I cannot emphasize how important this is. Plan your sermons a year ahead of time. This makes sure that especially for Big Days, your Sunday Management team is way ahead of time planning for that event.
This helps in having excellent events. When you plan a year ahead of time, you are able to factor in all the different aspects of feeding which will yield spiritual growth. If you fail to plan, you have planned to fail. It doesn’t mean you will 100% stick with it, but it will help guide you. Have a series in there for giving, evangelism, faithfulness etc. Plan any pertinent activity that needs to be there. When a program is usually well planned, it is well attended.
The fact that we plan does not mean the Holy Spirit cannot speak to us or it was not Holy Spirit inspired. The Bible was written 2000 years ago and we still say it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Why is something planned just 365 days ago become dead? It is man’s duty to make the plan and it’s God’s duty to order your step
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?
Luke 14:28
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens
Ecclesiastes 3:1
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5
Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.
Proverbs 24:27
Strategic planning is the key to warfare…
Proverbs 24:6 (MSG)
These verses just emphasize the importance of planning. If you are going to use money to build something, sit down and estimate how much it will cost. It’s impossible to budget for an event you have not planned for. There is also a time and a season for everything under the sun so it confirms the importance of putting a time to anything you are trying to do in advance. When a diligent person makes a plan, those plans lead to abundance, in this instance, church growth. Proverbs 24:27 says try to do all that even before the year starts for strategic planning is the key to warfare. This is probably one of my top 5 points that will really change a lot of things in your church. Plan a year ahead. When you do this, you can plan ahead of time the steps your members will need to mature to disciples
Practical Ways Of Planning a Calendar
- Have a slot in your year for a helping build marriages in your church
- Have a slot in your year for 6 Big Days:
- Love Celebration in February
- Easter in March/April,
- Mother’s Day in May,
- Christmas in December,
- International Sunday/Back To School Day in September,
- Music Concert in October,
- Dance Concert in November
- Have a slot in your year for meeting business owners and giving them godly wisdom
- Have a 4-6 week sermon series slot for evangelism
- Have a 4-6 week sermon series slot for giving and stewardship
- Have a 4-6 week sermon series slot for faithfulness and church membership.
- Have a slot allocated monthly for outreaches