Albert Einstein said: “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”

I love Albert Einstein’s thinking! So helpful.

Here are my best shot at 5 questions to ask as 2019 begins!

5 questions to ask as 2019 begins:

Did you establish “wins” for the strategies you used last year?

If so, how did you do? Did your plans succeed or fail? If you didn’t establish wins, plan on adding this very important ingredient in 2019. Andy Stanley’s 7 Practices of Effective Ministry is an excellent resource for this.  See also, What Will You Call a “Win” for the Groups in Your Ministry?

Have you moved closer to the preferred future?

Or simply prevented slippage? If you haven’t developed a refined preferred future, it is time and you need to do it. See also, Creating Your “Refined” Preferred Future.

Are you ending 2018 with a solid plan for 2019?

Even if you developed an annual calendar for 2018-2019 (i.e., September to August), it’s a good idea to recalibrate for the start of the new year. What changes or adjustments do you need to make? See also, How to Build an Annual GroupLife Calendar.

What have been your key learnings?

What have you learned is true in your setting that you didn’t know before? What have you learned is actually an outdated assumption? See also, Is It Time to Take a Fresh Look at Your Assumptions? and My Top 3 Learnings about Small Group Ministry This Year.

What aspects of your design need to be carefully examined?

Remember, “your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing (Andy Stanley).” If you want different results, you need to develop a different design. Doing the same things again and again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity (Albert Einstein). Using the same strategy after you know it is ineffective is irresponsible and poor stewardship. See also, 7 Signs Your Small Group Ministry Has a Bad Design.