A four-month calendar lay on the kitchen island, with a third of the coming year on display. When I walked into the room, I saw that it had highlights and marks. I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but I had an educated guess as to what it meant. At that exact moment, my wife walked into the room and announced, “It’s planning time. You ready?” The good news was that we had already planned this planning meeting.

That last sentence seems ridiculous to many of you. You’re asking yourself, “Do people actually plan their planning meetings?”. My wife and I do, and honestly, I’m not sure how we would function without our weekly touch-base meetings or our monthly calendar review sessions. These times not only allow us to look at what is coming down the pike and get on the same page, but they also help us set up, refine, and stay in line with our values. Planning ahead helps us function as a family, but I’ve found the same to be true in ministry as well.

But not planning ahead is often what feeds the routine “emergencies“ of church life…

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Last-minute planning has to be done at times. Life is too chaotic and unpredictable to not have to roll with the punches from time to time. However, as a family or organization grows, future planning becomes more and more vital for health. This is especially true for church and ministry leaders. Yet I’ve found that a lot of ministry planning gets done last-minute, but I don’t think that’s a good thing. The author of this week’s article “3 Dangers of Last-Minute Ministry,” must have some similar experiences that I do.

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No good leader ever wants to make messes, miss opportunities, or stunt the growth of other leaders. Yet, this is exactly what can happen when last-minute planning takes over. What do you think? Are you more of a planner (like my wife) or a fly by the seat of your pants person? What pros and cons do you see in both? I always love hearing from my readers, so drop me a comment, send me an email, and reach out in any way. I’d love to hear how you’ve experienced last-minute planning to contribute to heartache and difficulty in your family or organization. As always, be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day.

Until Next Time…

Photo by Agê Barros on Unsplash