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The Step Plan

The Step Plan : Easy Printing Version

The "Step Plan" helps leaders encourage individuals to grow in faith and ministry. As a start point, select three of your regular and committed church members. Working together with them individually, go through the following three steps :

twiddle.gif (853 bytes) Looking back, jot down their church "CV". What experiences have they had? What gifts have they been given? How has God used them so far? You should consider the complete range of spiritual growth, mission and ministry. There is a range of gift sheets that may help with this.

twiddle.gif (853 bytes) Think and pray through what the next step or steps for each of them might be, making sure that you don’t constrain your thinking by current church structures. What might God be calling them to do? What opportunities are there for them to broaden their Christian experience?

twiddle.gif (853 bytes) Write down a specific and individual plan that will provide the training and support necessary to move forwards to take that next step. This may well mean that they need to move on from their current roles, and may require a plan to replace them, which in turn may provide an excellent next step for another member of the church. One of the reasons for starting with just three members is that it is absolutely vital that they receive the necessary support and encouragement they need to take the step successfully.

The Step Plan

Review the action plan developed after six months to check progress and identify any further training or support that is needed. After a further six months they may be ready to go through the whole three stage process again. Finally, think about how you might expand this to involve a greater number of church members. But start small! Remember that Jesus sent out the twelve before sending out another seventy-two disciples.

Some may argue that the step plan is too formal, and too structured a plan. The formality and structure are simply there to help ensure that there is a process that moves through all the necessary stages. Only completing the first stage of a process of identifying the gifts without moving onto offer ministries and training can frustrate individuals, like a child who has been given a wonderful new toy for Christmas, but will need to wait for the batteries to enable him to use it.