How To Conduct An Annual Planning Retreat

I recently returned from my annual ministry planning retreat.  It is a highlight of mine every year, to review God’s work, rejoice in His leading and power, and look forward with anticipation to yet another year of service for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Most likely your ministry organization, or your business, goes through some type of an annual strategic planning review process.  But the process I am talking about here is more personal, about God’s calling on your life and ministry, specifically.  

This is how I go about this important time of planning and praying.  Hopefully, it will be helpful to you.

Select the Location

The first priority is seclusion for 2-3 days.  You really need to be by yourself, with God, and no one else.  This also means purposefully cutting yourself off from interruptions from your phone and email. 

Find a relaxing place, relatively low-cost, and where you will have plenty of work space.  You will need to be able to think and pray aloud.  It is also possible you will need access to God’s natural creation to wander about and talk further with Him.

Establish the Theme and Topics

About two weeks beforehand, pay more attention to your life, ministry, hopes and concerns.  Take notice of where you find yourself in God’s Word each days.  Likely the theme for your annual ministry planning retreat will emerge.

Think big picture.  What do you need to pray through?  Talk to the Lord Jesus about?  Or, just spend time thinking through opportunities, challenges and options?  Maybe even research a little further?

Categorize these items into a few broad topics you need to cover.  Bring the necessary documents, goals and files you might need.  But bring only the few you really need, so as not to be over prepared.  

Follow the Schedule

Organize your work time into 2 hour blocks with plenty of rest time in between them.  The schedule needs to be both productive and enjoyable for you.  Prepare yourself to hear from God; be expectant, as He will meet with you and show you His goodness.

Begin each session with singing one hymn or listening to one praise song.  Listen closely to the words and how it might address you and your situation.  Then read those Bible verses that you selected that fits the theme of your planning retreat.  Stop and pray, worship in silence, just be open with your heavenly Father about why you are here and what you need Him to provide.

Then it is time to work.  How is the Holy Spirit directing you at this point?  Maybe you need to pray even more.  Maybe you need to do some research or write up new plans, or sketch out diagrams.  Maybe you need to develop an idea, or even a whole new vision.  Maybe it is as simple as laying out specific goals for the coming year, or filling out annual planning forms.  When the time block is up, close in prayer, take the break, and return refreshed to tackle the next topic.

Capture the Gains

In your closing session, review your progress and transfer ideas and action items to your calendar and wherever else you might need to keep them.  You want to be able to head home with the process completed, not having to do this later.

Take time to thank God for listening and answering your prayers, and giving you direction.  In the coming weeks and months, He most likely will continue to speak to you, refine your plans, and confirm His guidance to you both internally and by granting success.

One of the best rewards from following this annual pattern of strategic planning is seeing how faithful God is year after year.  He is faithful to move His own plans forward by moving you to play a significant part in them.  We learn so much about God, and enjoy Him even more, as we seek to follow His will in our lives and ministries.

Preservation Mode, Expansion Mode

They were good and godly men, but their vision was too small.

Why the Plan Wouldn’t Work

We met with about twenty pastors from this largely unreached city of 3 million.  This country was a difficult place to live and serve as a Christian 10 years ago, and still is today.  Officially it is a secular state, but it has been strongly influenced by Islam and can be politically volatile.

These pastors gathered because they said they wanted to reach more people for Christ.  So, our team met with them to discuss evangelism and church planting.  We were hoping to develop a plan together on how we might all work together to accomplish greater things in that city.

However, at the end of the afternoon, it became clear that their real concern was to fill their largely empty church buildings.  What they wanted were new strategies and techniques, without having to change much from their current methods.  Suddenly, the church building where we were meeting felt cold and empty to me.  

It was sad to hear pastors express skepticism about more direct approaches to evangelism, even when told of other churches in a nearby city their size where this was successful.  It was further disheartening to discover that they saw no need for new churches since there was plenty of room in all of theirs. 

What If the Plan Did Work

These respected Christian leaders had many reasons why many plans would not work to reach their city.  But, what if they could have envisioned something greater for their city and for their churches?  And what if they were willing to create a strategic plan and commit to making it work?

Many of us in our churches make the same kind of mistakes.  We make excuses why people will not believe the Gospel in our communities.  We defend our current approaches to ministry and rest content with our current results, while at the same time wishing for something greater, some ministry miracle in our city.  We can become trapped in preservation mode.

Hopefully we have larger goals than simply filling up our church buildings and running our programs.  People in our churches will get excited about a broad vision for their city that involves cooperation with other churches.  This is because it will be easier for everyone to see how their community might truly be transformed by the Gospel!  All of us are much more willing to try new approaches and live with the messiness of growth when our leaders are in expansion mode. 

What Kingdom purposes might churches in your community accomplish together that not one of them could ever accomplish alone?

The Slaughter Of Innocents In Fulfillment

King Herod was a paranoid and ruthless leader.  So it is no surprise that he slaughtered all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under at the time, about 15-20 of them in total.  

Matthew 2:16–18 ESV “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.””

This horrible event is part of the history of God’s people, and it fulfilled Jeremiah 31:15.  The original context of this prophecy in Jeremiah is from the Exile period.  We need to apply the redemptive-historical interpretive method in order to grasp Matthew’s meaning and purpose.  This approach was discussed in a previous blog about understanding the Exodus reference used in Matthew 2:13-15, “The Egyptian Flight In Fulfillment.”

The Interpretive Framework

The Exile, like the Exodus, is another significant signpost in the history of redemption.  Matthew is showing us another link by connecting the Patriarchs, the Exodus, and the Exile to the Christ.  Jesus as the Messiah would fulfill the hope of the return from the Exile by establishing the promised New Covenant.

The historical incident about Rachel is less well known, so here is a brief review.  Rachel was one of Jacob’s wives and a mother of the Hebrew people.  In Genesis, we read that Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin while traveling from Bethel to Bethlehem.  She was buried in a tomb in Zelzah, in the region of Ramah.  

In Jeremiah, Rachel is personified as crying out from her grave, weeping over the loss of Israel’s children.  It was in Ramah where the exiles were gathered in 586 BC for their long march to Babylon.  Those gathered at Ramah for Exile were considered as good as dead.  

What Matthew is Saying to the World

In Matthew, Rachel is personified again as crying out from her grave, weeping over the children.  This time the children are in Bethlehem.  But this is not really the point.  Matthew is not simply matching up Biblical references to crying and mourning.  

Matthew is declaring that the weeping of Rachel in Jeremiah’s day, in the time of the Exile, has now been fulfilled.  Look at what is promised in the two verses following that Jeremiah quotation.

Jeremiah 31:16–17 ESV “Thus says the LORD: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.”

The weeping is soon to be over.  Her bereavement now would be replaced with blessing.  Matthew’s point, what he is saying to the world, is that the tears of the Exile are now over and the promised hope has finally come!

Keeping Context and Hope in View

We need to observe the context of Jeremiah’s prophecy.  This is the interpretive key to unlock the meaning and the hope.  Matthew quoted Jeremiah with reference to its wider context.  The passage is located just prior to the promise of the New Covenant, and it rests within an even broader context of Messianic joy.  The ultimate hope of the Exile was not just a return to the land but a New Covenant!

And this New Covenant would be established by the Messiah, namely Jesus.  He has brought the hope promised after the Exile.  Jesus Christ has brought the New Covenant with its promises of full forgiveness, the indwelling of the Spirit of God, and life in true obedience.  

The Exile was the result of the Israelites’ continual disobedience.  The Exile’s fulfillment then is the solution to this problem—the Spirit of obedience.  And so, the Child Messiah under Divine Fatherly protection would eventually grant forgiveness of sin and obedience in the Spirit.

Romans 8:3–4 ESV “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Have you experienced the joy of returning from the exile of sin by Jesus Christ?  Share your experience with others that they too might walk in a new life in the Spirit of God.

The Egyptian Flight In Fulfillment

It is much more than the story of the Christ Child and His family being protected in the early years from the evil King Herod. 

Matthew 2:13–15 ESV “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.””

The way Matthew interprets and uses Hosea 11:1 is crucial to understand.  He illustrates the predominating approach of the New Testament authors in faithfully interpreting the Old Testament.

Learning How to Read

This is what might be termed a redemptive-historical hermeneutic, or method of interpretation.  It is a way of looking back upon the history of redemption from the point of view of fulfillment.  It is a way of looking upon the Bible as one continuous history of God’s salvation.  

It is a way of looking at the Old Testament and seeing that:  Jesus completes all the promises of salvation, those verbally stated and those more figurative; Jesus re-lives the history of God’s people in an obedience for them that they could not complete; Jesus represents both God and His people, and therefore is our source of salvation; and Jesus completes the whole pattern of the history of salvation.  God’s ultimate purpose is the exaltation of His Eternal Son, Jesus Christ, in all things.  

When the New Testament speaks of fulfillment we must understand what is meant by fulfillment in each passage.  It is not usually a simple literal one-to-one correspondence, a matching game (although sometimes this is the point, or partly so), but it is a more robust understanding of Scriptural revelation within a redemptive-historical scheme or context.  

In order to make the correct interpretations we need to learn from the Apostles of Jesus Christ, and their holy writings of Scripture. 

What Matthew is Saying to the World

In other words, Matthew is not quoting Hosea as fulfilled just because of the appearance of the words “son” and “Egypt,” or because the phrase happens to match Jesus’ experience. This would be taking Hosea out of context, and therefore ultimately would be dishonest and unconvincing.  Rather, Matthew understands this passage as part of the overall Messianic prophetic matrix of the Old Testament.  Matthew is using it to show that Jesus is the Messiah.  

In Hosea 11:1, the obvious reference is the Exodus and the beginning of the nation of Israel.  They were called out as God’s holy nation, they were called by Him:  “His son.”  Yet they were a disobedient people, many of whom died in the desert.  In contrast, Jesus Christ, the truer and truest Son of God, would become the truly obedient Son.

This is precisely Matthew’s point in quoting Hosea.  Israel’s goal of salvation, patterned on the Exodus, has now been reached in Christ Jesus. This is how Hosea 11:1 is fulfilled.  Jesus is declared the true Son and the true salvation.  The Son who was led out has become the Son who leads out.  Jesus is the Son of God who would be the Leader like Moses bringing salvation to His people in fullness.

In using passages like these, we should be able to present Jesus Christ to the world as the powerful Divine Savior, who emerges from the Scripture in rich and satisfying fulfillment.

Joining the People of God

Throughout his Gospel account, Matthew presents Jesus the Messiah as the One who brings a new clarity of definition of the true People of God.  Who is the true Israel, the true People of God?  It is not based upon ethnic identity with Moses and ancestral relationship to the historic Exodus.  It is those who put their faith in Jesus the Messiah for obtaining the true redemption of the Exodus.

The Exodus has been fulfilled in its Messiah, its Christ.  Jesus is the way of redemption.  This Child Messiah under Divine Fatherly protection would lead us out from slavery to sin, and into the promised land of eternal life.   He would rescue us from its guilt and power by His death upon the Cross.  He would die in our place for our sins and lead us by His Resurrection into life in the glory of God.

Have you experienced the exodus from sin in Jesus Christ?  Share your experience with others that they too might join in the freedom of the People of God.


(See related blog "The Slaughter Of Innocents In Fulfillment.")

Pleasing God Isn’t That Hard

Christian ethics is a large subject.  It includes living out specific practices articulated in the Bible, while at the same time grasping its broader principles of holiness in order to navigate well the complexities of life.

But at its core, its personal meaning is that of simply pleasing God.  We must ask questions like:  “How might I please God?”  “How might I please God more?”  “How might we be even more pleasing to God as His church?

Getting the Attitude Right

The Thessalonian church was full of new Christians, only three months down the road in their walk with God at most.  They were at the very beginnings of their development, but they were eager to please God.  This disposition would put them on the fast track to Christian maturity; and they would soon take the lead as a model church for the world to follow.

The Apostle Paul considered strong ethical instruction part of basic discipleship for new believers.  They are more likely to obey early on than later if they are allowed to continue unchallenged on any immorality or ethical lapses.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 ESV “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.”

It is not uncommon today to do the opposite, fearing offending or losing new converts.  Perhaps this is one reason why there are so many so-called “Christians” who do not even meet minimum moral standards, who are constantly asking questions about living as undisciplined as possible, and who have such little consideration of, or concern for, what truly pleases God.

Developing Spiritual Instincts

Christian Ethics are all about pleasing God.  The concept of pleasing God is so helpful and so challenging.  It is so much more helpful than a list of rigid rules.  And it is so much more challenging than simply living by a few moral generalizations.

Pleasing God is not about being reactionary against unbiblical standards, nor is it found in self-righteously liking them.  The first leads to confusion and lack of definition.  The second misses out on happiness and depth of understanding.  

It isn’t that hard.  The concept of pleasing God implies that Christians can have their instincts trained by the Holy Spirit.  As maturity is described in Hebrews 5:14 ESV “they have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Move Out, Move Ahead

It requires true spirituality to move beyond rules and regulations, and relying on a Christian culture of policing one another’s lives.  Likewise, it requires true spirituality to leave the realm of culture-bound human reasonings and personal preferences on morality and honestly submit to God.

These are big questions to be asked in prayer, while simultaneously meditating upon the the Word of God and assessing our own lives:  “How might I please God?” and “How might I please God more?”  Embracing this larger concept is part of embracing the onward and upward call. 

Philippians 3:12–14 ESV “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Four Lackluster Church People

Romans 6 is one of the most common passages of Scripture used in teaching about Christian baptism.  These verses reach far beyond baptism and teach about our new life in Christ.

Romans 6:4–7 ESV “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

Our union with Christ is a mysterious and powerful personal relationship.  And it is through this union that we receive all the benefits of our salvation and new life.  

Difficult Spiritual Counseling

After reading Romans 6 it is puzzling to find church people lacking in spiritual vitality.  How would you counsel each of the following friends of yours?  What questions might you ask to lead them to consider their relationship with Jesus Christ?

1. A professing believer for 30 years, who is a pleasant and morally good person, but one without much visible Christian growth.  What is going on here?
2. A professing believer who continues to live in certain sins, and appears unconcerned about this, or only mildly bothered.  Why should they be concerned?
3. A person who wants to believe in Jesus Christ, but doesn't want too much of a changed life.  What are they missing?
4. A person who wants a changed life, but does not want to believe in Jesus Christ.  How much change can they expect?

Don’t Inspire Them, Rather Instruct Them

It is a mistake to attempt to inspire these people to perform like better Christians.  But this is often the approach taken in preaching at them and counseling with them.  They themselves often expect to hear this, and may even comply in hope that something good may happen.

We can’t counsel or convince people into union with Christ.  God alone does this.  And this teaching is exactly what we need to make known to them.  1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV “And because of him you are in [have a relationship with, united with] Christ Jesus.”

We don’t want to frustrate and confuse people about their relationship with Christ.  We want them to make their own comparison of their lives with the experience Scripture describes for a true Christian.  Let them think and wrestle with their souls before God.

While we wait, and probably have many more Gospel conversations with them, we pray for God to give His grace.  As it has been our experience described in 2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”