South Coastal
District
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OPEN LETTER ABOUT OUR MISSIONAL GAME PLAN
South Coastal Pastor:
In a District Board of Administration meeting this spring 2014 we reaffirmed our commitment to each church
completing the Missional Game Plan. We have constructed a plan for every pastor and every local church on our district.
The goal is to have every church on our district team to put a written missional plan in place.
Our work with the District Transformation Project has taught us so much about church growth and has proven true with the
participating churches. One very basic premise of church growth that every prescription includes is the focus on the
Church Growth Engines:
1. Worship
2. Children’s Ministry
3. Assimilation
So this year, each church has an opportunity customize your Missional Game Plan around these 3 Church Growth Engines.
In the spirit of my District Superintendent report at District Conference, the focus of this year is “The Power of One”. This
concept has been incorporated for the Missional Game Plan this year. You will be asked to have ONE goal for each area.
This will challenge you to strategically focus on what your top priority is to improve each of these areas.
In the following pages you will see the Missional Game Plan that you are asked to complete as a ministry team (LBA, key
leaders, ministry leaders, etc.). By all means get the right people in the room for this plan. We have included a Missional
Game Plan guide with ideas for putting together three sessions (perhaps one growth engine per session) toward
constructing this plan. I have also included a SAMPLE guide for developing ideas. Create your own plan. I have included
the Word document on our district website so you can download the Missional Plan form to make your work easier.
If you have already constructed your own written plan that includes all the information we are requesting then submit that
plan. Every church needs to have a written plan that will hold you focused on the “Great Commission in the spirit of the
Great Commandment.”
As a DBA, we are asking you to work on this Missional Game Plan by September 8th, 2014 and submit the written plan to
the District Office. The first order of business for our board in September will be to review every church’s plan for the
coming year.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call me or make contact as soon as possible. This is simply the normal healthy
habits of a healthy Wesleyan missional church.
For our hope and future,
Dan A. Berry, DS
P.S. - John Wesley’s timeless challenge still inspires leaders—“You have nothing to do but save souls! Therefore, spend
and be spent in this work. Go always not only to those who desire you, but to those that need you most.”
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Pastoral Leadership Guide for the Missional Game Plan:
Establish a meeting or a retreat with the pastoral staff and the key lay ministry leaders of the church. Remind the gathering
that God has a good future for the church, He has a plan for your church to reach the lost and broken in your community. It
will take several meetings but each should follow this basic process.
The Why- Describe the purpose/mission, and goals to be accomplished? (3 min) Why does the church exist?
Prayer – Nothing eternal happens without prayer. (5 min)
Worship – Spend some time worshipping through singing, praise, and adoration (8 min)
Study – Have the group read some of these scriptures and be prepared to share what God is saying;
Matthew 22:36-40; Acts 2; I Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4: 10-13; Galatians 3:28; Luke 10:25-31. (8 min)
First Session: Growth Engine #1 - Worship
Answer the following questions:
1. Describe your community? What are its needs? What changes are occurring?
**Refer to attached Strategy from an Acts 1:8 Perspective (Support Material #1)
**If you have not already done so, you can conduct a FREE demographic study of the area around your church
by going to http://www.bestplaces.net/ This study will give you a broad range of statistics dealing with those
people, salaries, ethnic composite, etc. that is part of your mission field.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Does your current worship style match your community?
Would your community consider your worship relative?
Do you have a team approach to planning a month of worship experience?
Brainstorm things that would improve your worship service to be more effective in reaching your community for
Christ.
6. Prioritize the most important change that needs to be made to your worship service.
7. Create 1 “Smart Goal” to implement that change this year.
** Refer to attached “How to Develop a S.M.A.R.T. Goal” (Support Material #2)
Second Session: Growth Engine #2 - Children’s Ministry
Include the why, prayer, and worship
1. Does your current children’s ministry attract new families to your church?
2. Do children leave with a desire to make sure their parents bring them back to church?
3. Brainstorm things that would improve your children’s ministry to be more effective in reaching your community
for Christ.
4. Prioritize the most important change that needs to be made to your children’s ministry.
5. Create 1 “Smart Goal” to implement that change this year.
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Third Session: Growth Engine #3 - Assimilation
Include the why, prayer, and worship
1. What is your plan for Assimilation currently?
2. What is your current retention rate of first time visitors?
3. Brainstorm things that would improve your Assimilation process to be more effective in retaining visitors.
4. Prioritize the most important change that needs to be made to your Assimilation process.
5. Create 1 “Smart Goal” to implement that change this year.
Third Session – After Growth Engine Smart Goals Established: Review the “Other Key Areas” items
and establish numerical goals in outreach, discipleship, leadership, and stewardship as well as your numerical
goals for worship, salvations, and baptisms.. Gather the data from 2013 as a starting place for goal setting. Begin
to think in terms of the systems needed for accomplishing these missional and ministry goals.
Submit Your Plan: Put it in writing! By having it in writing it becomes a tool for holding you and your leaders
accountable to the goals established. I remind you that your Missional Game Plan should be SMART, and biblically
focused.
Accountability and Follow-Up: Now that you have a Mission Plan you will need to meet monthly to review the
progress, deal with questions, teach and train your leaders, plan for struggles as you pass each growth barrier, and stay
with the plan. You might have to rewrite portions of your mission plan to keep up with the progress you are making.
Celebration: Celebrate monthly the victories won and the new territory gained. Reward those who are making the
biggest impact monthly. Remember, it is all about the “glory of God”. Give Him praise for what He is doing in the life of
His church.
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Missional Ministry Plan
Church Name _____________________
Every local church needs a written plan for missional ministry this year. Please develop a Missional Ministry Plan for the
coming 12 months of ministry (2014-15). Refer to Pastoral Leadership Guide before completing this section. Complete
this form and Submit your plan for DBA review by September 8, 2014.
Growth Engine #1 – Worship
Number one priority goal to improve your Worship Service (make sure it is a “Smart Goal”)
Growth Engine #2 – Children’s Ministry
Number one priority goal to improve your Children’s Ministry (make sure it is a “Smart Goal”)
Growth Engine #3 – Assimilation
Number one priority goal to improve your Assimilation Process (make sure it is a “Smart Goal”)
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Other Key Areas:
Please list your number one priority goal for each of these key areas. Make sure
they are “Smart Goals”
Key Areas #1 – Outreach - Plans to reach out to those outside the church
Number one priority goal to improve your Outreach
Key Areas #2 – Discipleship - Plans to develop fully devoted followers of Jesus
Number one priority goal to improve your Discipleship
Please also share your statistical goal for these areas for the upcoming year:
Category
Sunday School
Small Groups
Children
2013-14 (past year)
2014-15 (coming year goal)
Key Areas #3 -Leadership - Plans to pray for and develop leaders this year
Number one priority goal to improve your Leadership Development
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Other Key Areas Cont’d:
Key Areas # 4 Stewardship: Plans to increase the financial health
Number one priority goal to improve your Leadership Development
Please share your stats for this areas as well as your goal for the upcoming year:
Category
Income
2013-14 (past year)
2014-15 (coming year goal)
Now that you have established solid goals to poise you for success, spend some
time dreaming about what God could do this year.
Please share your statistical goals for the upcoming year:
Category
Worship
Salvations
Baptisms
2013-14 (past year)
2014-15 (coming year goal)
One more item: Many times when you are adding new things to your ministry you can find
your volunteers over-taxed. Consider finding one thing to STOP doing this year. The attached
“Ministry Audit” can help you in the process. (Support Material #3)
Ministry Item to STOP this year:
Pastor:________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Who participated in this process? Pastor LBA  Ministry Leaders  Staff
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*Support Material #1
Strategy from an Acts 1:8 Perspective
Beyond our initial Ministry Focus Group (see “Jerusalem”), the Lord wants us to pay attention to other
opportunities He’s preparing. Using Acts 1:8 as a missional grid, prayerfully consider new possibilities to
spread grace to new places. Who are the people your local church has the greatest potential to impact for
Christ?
Jerusalem—People near us, and like us. They will come to our church as we will find ways to build redemptive
bridges to them. Describe them…
Judea—People like us, but not near us. They would come to our church, but are too far away. What kinds of
ministries or another church could we start to reach them where they live? What possibilities and locations
come to mind?
Samaria—People near us, but not like us. They may not connect easily to our church, but we could start another
ministry, service or church for them even though it’s close to our own church. What people groups or special
opportunities might fit “Samaria” ministry?
Ends of the earth—People not like us and not near us. Increasingly, ministry is blending local and global to
become “global”. Consider how you can partner with missionaries in other parts of the world to plant churches
and other missional initiatives. Work with your denomination’s global mission’s team to discover what
opportunities might fit your church.
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*Support Material #2
How to Develop a S.M.A.R.T. Goal
Step 1: Choose an Objective.
Choose a goal or dream you want to pursue.
Step 2: Make it S.M.A.R.T.
Next, define goals or areas in your life that you want to work on using the S.M.A.R.T. guide of: Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-specific.
Specific: A goal is specific when it is concrete.
Example: “I want to be a better athlete” is not a specific goal—what does it mean to be a better
athlete? “I want to run in the Boston Marathon in 2011,” or “I will improve my athleticism by working
out 3 days a week for one hour each day at the gym” is specific.
Measurable: You need to be able to recognize when you’ve accomplished it.
Example: “I want to be a better leader” is not a measurable goal—how do I know when I’m
“better”? “I want to improve my leadership skills by completing a course in Leadership
Development at the local college this year” is a measurable goal.
Attainable: It has to be a goal that can be realized.
Example: “I would like to travel around the world by the end of this year” is probably unattainable,
when your job only allows you only one week of vacation for the year.
Relevant: A goals needs to be important to you – reflecting your values.
Example: “I want to plan and implement a service project in my neighborhood” is a relevant goal
for someone who has a core value of reaching people for Christ in a tangible way.
Time-specific: Goals have dates attached.
Example: “I want to buy a new home” is not time-specific. “I want to buy a new home by December 31st
of this year” is specific.
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*Support Material #3
How to Conduct a Ministry Audit
Evaluate your church and it’s ministry by conducting a Ministry Audit. Identify the ministries that are focused
on the existing Christians as well as those outside the four walls of the church. Statistics tell us that most
churches will have 10 ministries for the believers for every one ministry for the unsaved. How are you doing?
Ministries that Go Deep with God
(Spiritual Formation)
Ministries that Go Deep with Others
(Authentic Community)
Ministries that Go Deep with the
Harvest (Missional Engagement)
Ministries That Meet Community
Needs (Missional Possibilities)
Audit Exercise:
1. Repent of self-centeredness personally and as a church. Ask God to give you His heart for the lost.
2. Assess the potential.
a. What are the needs and opportunities in your community?
b. What are the experiences, skills and passion of the people of your church? Look for people who are not
currently involved in church ministry…they might be longing to go on mission!
3. Experiment. Field test different missional opportunities. See which ones fuel the hearts of your people
and bear fruit in your community. Don’t be afraid to try some things that don’t last long term.
4. Partner with other groups and organizations in your community. Seek “common ground for the common
good.” It’s great if we don’t have to do all the organizing, but can instead show up for the serving!
5. Evaluate. Here are three key issues for evaluating the activities of your mission teams:
a. Does it make a difference?
b. Does it make relationships?
c. Does it make disciples?
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