As of today, our countdown to becoming a multi-site church is down to 16 days!  On October 13th everything changes for 217church!  Preparing for this change has taken a long time, (2 years to be exact) a ton of energy and it’s FINALLY HERE.  This got me thinking about our vision to reproduce everything including teams, groups, worship venues and most importantly disciples!  In order to reach our goals we MUST be diligent in preparation.

But sometimes preparation IS NOT fun and most of the time as we prepare, we have to patiently wait to reach our goal.  A test, opening a business, a major project, a wedding, a move, an athletic event, financial planning, are all examples.  As a matter of fact, the vision to start 217church was written almost 4 years before ANYTHING happened!

“Diligent preparation leads to excellent execution”

My wife and I recently visited an incredible restaurant.  We made reservations and planned to be in awe of the amazing food.  The presentation was impeccable, the service was over the top and the preparation was celebrated with every savory bite of dinner. The next time you are preparing for a major project, remember these things:

4 Keys to Preparing Well

1. Get Clarity – Is the vision/goal clear?

The more clear the vision is in the long run, the better you can prepare and know what you need and don’t need.  This is the principle of “beginning with the end in mind.”  Once you have a clear picture, you should be able to run forward and implement a well thought out plan.  The times I have felt least prepared in public speaking are the times when I was unsure about the big idea I wanted to convey.  Preparation demands clarity.  If the goal is unclear, I will be unable to prepare well.

2. Stay Focused – Have you eliminated distractions?

I can’t emphasize this enough.  The best example of preparation and focus I can think of is when Jesus was in his final days on his way to the cross. He knew EXACTLY what he was preparing for which gave him extraordinary focus.  One thing we must remind ourselves of, we have limited time to prepare.  Use it wisely, stay focused and the end result is sure to be more successful.

3. Double and Triple Check – Are you inspecting what you expect?

This is where people tend to fall off the “preparation wagon.” Hasty preparation leads to HUGE and costly mistakes and sometimes damaged relationships.  “Winging it” is my personal pet peeve!  Discipline and attention to detail lead to excellence.  If there are other people with you, this is even more important.  In addition to having a great team to work with you, you need to make sure they are preparing with diligence.  When doing a big project, laziness leads to apathetic performance, but if everyone is doing quality control, your product will be flawless.

4. Take the Long Approach – Do you have a realistic view of how long this will take?

DON’T RUSH IT!  One thing I am constantly reminding our team of is, procrastination WILL inevitably lead to more mistakes.  People think they are better than they actually are.  Another question I always ask is, how long do you think this will take?  The longer you have to sit with an idea or a project, the more you are able to see what will work and not work with a realistic view.  ESPECIALLY if you are involving other people, your timeline for preparation gets even longer.  An example:  Some people ask us how our graphics for 217church get to be top notch.  I tell them, People, Preparedness, and Perfectionism.  Get the right people, enough time to open up the creative process with your team, then adopt ruthless attention to detail.

Preparation is a blessing.  Do you enjoy preparation?  What else would you add to this list?

Josh

217church is a multisite church in Mercer County NJ with small groups for families in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater.  Our new East Windsor Campus will meet at Grace Rogers School beginning October 13.  If you are looking for a church in Mercer County NJ, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, don’t miss our weekend services in Hamilton at 9:30 or 11 am! Visit www.217church.com.