How to Set Annual Goals with Your Church Staff

Regarding numerical goals, Joe gets it right. Jesus worked primarily with 12 men and a few women; He didn’t have a growth goal of 10% annually in His congregation, and when He did get huge growth, He seems to have done things to chase a lot of them away. But in making those disciples, He ended up with the framework to handle thousands of genuine believers when He was resurrected.

To use Joe’s old home church as an example, a good challenge for the pastor would be to (a) meet one on one with the deacons at least monthly and (b) make sure he’s finding ways to interact with the immigrants from Asia. A fun way of doing so would be to require the pastor eat out at their restaurants at least five or ten times a month. See if we can make contacts and learn the culture well enough to bring some to Christ, and don’t underestimate how much connection you can make over food.