuss details, and be sure you aren’t overlooking any blind spots. For the third month, discuss what’s coming up, who needs to be involved, and what advance preparation will be required. Anything on the calendar beyond that is a preview but still work keeping on everyone’s radar.
5. Assignments and expectations
After reviewing your ministry calendar, assignments and expectations will naturally follow. Provide clarity for your team on who’s been assigned what, the expectations of that assignment, and due dates. This ensures everyone is on the same page and allows accountability for follow up.
6. Communication
It’s likely that others outside your ministry team need to know what’s going on. Determine who needs to know and who from your team will communicate with them.
Consider these six things as you establish the rhythm of team meetings for your ministry context. Your team will be grateful for the structure and clarity you’ve put in place and will see you as a better leader.
For additional meeting tips and downloadable templates, check out Mark’s Leading Church Staff courses on Ministry Grid.
