bits from bob....

Note: The following is from notes made during a presentation by Virgil Trout at the Oklahoma City preachers’ luncheon on the OC campus.

Plan with the purpose in mind
Planning is essential to success. We seldom do more than we plan to do. The work of the church must be planned. What will we do? Where and how will we reach more souls for Christ? What will we do? How will our actions move us toward our goal?
The trouble with some planning is that it has nothing to do and no ability to impact the ultimate purpose. Preachers must plan sermons and classes. How does this fit into the purpose toward which we are striving. Leaders must plan church activities. How do these activities fit into our purpose?
Begin with the purpose in view; keep the purpose in view. A big mistake is to omit the planning phase; an equally big mistake is to plan activities without keeping the purpose foremost.

Prepare with prayer
Most plans require additional preparations. Training, instruction, encouragement, and specific support systems are needed. Seldom are we ready to go forth and immediately work the plan to accomplish the purpose. The time of preparation is an ideal time to bathe the entire enterprise in prayer. Are we on task with God’s purpose and power? Are we honoring God’s purpose in the world?

Proceed positively
Eventually the time comes to move forward. Some would be always planning and never acting. The time comes to proceed. With appropriate planning focused on the purpose, and adequate preparation focused by prayer, the only way to proceed is with a positive expectation and spirit. The time comes for aggressive action.

Pursue persistently
Finally, perseverance is necessary. Tasks worth doing do not get done in a day.