Preparing Your Church for the Fall Growth Season

How are you doing with your StratOp? While some of you may be doing OK, I have a sneaking suspicion that for most of you, keeping your StratOp vital and renewed has not been a high priority. Let’s be honest about our realities as church leaders:

1. Church life has so many interruptions; people are our business—right?
2. Churches don’t have a hard bottom-line like a business has. Your paycheck as a leader is probably pretty secure, no matter what your control panel says.
3. And let’s admit it, most churches do not have a culture of execution. The default setting in most churches is maintenance.

 
This is a list of powerful demotivators. But remember, you invested a lot of time, effort and finances into your church’s StratOp. Wouldn’t it be a shame to lose the gain that StratOp can bring to your church?
 
One of the best practices of churches that successfully engage StratOp is the discipline of reflection and renewal. Reflection looks backward to what you have been working on during the past season. Renewal gets you planning the next season.
 
Right now, go to the Kairos website and download the StratOp Refresh and Renew worksheet. This 30-minute worksheet will get you ready for the new church season that begins Labor Day. (If you don't know what I'm talking about when I say StratOp, learn more here.)
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 Here’s how the worksheet is organized:

1. Identify your season. Churches have 3 major seasons:
   1. Fall (Labor Day to Christmas) is a major growth season as people settle into more consistent routines following summer. Fall is a time to have big day events, start new neighborhood outreach activities, and do some major growth campaigns.
   2. Spring (Christmas to Mother’s Day) is your second growth season. People are looking for new starts at New Year and Easter. The spring season is a great time for felt-need sermon series to attract newcomers.
   3. Summer (Mother’s Day to Labor Day). Ministry doesn’t stop during summer; but you do have to do ministry with a Reggae beat. Summer’s a great time to do memory creating events, strengthen relationships, and just try some crazy things to connect to a new group of people.
2. Reflect on the previous season using the 4 Helpful Lists tool from StratOp to gain perspective.
3. Plan your next season. A great question is “What will we be really glad we started working on today when we look back on it 4 months from now?” Make your next season’s plan, identify your deliverables, and put the important dates on your calendar.

 
Download your 30-minute StratOp Renew and Refresh worksheet under Strategy here.

download now

​In December you’ll be glad you did!
 
Stay focused my friend!

​Stan Granberg, Kairos Executive Director