The heart of a man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 ESV

In life, you need a plan. This is especially true in leadership, such as ministry. To not have a plan is to, at best, go with the flow, get lucky, and have things turn out at least somewhat well. To not have a plan is to, at worst, incite chaos and lose your followers, because nobody needs chaos.

Plans have both big-picture and small-step elements. Big picture: You have an idea of what you’re trying to achieve overall. Maybe as a pastor, you want to see your church grow physically and spiritually. So, over the next five years, you want to increase involvement in small groups by 50% and increase weekly attendance by 25%. There’s your big picture. That is where you hope to go.

But how do you get there?

Every journey begins with a first step. Maybe that first step is to advertise your small groups so everyone in the church knows what they are, where they meet, and what they teach. Perhaps you want to encourage each church attendee to invite at least one friend to come with them over the next six months, so you decide to talk about the importance of inviting others.

Now, you have your first step. Once you take that first step, then you keep walking, keep taking steps.

Maybe the next step is training for group leaders so your small groups can be as healthy and functional as possible. Maybe the next step is to create invitation cards church attendees can take with them and give to their friends.

You could plan one step at a time. Take a step, look around, think, and take your next step. But the best planners create a map of what is to come. You begin with the end in mind, and work out each step to get there. That’s how we do most of our traveling, especially if its to places we’ve never been before.

The beautiful thing about plans is they give us clear direction along the way. But we should also not be surprised when our plans must change. The proverb above tells us that we make our plans but God directs our steps. In other words, we plan the best we can, but we trust the One who sees all with perfect wisdom. Pray before you plan, while you’re planning, and as you strive to carry out your plan.

Trust that God will guide you and get you where he wants you to go.

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