Things to do NOW that Vacation is Over.

Our family just got back from the beach. It was a great time of relaxation, family, and sunshine.

But vacation is over.

Back to School ads are everywhere and most Churches are planning for the fall.

Are you ready? And what does that even mean?

Will there be significant change? Or are you doing everything just like you did last year? Is this your opinion or have you asked others in your church? Often, the perspective as a leader is different from the perspective from the pew. And the answers change based upon who’s asking the questions. In fact, in a church I know, the leaders tend to see things totally differently than what I hear from the members. It’s sad to say that the leadership has lost the connection with the people. Make sure you find out what everyone is thinking before you start the change process.

What are you doing programs for? Is there a strong vision for everything (!) you do? Are you all in this together? If you’re not, then it’s a failure to communicate a vision that is often a cause.

Along the way to achieving a vision, you have to readjust course from time to time. And this fall is a great time! Here are 2 questions that will help you:

1. What are the successes? This is tough if you don’t have a measurable vision. Without a vision, you can’t tell if you have success. And the more you communicate your vision, the more glaring the success will be. People will be happy, attendance will be increasing, and your offerings will be enough. That’s what success will feel like.
2. What are the (gulp) failures? You may have to start from scratch. But often, you just have to slightly tweak your path. But again, you have to hold this past year up to your vision to see where you’re failing. Then you need to identify how leadership failed. Often, the leaders think it’s the people; but most time, it’s the leadership that drops the ball.

With this knowledge, change should be easy. Go ahead, do it. Then check if the changes are working — January is another good time to do some checking.