Creating the Annual Ministry Calendar

We are coming to the end of our first three months of ministry here at Gulf to Lake Church.  It has been a whirlwind of transition and new beginnings.  Today I am putting together the last of the details for our Trunk-or-Treat event.  I have also been thinking about the coming months.  Now, armed with a little knowledge of what has been done in the past and a heart for what I believe God wants to see accomplished here,  it’s time to create a 2012 Ministry Calendar.  So, I thought I would share the process I am working through to create our 2012 CM Calendar:

BIG IDEA #1

Why & How?

Determine your vision, mission, and values

1. How will we communicate the Vision and Mission
2. Who will be the Publicity Guru?

Write down your goals for this year

1. How many kids do we want to reach?
2. How many new volunteers do we want to add?
3. How many schools do we desire to influence?

Evaluate your resources

1. What will we need to accomplish our mission and goals?
2. What do we currently have on hand?
3. What changes will need to be made to the budget?

BIG IDEA #2

Details…Details…Details

What Events will be best for our mission and help to reach our goals?

1. Start with a Blank Calendar
2. Add annual Church Events & Community Events
3. Add the weekly Events – Sunday, Wednesday, etc.
4. Add Big Events – VBS, Camp, Trunk-or-Treat, etc

BIG IDEA #3

Assemble a Calendar Team

1. Invite Key Players in Your Ministry
2. Evaluate Past Events & the Potential of New Events
3. Nothing is Sacred – Except the Vision and Mission

BIG IDEA #4

Review & Refine

1. How many Events have we planned?
2. How will this Calendar affect church families? our family?
3. What do we see as the “must have” events?
4. What could we eliminate without sacrificing our goals?

Once we have gone through these steps we will begin the process of following through.  Creating the calendar and publishing it for our families will be priority one. Recruiting Directors for each event will be our next step.  Creating deadlines for the preparation of each event will be step three.  As we move through the year there may be minor adjustments but the initial planning should prevent any major changes.

Now, what steps would you add to this process?  How do you plan your calendar?  Share your insight be leaving a Comment!