Is setting goals in ministry a good thing? Undoubtedly. But at times they can go beyond what we can do and require the “God factor” to happen.

Let me give you an example. What if I was to set a goal for the number of baptisms or decisions for Jesus. It sounds great, and I think we would all want to see more people saved.

The problem is that there is a gap between what we do and what the Holy Spirit does.

We see this in Acts 10:42 to 44. Jesus commanded us to tell people about Him and His good news. That’s our responsibility. How a person responds is up to them. In this passage we see that there is a role that only the Holy Spirit can fulfil.

We can preach evangelistic messages, door knock our neighbourhood, run Alpha and engage with our community. That’s all in our control. But what’s not in our control is how people will respond to the message or the number of people who come to faith.

So where is the line that we draw in relation to our goals; our KPI’s?

Jim Collins in “Good to Great and the Social Sectors” provided some interesting thoughts on how we can set goals, suggesting three categories:

1. Activity Goals – what we do.
2. Impact Goals – what results are achieved,
3. Legacy Goals – what is set in motion.

When we plant a church, perhaps too often the focus is on goals that will focus on the outcomes;  what will be achieved. These become faith goals because the reality is that we cannot achieve them. Instead we hope (and pray) to see them achieved with God doing what we cannot.

What we can do is determine what activity we generate, and what systems we put in place. The activity and systems will lead us towards the outcomes that we want to see, but we have no direct control over these outcomes. They require a “God factor”.

I think of Ralph and Ruby Moore who planted Hope Chapel in Hawaii.

Ralph said that:

“When we moved to Hawaii, our team was instructed (by the Spirit) to plant and help others plant enough churches in ten years that we would have converted one percent of the state. At that time, only four percent of the population called themselves believers. It took 11 years but touched off a movement showing 67 percent calling themselves Christ-followers just 23 years later.” (12 Things They Should Have Told Me Before I Planted a Church byRalph Moore)

Ralph’s activities included planting churches, reaching people and making disciples and raising and releasing leaders. These fall into the category of “activity goals”.

The percentage of the population that called themselves believers was an “impact goal”. It happened as a consequence of the activity goals, but it required something out side of Ralph’s control. It required the “God factor”.

Then what happened was that an incredible move was set in motion and a much larger percentage of the population came to call themselves believers. This was in the realm of a “legacy goal”.

Perhaps a way of expressing the different goals is to put them in a sentence like the following:

“I will do ….. in the hope that …… might occur with …… happening as a consequence”.

For example “I will pray and actively seek to make disciples in the hope that 100 people will come to faith over the next year with 10 churches being planted as a consequence over the next 10 years”.

Just as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6 that “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” we all have a part to play in putting in place systems, being active and setting goals, but ultimately some things are out of our control and require the “God factor” to see happen.