Developing church goals is a great way to move your church forward and ensure you are meeting your mission and vision. Goals are intended to focus attention and resources on what is most important so that you can be successful in achieving your priorities.
Crafting S.M.A.R.T. Communication Goals are designed to help you identify if what you want to achieve is realistic and determine a deadline. S.M.A.R.T. stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time based. When writing a S.M.A.R.T. goal, you work through each of those terms to build a goal that shares exactly what needs to be accomplished, when it needs to be accomplished by, and how you’ll know when you’re successful.
Setting goals this way eliminates generalities and guesswork, sets a clear finish line, and makes it that much easier to track progress and identify missed targets. When writing S.M.A.R.T. Goals, use concise language but include relevant information.
These goals are designed to help you succeed, so be positive and be honest when answering the following questions.
Specific
When setting a goal, be specific about what you want to accomplish. Think about this as the mission statement for your goal. This isn’t a detailed list of how you’re going to meet a goal, but it should include an answer to the popular ‘w’ questions.
Ask:
- What do you want to accomplish?
- Who needs to be included?
- When do you want to do this?
- Why is this a goal?
Measurable
This makes a goal more tangible because it provides a way to measure progress. If it’s a project that’s going to take a few months to complete, then set some milestones by considering specific tasks to accomplish. Milestones are a series of steps along the way that when added up will result in the completion of your main goal.
Ask:
- How will you measure your progress?
- How will you know when you’ve reached your goal?
Attainable
This focuses on how important a goal is to you and what you can do to make it attainable and may require developing new skills and changing attitudes. The goal is meant to inspire motivation, not discouragement.
Ask:
- Is it in your power to accomplish? Is it realistic?
- What tools do you need to achieve your goal? If not, how will you obtain them?
- What is your motivation for this goal?
- Is the amount of effort required on par with the goal you will achieve?
Relevant
Relevance refers focusing on something that makes sense with the broader business goals. For example, if the goal is to launch a new program or service, it should be something that’s in alignment with your overall church mission.
Ask:
- Why are you setting this goal now?
- Is it aligned with your mission goals?
Time-Based
Anyone can set goals, but if the goal lacks realistic timing, chances are you’re not going to succeed. Providing a target date for achievement is imperative. If your goal will take three months to complete, it’s useful to define what should be achieved half-way through the process. Providing time constraints also creates a sense of urgency
Ask:
- When do you want to accomplish your goal?
- What is the deadline to complete your goals?
- Is this time frame realistic?