Part IV: Planning, organising and managing implementation

Strategies have to be practically implemented, if they are to work.

This brings up issues of planning and management, such as:

• setting realistic -- SMART -- goals [targets for achievement], that is, goals that are:

• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Attainable
• R = Realistic
• T = Timely

• using SMART goals, developing, documenting and presenting plans
• inspiring, mobilising, organising and co-ordinating people while doing so,
• selecting sites, laying out plants: equipment, facilities, fittings, furniture, etc
• budgeting and resource/ equipment/ facility allocation (hint: base budgeting period by period on activities and their resource requirements, as laid out on a phased Gantt chart timeline)
• scheduling and managing time, 
•  monitoring and coordinating action steps, effort and resource use towards goals (hint: carefully track: (i) "spend" vs budget, (ii) the book-keeping system and regular financial reports, and (iii) effort and results vs timeline charts and their planned deliverable results), 
• working in teams (group dynamics: "forming, storming, norm-ing, performing, adjourning")
• In making  decisions, the manager keeps on having to observe circumstances,  orient him-/her- self to correctly "read" the situation ["understand the signs of the times . . . "], decide in good time [not, "too late . . ." ] and act effectively and promptly, as John Boyd sums up in his OODA loop

• etc, etc, etc . . . one of the biggest pressures on a manger is the sheer number of demands s/he faces . . .

 All these, and more have to be done (over and over again -- often on very short notice), and have to be consistently done well if the overall job is to get done.

That's a formidable list.

No doubt about it.

But, step by step -- with a bit of help the first time through (or two)! -- we can successfully and confidently tackle it, and the outline planning document in the set of seminar resources will help us do that effectively.

(You may also want to look at the "Planning and Management 101" primer here, for background reference. There are many more details here at Carter McNamara's online micro eMBA, and in his strategic programme planning guide. But that is for those who want in-depth details.)

For this part of our seminar, we will focus on:

Implementation: adopting and executing a strategy

This is based on the ADCC plan implementation factors:

ACTION-STEPS  -- what must be done to achieve the accepted goals, where, when, how, by whom; using what required input resources

DELIVERABLE RESULTS -- what will result from carrying out the action steps successfully

CONTINGENCY PLANNING -- what has to be done to handle unexpected changes

CONTROLS -- how to monitor, coordinate and manage the process in the light of contingencies. (If you are unlucky enough, this actually may dominate the implementation process.)

 This phase of strategic planning and implementation is what puts a strategy to work on the ground:

i --> actions steps are laid out in a logical order towards accepted goals, and are carried out by the team, producing

ii  --> deliverable results (which we compare to the targetted goals), and

iii --> which we then use to adjust what we do in light of contingencies, so that

iv --> we can take organised control steps to correct the inevitable tendency to be surprised and to have little emergencies that tend to make a plan or strategy go off-track.

This brings up the work-group group cycle, where when a group forms, it tends to go through a loop of conflict [storming], resolution [norming] and actual productivity [performing], as it tries to produce the desired deliverable results; and then of course it is wound up:

It is often helpful to write out a plan [especially for something like a medium term strategy!], and we may have to present it; these days, usually using something like PowerPoint or an equivalent (like Open Office Impress).

Show and tell time . . . 

Ever since the days of primary school show and tell  and "recitations" at church festivals, we have been making presentations, and for most of us, the experience has always been an ordeal, one that can be very embarrassing, or even end in tears.

But, it does not have to be so.

And, it had better not be so, for presentation skills are very, very important: you have to present and win confidence in both your idea and yourself. Live. Sometimes, under pressure. (Look here on how David had to respond -- in public -- to sharp and cutting criticism by his own big brother, just before he was brought before king Saul, and then here on how he then won the confidence of the king to send him out to -- successfully -- battle Goliath with sling and stone. [Talk about: low tech, low budget, high vision, high anointing!])

Presentation is so important in management that there is a saying: manage by presentation.

We are in the digital age, and so, that now means we all need to know enough on presentation using PowerPoint or similar software to get by.

Okay, showtime . . .

This Youtube Flash video gives tips on being effective with a presentation, following the techniques used by Steve Jobs, maybe the single most effective corporate presenter in the world:



(And if you will make time to follow the string of videos starting here, you will see some eye-opening hints and tips, as well as a powerful example by one of the best I have seen, one who is also an awesome teacher. By the way, these principles are also great for learning how to teach a Bible class or preach a sermon. For these, the principles of inductive Bible study here will also be helpful. I highly recommend The Word and e-Sword open source Bible study software. Online clipart galleries such as this may be helpful. I love AiG's After Eden cartoons. This Sunday School resource site may be helpful, too.)

For specific design tips, this is a useful practical summary:



(Of course, presentation rules are not cast in stone. When it's the right time and place, such rules -- like pie crusts, are made to be broken if they are in the way of something really good. But -- just as with pie, don't over-indulge. Use your judgement.)

Here is a useful 101 on using PowerPoint style software to do a presentation:



(Here is a good 101, for the MS Office 2007/10 version.)

Sizzle vs Substance

"Sell the sizzle not the steak" is an old ad man's truism. But a second one is: "where's the beef?":



In short, sizzle -- inviting experience -- sells, but you had better have substance to back it up!

Q: How, then, do we create, organise and present a solid, attractive strategic plan?

A: A good place to begin (once you have an idea of what you want to achieve) is with the "simple" ADCC worksheet, or -- if you feel a bit more adventurous -- with a modified form of the now fairly well-known Logical Framework table. "Log Frame," for short. (Cf. Appendix 1 on the outline planning document, or you might look at a handbook here and a detailed reference here. CIDA has an interesting development, using a different name, here. This is pro-grade stuff.)

These planning tools are based on a simple causal chain, where one thing leads to another:

The "Log Frame" allows you to identify [at "short bullet-point phrase" level, on one sheet of paper] vision level outcomes, goals, activities and effort to achieve such, and required input resources, then think about critical success factors that have to be in place to achieve these things, the indicators that will help you know that you are on track, and identify and manage the inevitable breakdowns and risks. Using estimates of time required, and the lists of activities and who are to carry them out [actors], the timeline Gantt chart can be filled in. Such a Log Frame then is great for laying out the one page summary framework, a presentation or the detailed plan document.

But, nothing complex can be implemented without proper . . .

 Organisation

Most plans of any size require at least a few people to work together on a sustained basis.

That means we need to organise work or project teams, and set these teams in bigger management frameworks that allow a strategy to be sustained across time. For the very simplest work groups, an executive team or committee for a group can be set up [cf. MVAT, Step II], much like:

In such a team, we tend to have several core offices (which may have different names and certain special roles for, say, a church's board):

a] Chair: coordinates, leads meetings of the executive [hence the name] and is the public face and voice of the initiative.
 
b] Vice-Chair. & Projects Coordinator: organises and manages the seminars and other projects as they come online through the action teams.

c] Secretary: correspondence, minutes of meetings, periodic reports on progress/gaps relative to plans; also sees to correct procedure, records and hospitality and protocol.

d] Treasurer: manages and helps raise funds, keeps the books [cf. GNUCash for a free- for- a- download, open source software simple accounting system], providing transparency over finances.
 
e] Partners/ members & Public Relations Officer: promotes good relations and collaboration with partners or members, and outreach to the church community and wider public.

 In addition to an executive, an organisation typically works based on a cluster of small activity groups that meet in what are sometimes called "caves," and comes together as a whole to use common facilities, and takes advantage of networks in a community, ranging from roads, utilities and telephones to the Internet.

For a typical church, think of Sunday school classes, prayer bands, neighbourhood study groups, Dorcas circles,  the choir, the congregation's main meeting [and its hall], and how a church may use the community's roads for bussing, car pooling etc, as well as of course the church telephone, fax, e-mail and web site:

 One secret of mobilising the people resources in a typical church is to organise and transform the "cave"-groups into work/project teams that function as action-cells of the body at work:

Such "action-cells" (more commonly called "cell groups" or "classes" or "ministry groups" or even "small groups") serve to help in reaching out to people in the wider community, help nurture and support growing Christians, give room for people to express their gifts and talents, and serve as ministry action teams.

Cells are actually quite old.

Jesus' circle of the 12 was a cell, and when the very first church came into being in Jerusalem, we see from Acts 2 how it worked:

Acts 2:⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 Organising VFM

 These principles are being applied to VFM, to help it work towards its strategic vision:

Think about where your ministry fits into this framework. (Or, if your church uses a different framework, how your work fits in with it.)

Activities

1 -->  This is the week we plan to have several evening sessions, where we will work through the plans and presentations, live. Plan to free up the four evenings in succession, and to be ready for your part.

2 -->  At the same time, you will want to go through the summary content above, and watch the videos.

3 -->  If you have access to a PC with MS PowerPoint (or OpenOffice Impress) you will want to develop a rough form presentation for your sessions. try to make it fairly short, maybe 4 - 5 slides after the title slide (and not counting the end slide).

4 -->  To do so, you will need to refer to your VMVEGS sheet, your SWOT-alignment, and your ADCC or Log Frame. If you feel adventurous, you might even fill out a Gantt chart and an outline budget, all of which are enclosed with the outline plan document.

5 -->  The other big task for the week will be to put in some bullet point level notes into the narrative part of that outline. (Don't erase the hint notes just yet, they will help guide you.)

Onward:

The final major activity for this seminar will be to produce the planning documents. These should be submitted by the agreed date, for assessment and issuing VFM leadership training certificates of achievement.

Part III: PE2ST-SWOT analysis and Strategy Alignment

Over the past two modules of this seminar, we have begun to build a strategic framework for our ministry initiatives, and as we have dug in deeper into key Biblical principles, we have taken time to refine the VMVEGS framework. Thus, we will have seen how the framework matures in light of a deeper probing of the scriptures. (NB: I am using what is called the spiral strategy for learning.)

In this third part, our focus will shift to using two key technical tools for further refining the strategy:

1: The PE2ST --> SWOT analysis worksheet

2: The BAU vs ALT Strategy Alignment matrix

The rope principle: united strength

The key concept in using such tools to develop an effective strategy is the point that successful strategies:

• are well-fitted to their environments (with due allowance and provision for the unexpected), 
• build on strengths, so they can
• make the most of opportunities, while 
• countering threats, and 
• compensating for-- or if possible correcting --  weaknesses. 

The idea here is similar to how a twisted rope is made and how it works:

Wikipedia aptly describes:

. . . Twisted ropes are built up in three steps. First, fibres are gathered and spun to form yarns. A number of these yarns are then twisted together to form strands. The strands are then twisted together to form the rope. The twist of the yarn is opposite to that of the strand, and that in turn is opposite to that of the rope. It is this counter-twist, introduced with each successive operation, which holds the final rope together as a stable, unified object.

Each fibre (especially in a natural rope) is likely to be relatively short, thin and weak. But when they are twirled together tightly, each fibre grips the next, and we gain both length and strength. However, a twist tends to untwist itself if left alone. So, the yarns are twisted together in the opposite sense to form a yarn, so that strand twist meets yarn-level counter-twist. Then strands are given the opposite twist to form the overall rope as a unified, stable, long, strong whole:

Just so, a good strategy will allow us to work together using our strengths, and will help us form a team that compensates for our weaknesses, forming a unified whole that can do much more than any one individual. But in so doing, we have to be careful indeed in how we manage forces that could help us unravel the unity that gives us united strength.

One of those challenges is the challenge to change from Business As Usual [BAU] to a better Alternative [ALT] strategy:

A major challenge

One of the major challenges that forces us to change the way we normally would do things is that all across the Caribbean and wider world, the Gospel is under unprecedented attack.

So, as a key step to understanding and responding to the signs of the times, we need to pause and  focus on a key strategy issue: confirming the authenticity of the faith and our faithfulness to it in the teeth of a rising tide of skepticism and apostasy.

For, many of the challenges we face grow out of the waves of radical de-Christianisation that increasingly sweep across our shores:

Activities

1 --> Read Part V of the Key Visional Scriptures Study, and answer questions w to y. Share a thought or two in the seminar forum.

2 --> Take a look at the summary of the minimal facts approach here, compare Peter's declaration in 2 Peter 1:16 ff as well as Paul's summary in 1 Cor 15:1 - 11, and -- for just two examples -- contrast Dan Brown's approach to the authenticity of the New Testament as is discussed here, and Tom Harpur's approach as is discussed here and here. (NB: The sort of claims being made by Brown and Harpur et al are increasingly being propagated in our region, not just through Cable TV and the Internet but by some Afrocentrists and the like. These advocates want to tell us that the Jewish and Christian tradition was copied wholesale from pagan Egyptian legends, and that the proof is that the originals are on the walls of the pyramids. They are grossly exaggerating resemblances and are suppressing very obvious differences, but such can be persuasive if we are not alert, are ill-informed or do not fact-check.)

3 --> In light of Peter's remarks in 2 Peter 3, what sort of signs of our times do such things reveal? In light of Matt 24:1 - 14, what does this suggest about our time on God's prophetic clock, and what we are called to do? (Jot down a few thoughts in the seminar forum.)

4 --> Broadening focus, what do you think are some further key political, economic, socio-cultural, spiritual and technological trends -- or even shocks -- affecting Antigua and the wider Caribbean today? How do these facts pose opportunities and challenges or even threats? (Discuss in the forum.)

5 --> Fill out the PE2ST --> SWOT worksheet based on your thoughts and discussions, and identify the top three to five trends or shocks that could affect your ministry opportunities, or could pose major challenges.

6 --> Take up the strategy alignment chart, and list these key opportunities and threats.

7 --> Identify three to five key strengths or weaknesses that affect how you can respond to opportunities and challenges.

8 --> Fill in how you are currently using strengths to respond to opportunities and threats, and how you are currently dealing with how threats may affect your weak points. Also, list what you are doing about weaknesses that may affect your ability to take advantage of opportunities.

9 --> Follow the BAU arrow, and see what the likely outcome would be in about three years or so. Note it down in bullet points. This is your business as usual strategy and your projection of what it is likely to result in.

10 --> Now, on a fresh sheet, fill in the SWOT boxes as above and copy out the projected consequence of BAU. But instead try to consciously build an alternative strategy that would use strengths to make the best of opportunities, counter threats, and compensate for or correct weaknesses.

11 --> Jot down where the ALT strategy would be likely to lead, over the next three or so years.

12 --> Contrast the outcomes, and jot down ideas on how you can change to achieve a better outcome.

13 --> Comment on your findings in the thread.

14 --> Update your VMVEGS sheet based on your findings. (This process of incremental improvement is a key lesson: effective plans are not usually developed all at once, but develop based on repeated thought, study, prayer, discussion and a fair amount of sweat.)

15 --> Could you sum up your findings in several electronic slides for presentation? (PowerPoint will work, or if you do not have that, Open Office Impress will work well and is free for a download.)

16 --> Present your findings in the VFM session.

For next time:

Look at the ADCC action plan development tool.

Part II: Visionary, discipling leadership and the VMVEGS factors

As Jesus, Paul and David showed, visionary leadership gains its transformational impact through the power of example. 

These three leaders embodied and exemplified their vision from God, and so were able to help others catch the vision and walk in it with them. Thus, we can see that discipleship is a key component of transformational leadership. In turn, once we think about the godly transformation of a church, or a family, or a ministry, or a business, or a community, this brings to the fore the VMVEGS factors:

Vision -- seeing things aright under God, so we can make the most of our opportunities and call to help fulfill his plan

Mission -- Our part of bringing God's vision to pass, based on his call to us

Values -- What we should hold dear, to be able to help bring the vision to pass

Example -- What we should be like, to inspire and lead others under the vision

Goals -- Achievement targets that help us fulfill our part of the vision

Strategy -- Making the most of opportunities, resources and efforts to achieve our goals and mission under a vision

We can immediately apply this to what we can call the operational form of the church's mandate, as Paul writes in Eph 4:

^{(Eph 4:10}He [Christ] who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) ¹¹It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
 ¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Here we see how Christ came, descending and ascending to -- purpose -- fill all things, thus utterly transform them from the chaos caused by sin. 

To effect this, he gave us Spirit-anointed, gifted leaders who help equip us so that (by the same empowering) WE can carry out the works of Christian service that bless and transform our lives, families, churches, communities. As more and more of us therefore begin to walk in the good works God has laid out in advance for us, a rising tide of blessing fills our world ever more and more. 

Thus we can see the wave of conversion and discipleship driving a rising tide of transformation:

With this in mind, we can get more specific:

Activities

1 --> On the first day of the second week, work your way through Part III of the visional scriptures study, on Eph 2:4 – 10, 4:10 – 16, 5:8 - 17. Answer questions l to q.

2 --> Later that day, share some of your thoughts in the course forum.

3 --> The next day, let us focus a bit more on question q, about making the most of opportunities in an evil day. Clearly, we need to grow as disciples of Christ who through the power of God's grace, live by the truth in love and purity, seek to be good examples, and learn and fulfill our specific call to service. In light of the discipleship disciplines discussed in the ABCD course, and opportunities suggested in the MVAT kit, what are some specific action steps you can take to fulfill Eph 5:15 - 17? Share some of your thoughts.

4 --> The next day, look at Part IV of the visional scriptures study, and answer questions r to v.  Try to identify a list of three to five action steps that you need to take "now." Discuss your thoughts on these steps in the forum, in light of the areas of service you sense that God is calling you to.

5 --> One of the little challenges that we face is to balance two concerns in 1 Thess 5:19 - 22. First, we should not quench the Spirit, suppressing his voice. But equally, since we are prone to mis-hear or have gaps in our understanding, we need to test whether we have heard accurately,  we need to test our sense of leading, and cling to what is good and sound. Based on 2 Tim 3:14 - 17, Psalm 37:23 - 24, Ezekiel 36:26 - 27 and Psalm 119:105, etc., what are some ways we can make these tests? How, then, can we be confident that we are walking according to God's guidance?

6 --> Similarly, the Amplified translation of 1 John 5:14 - 14 shows how seeking the will of God is a key step to effective prayer:

1 John 5:14-15 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁴And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.

    ¹⁵And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

7 --> Given these teachings, how should we pray for God's guidance, and for success in our undertakings?

8 --> A key part of the concept of the church as the body of Christ is that we fulfill complementary roles that help support one another, in a team-effort. In light of the VMVEGS factors, how can we work together to fulfill these action steps, and build up effective collaborating ministries under the vision of Christ filling all things? (Make suggestions in the forum.)

9 --> Read 1 Jn 2:15 - 17, in the Amplified Bible:

1 John 2:15-17 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁵Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.¹⁶For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things]--these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].

    ¹⁷And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.

10 --> In the forum, discuss ways in which worldly distractions, entanglements and sins can blur our vision, blunt our zeal, and frustrate progress in our life and service as disciples. 

11 --> In light of the discipleship disciplines, what are some effective steps we can take to counter such challenges and compensate for or correct our weak points? (Think about your own specific challenges and weaknesses and what steps you plan to take to overcome barriers to Godly success. If you feel free to do so, share a thought or two. Notice Paul's remarks in 2 Cor 12:7 - 10.)

12 --> Revise your initial notes on the VMVEGS worksheet, and discuss the resulting outline strategic ministry plans in your second VFM weekly discussion session.

For next time . . . 

Glance at the PE2ST worksheet and the PE2ST --> SWOT strategy alignment tool, which you will use to help refine the ministry plans outlined in the VMVEGS sheet. (NB: BAU means "business as usual," and ALT means: the alternative strategy. )

Part I: Visioning

" . . . men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do." [1 Chron. 12:32.]

It was a hard time, just after a bruising seven-year civil war that weakened Israel and only ended with the assassinations (not by David!) of Abner, the northern general, and of Ish-bosheth, son of Saul and David's rival for the throne.

But, that is precisely the kind of time that is strategically pivotal in history: a time that forces us to pause, look, think, pray, decide and act in the face of opportunities and challenges/threats, in light of our strengths and weaknesses.

A kairos, in short.

As Wikipedia aptly explains:

Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of undetermined period of time in which something special happens. What the special something is depends on who is using the word. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative nature.

[NB: From the Wiki article, Kairos. Wikipedia is often useful, but too often it is rather spoilt by radical zealots imposing their agenda on what claims to be knowledge. Use with discretion.]

David's generation clearly faced a kairos.

A time that is ever so much like ours.

Perhaps, a further look at David as an example will help us see a little more on how a vision at a moment of kairos, is transformative.

Antigua's Radio Lighthouse recently played a song on how: where men saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king.

Not to mention, a giant-killer:

A king who -- after many adventures, and despite his own moments of horrible failure -- would utterly transform the history of Israel. He started out as the overlooked son, but equally, as a boy then a man after God's own heart. Called out from his sheep, anointed by the prophet at God's direction (and to the astonishment of his brothers who were prone to dismiss him) he defined and led a generation by his example, starting with the confrontation with Goliath; the giant no one else could touch.

Thus, we face the challenge: is God calling out a David generation in our day, to transform our understanding of the Caribbean's role and possibilities in the world, and in the fulfillment of the Great Commission to disciple the nations though the gospel, word, Lordship and power of Christ?

With all my heart, I believe so.

And, I believe we all can be a part of that vision.
 
So, our first task for this seminar is to consider how we can learn to wake up and see clearly, so that we may discern the signs of our times and thus understand what we -- as a potential David Generation -- are called and have an opportunity to do through the grace and power of God, even in the face of an evil day.

Activities

For this first part of the seminar ["this week"], let us:

1 --> On your first day, read Section I of the seminar Bible study, and think about then jot down short suggestions on the discussion questions a to f. 

2 --> Later that day, register at the seminar forum, and put up your first few thoughts.

(Easy Way: Reply to the Welcome message thread, which is under the General Board . It is easy to register once you click on this link to the welcome message thread. Once you register, log in -- notice the menu bar of icons at the top of the page -- and and just scroll down to the foot of the welcome message page to reply using the response box.)

3 --> For your day 2, look at the VMVEGS worksheet, and jot down some preliminary points about your own sphere of ministry or leadership.

(Never mind if you do not feel confident about what you are doing, or even feel a little embarrassed about what you can or cannot put down in words that "sound right," or think that it sounds almost foolish. God takes the foolish, little and weak things to overcome the mighty and the ever so clever.)

4 --> You might want to share with the forum what it felt like to try filling in boxes in the VMVEGS sheet the first time through.

5 --> For your third day, work your way through Part II of the Bible Study, jotting down notes on questions g to k.

6 --> Think about the challenges or threats, and opportunities Paul faced in idol-riddled, hostile, and intellectually arrogant Athens and how he responded in light of his strengths and weaknesses. Think, too, about your own challenges and opportunities that you face in your situation, and your strengths and weaknesses.

7 --> We are ALL called to help disciple the nations. [See Matt 28:18 - 20.]  In light of your sense of calling to service and leadership in discipleship, how do you think you can best use your strengths to make the most of opportunities, counter challenges, and compensate for or correct weaknesses?

[You may find the MVAT Kit helpful in giving you a few ideas. Glance at the planning worksheet here. Do you think you could write up a full plan/proposal like that? God willing, by the end of the course, you should be able to do so; maybe not with fancy rhetorical flourishes, but as a good workmanlike plan in bullet points and short, sharp, clear sentences. And, you should be able to do a PowerPoint-style presentation. (Open Office has a useful, free presentation tool.)]

8 --> How do these points relate to your particular area of Christian service or ministry? (NB: You are now looking at your own ministry area as a "live" case study.)

9 --> Discuss these possibilities in the first weekly session for the course held at VFM.

10 --> Feel free to post your thoughts in the Welcome thread!

For next time:  

Glance at the ABCD discipleship course and think about how sound discipleship plays a part in developing a clear vision, and so in fulfilling your calling and service under Christ.