5 Church Buckets

I am writing this for me, but you're all welcome to read.

We started talking about Connections as a vision.
We cast that vision and got a few people.
Then we formed a bit of a strategy.
Then we started to meet for worship.

Lately we've been talking about our church "systems" and we've been looking for property to create a ministry centre (not a worship space).  We've felt very limited by our inability to hold more regular worship practices, host youth meetings and classes, or just an available space to get some administration and planning done!

Then I read this blog today in which the writer talks about the Five Buckets of a church:

* Strategy – How do we accomplish the mission?
* Systems – How do we streamline what we do to improve our effectiveness?
* People – Who’s on the team and what’s their role?
* Buildings – Where do we do what we do?
* Vision – Where are we heading?

Just reading that list was great confirmation that we are framing this in the right way.  He went on to prioritize the buckets as follows:

1. People
2. Vision
3. Strategy
4. Systems
5. Buildings

This really resonates with me.
It always starts with people.  Without relationships all our work is nothing.
Plus, you can have the greatest plan on paper, but without the right people to implement the plans, they mean nothing.  Further, the right people will want to be part of making the right plan.
So YES, people come first.

Then comes vision.  The right people casting a compelling vision is perhaps the most powerful force in the world (next to God).

Then comes the strategy.  At Connections I always tried to simplify this by saying our mission is our vision is our strategy: "Connecting with God...People...the World."  We've worked everything around that simple mission.

Lately we've started to refine our systems.  We've focused on the following eight:

• Worship Service System
• Follow-Up system
• Small Group System
• Ministry or Volunteer System
• Evangelism System
• Stewardship System
• Leadership System
• Strategic System

Last is buildings.  A year ago I did not care much about this bucket.  Today, this is my top priority.  It is so clear to me that we NEED a ministry centre.  In God's timing it will happen.

So where does that leave Connections?
We need the right people communicating a more mature vision.  A vision to open a ministry centre to be a presence in our community and to give our church systems a base of operations to continue our strategy of connecting people with God, others and the world around them.