In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
The planning part is part of the whole picture. We have a principle that we can find in the Bible for all of this. Planning supports the service. And planning is in the Bible as we will see.
I want to say something - planning is not the opposite of faith. Let me show you that planning is faithful stewardship. This Bible verse says:
"Which of you, wanting to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?" - Luke 14:28
You do not build the foundation and then lose it. Even the Bible itself tells us to plan.
Today in our workshop, we are continuing strategic planning. We have already finished milestones, core values, and research. Today is about goals, action plans, and output. The flow goes like this: Vision leads to Mission, which leads to Research, which leads to Goals, which leads to an Action Plan, which produces Output, Outcome, and Impact.
First, I want you to imagine we are in a country - let us call it "Mamba-Bamba." How do we plan? We set milestones and went to our country. Now what do we do?
The first thing we do is explore. We want to establish a presence - maybe register as an NGO, a non-profit organization. We set up a medical center or an educational center. How do we do that? Through the needs assessment we already learned. The second thing is approach - based on the research and exploration, we decide what kind of service to provide. And then we need a vision.
From Vision to Goals
Before we speak about goals, we must understand the difference between a vision and a goal. They are not the same thing.
Vision is a distant dream. It is not something specific. It can change every ten or twenty years. Think of how international companies write their vision. One company says "a computer on every desk" - they do not know how, but that is the dream. Another says "I will transition to electric cars and sustainable energy." Another says "I will make society open and connected." The vision is not specific. It is a dream.
For us in evangelism service, the vision is a verse:
"Whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." - Colossians 1:28
This is THE vision for all evangelism service. We should bring all people to be present before Christ - perfect in Him. Every time we walk, in any service, this should be what drives us.
Now, every country's story is different - China, Asia, Africa - but the vision stays the same. The vision is the distant dream. What changes is the approach - how we get there.
If I am in Africa, I do medical services because that is how I can reach my vision. If I am in Hong Kong, maybe people do not need medical services - they need psychological support, stress management, lectures, events, sessions. In other countries like Cambodia, they do educational centers - informal education, vocational training. Some places do business support services. The approach changes based on the country, but the vision stays the same.
Research and SWOT Analysis
How do we make a decision about what approach to take? First, through research. What do you know about this country? What is the infrastructure like? What is the political situation? Are there existing organizations? Will this project be successful given the conditions? Is the country politically stable?
We also need to understand the culture. When you come to do a project, it has to match the culture. Otherwise people will not accept the service. You might look like a foreigner, and they do not accept it. In China or Hong Kong, people have a certain way of dealing with you - you need distance, respect. In Egypt, it is different. So you need to understand the country you are going to, the opportunities you have, and the threats you face.
This leads to a SWOT analysis - an honest assessment of your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
Strengths - We have a church with two thousand years of heritage. We can use that to make spiritual content for people - Bible study, worship, prayer. We also have human resources - people with capabilities who give and travel. We have doctors, engineers, skilled servants.
Weaknesses - If we do not understand the language of the country, that is a weakness. If we have problems with travel costs and logistics, that is a weakness. These go in the weakness column.
Opportunities - The country supports NGOs. There are health needs or education needs that create openings for service. These are opportunities.
Threats - The culture might create barriers. People might see you as outsiders. Political instability could threaten the work.
Based on this analysis, you set your goals.
The SMART Goals Framework
Now, when we set goals, they need to be SMART. What does that mean?
S - Specific
The goal must say exactly what you will do. "We will do medical missions" is not specific enough. "We will build a medical center" or "We will register an NGO" - that is specific. You must say exactly what you are doing.
M - Measurable
You must include numbers. "I did medical missions four or five times." "I served one hundred patients." I know a number. I can measure whether I reached the goal or not.
A - Achievable
The goal must be within your capabilities and resources. This is the difference between a goal and a vision. The vision can be as big as you want, but the goal must be realistic. When I say I will register an NGO, I know that with my team, my resources, I can actually do it.
R - Relevant
The goal must be connected to your vision. You can put a smart goal, but if it is not serving the vision you set in the beginning, it is pointless. It must be relevant to the mission.
T - Time-bound
The goal must have a deadline. "In the next two years." "By the end of Q4." Without a deadline, the goal just sits there.
Putting It All Together
Here are examples of complete SMART goals:
- "Establish a clinic in a target location to serve five hundred children in the next two years" - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
- "Conduct four spiritual camps, each serving one hundred children, from Q3 to Q4 of this year" - every SMART criterion is met
Notice how different these are from saying "We want to help children" or "We want to do camps." The SMART framework transforms good intentions into executable plans.
The goals come from the research and analysis. They are not something you make up. You look at the research, the SWOT analysis, and then set goals that are realistic based on what you found.
Prioritization - The Eisenhower Matrix
Once you have your goals, you cannot do everything at once. You must prioritize. Some people call this the Eisenhower Priority Matrix. Some people call it Stephen Covey's matrix. The name does not matter - here is how it works.
The matrix divides tasks into four categories based on two questions: Is this urgent? and Is this important?
Urgent and Important - Do it now. These are the immediate mission needs. People need to go now. They need support now. This cannot wait.
Not Urgent but Important - This is the long-term work. Building a clinic, developing an educational center - these are far away, but they are the most important work you will ever do. This is where strategy lives.
Urgent but Not Important - Be careful. There are things that feel pressing but are not actually important to the mission. You need to be specific about whether what you are doing is truly important or just feels urgent.
Not Urgent and Not Important - Eliminate. These are time-wasters that do not advance the mission.
Is this the only prioritization technique? No. There are many other techniques - there is the RACI Matrix, and others. But this is a simple and powerful one.
The Action Plan
We have set goals, we have made them SMART, we have prioritized them. Now I need an action plan. The action plan can have several forms, but here is a simple one.
For each goal, you create a table that answers these questions:
What - What specific task needs to be done? For example: spiritual content, medical missions, NGO registration.
Who - Who is responsible? For example, the spiritual content team might be led by a specific father, with helpers like Monica and Justina. The NGO registration might be assigned to a specific person who will handle the legal work.
How - How will it be done? They will make flyers, prepare materials, contact authorities, and so on.
When - What is the timeline? When does this task start, and when must it be completed?
Resources - What do you need? Money, materials, volunteers, transportation, approvals.
You write all the goals in detail, you assign specific people, and you track it. Every task must have a name attached to it. When everyone is responsible, no one is responsible.
Then you go back to the team and make sure everyone knows their role. The team has missions to travel, the father prepares the spiritual content, specific people handle logistics - everyone knows exactly what they are doing and when.
Output, Outcome, and Impact
The last thing - and this is very important. I made goals, I made the action plan. Now how do I evaluate whether it worked? There is a concept called Output, Outcome, and Impact.
Output - The Direct Result
Output is the immediate, tangible result of your goal. It answers the question: What did we produce?
- "We built a medical center."
- "We served two hundred patients."
- "We conducted four camps."
Output is the direct result related to the SMART goal. I said I would do it, and I did it.
Outcome - The Change in People's Lives
Outcome goes deeper. It answers the question: What changed because of our work?
For example, I do not just build a medical center and that is it. I build a medical center because I have a vision. So what is the outcome? The healthcare improved. People are healthier. Children learn better because they are not sick. A family's future has been changed because their child received treatment.
If I do an educational center and teach English and practical skills, the outcome is that those children now have better futures. Their families benefit. When the child grows up, they will not be in the same situation. The outcome is about the real change in people's lives.
This is important because we are not a company or a business. We should always think about the vision - bringing every person to Christ. We should always think about the outcome, not just the output. If you have a milestone of empowering the local church, the outcome is that the local servant, the local father, can carry the work forward.
Impact - The Long-term Effect on the Community
Impact is the deepest level. If you were not there, what would have happened to this community? If you did not build the medical center, what would things look like ten years later?
Impact is about the long-term change in the community and society. When I serve someone in healthcare or education, the people around them see what the Coptic Church is doing. That is the long-term impact on the community.
I will be honest - the impact is not always tangible right away. It is something you feel over the long term. But we have to think about it because this is a long-term service. We are in the country for a long time. So we have to think about and work toward the impact on the society we are in.
Key Takeaways
- The vision of evangelism - presenting every person perfect in Christ - never changes, but it must be translated into specific, measurable SMART goals that your team can actually execute
- Planning is not the opposite of faith but is faithful stewardship - even the Bible tells us to sit down and count the cost before building
- Every SMART goal must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant to the vision, and Time-bound - if it fails any one of these criteria, refine it until it passes all five
- The approach changes based on the country - medical services in one place, psychological support in another, education in another - but the vision stays the same
- An action plan must assign specific tasks to specific people with specific deadlines - when everyone is responsible, no one is responsible
- Always evaluate your work on three levels - Output (what you produced), Outcome (what changed in people's lives), and Impact (the lasting transformation in the community and the souls drawn to Christ)
Dive Deeper
Resources coming soon.
To our God be all glory and honor, now and forever. Amen.