80% Planned
The former CFO of Pizza Hut did a presentation to our gathering of multi-site pastors yesterday. Great stuff!
I love reading business books and listening to business leaders because it helps me think outside the church box. I think it's one way we "plunder the Egyptians" or become "shrewd as snakes." I think a good leader is an open-system. In other words, they learn from everyone and everything. It's cross-polinization.
Here is one concept that has cross-over:
He said, "I'd rather have an 80% plan 100% executed than a 100% plan 80% executed."
I can't anything that a bunch of multi-site pastors need to hear more :)
For what it's worth, I tried to plant a church when I was in Chicago doing Seminary at Trinity International University. I had a 25-year plan. No kidding! It was 100% planned but 0% executed. We fell flat on our faces. Since that time, Ecclesiastes 11 has been my modus operandi.
Verse 1 says, "Cast your bread upon the water for after many days you will find it again." Translation: go for it.
Verse 4 says, "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." In other words, if you wait for perfect conditions to do something you'll never do anything! I don't want to be "a watcher." I want to be "a doer." I'm a perfectionist by personality so I want every detail nailed down! I've learned not to let my perfectionism keep me from stepping out in faith!
And verse 6 says, "Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening do not let your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." That verse inspired our core value: everything is an experiment. That is our approach to ministry. We try lots of different things. We stop doing what doesn't work. We keep doing what does work. We've got to sow the seed and then figure out where we're getting a harvest. I think we have a tendency to over-plan and under-plant.
During A Course in Miracles series I shared a simple truth that got stuck in my Spirit: you can't plan Pentecost. There is no way the Apostles could have planned what would happen on the Day of Pentecost. But when you pray for ten days, some miraculous things might happen!
Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-planning. I'm a strategist. We go into every year with about a twenty-five page strategy. We have a sermon strategy, staffing strategy, outreach strategy, marketing strategy, discipleship strategy. But I think we can over-plan. We can over-analyze a dream to death.
We've got to cast our bread on the water.
That's what we've done with GodiPod.com. It's not 100% planned. I don't think it's 50% planned. But I don't want to be standing around at the end of my life watching the wind and looking at the clouds!
I love reading business books and listening to business leaders because it helps me think outside the church box. I think it's one way we "plunder the Egyptians" or become "shrewd as snakes." I think a good leader is an open-system. In other words, they learn from everyone and everything. It's cross-polinization.
Here is one concept that has cross-over:
He said, "I'd rather have an 80% plan 100% executed than a 100% plan 80% executed."
I can't anything that a bunch of multi-site pastors need to hear more :)
For what it's worth, I tried to plant a church when I was in Chicago doing Seminary at Trinity International University. I had a 25-year plan. No kidding! It was 100% planned but 0% executed. We fell flat on our faces. Since that time, Ecclesiastes 11 has been my modus operandi.
Verse 1 says, "Cast your bread upon the water for after many days you will find it again." Translation: go for it.
Verse 4 says, "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." In other words, if you wait for perfect conditions to do something you'll never do anything! I don't want to be "a watcher." I want to be "a doer." I'm a perfectionist by personality so I want every detail nailed down! I've learned not to let my perfectionism keep me from stepping out in faith!
And verse 6 says, "Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening do not let your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." That verse inspired our core value: everything is an experiment. That is our approach to ministry. We try lots of different things. We stop doing what doesn't work. We keep doing what does work. We've got to sow the seed and then figure out where we're getting a harvest. I think we have a tendency to over-plan and under-plant.
During A Course in Miracles series I shared a simple truth that got stuck in my Spirit: you can't plan Pentecost. There is no way the Apostles could have planned what would happen on the Day of Pentecost. But when you pray for ten days, some miraculous things might happen!
Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-planning. I'm a strategist. We go into every year with about a twenty-five page strategy. We have a sermon strategy, staffing strategy, outreach strategy, marketing strategy, discipleship strategy. But I think we can over-plan. We can over-analyze a dream to death.
We've got to cast our bread on the water.
That's what we've done with GodiPod.com. It's not 100% planned. I don't think it's 50% planned. But I don't want to be standing around at the end of my life watching the wind and looking at the clouds!
4 Comments:
your dead-on target...i too tried to plant a church while pursing my master's with a whole lot of planning but not a lot of "umphh" - did i miss God - no way (although at times I though I was) - the things/principles/ideas, etc that i learned then, i'm applying now...over-planning can kill - great quote by the pizza guys - on another note...this is at least the 3rd time in a couple of weeks you've mentioned food in your blog (the chicago pizzeria, chick-fil-a, and now pizza hut - perhaps you should create a blog or series on "The Greatest Spiritual Truths I've Learned From Food" (www.valuetheprocess.blogspot.com)
great quote...
Timely quote!
The church I planted five years ago was VERY planned . . . the one I am planting now, much less so. It is really freaking me out but God definitely has His hand in it.
Rick,
Love the book idea :)
Everything I know about God I learned from food.
Man, think of how many pages that book would be :)
Mark
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