Giving our reports

Imagine if you had to do an annual report on what you did in the last year? We are gearing up for our 209th Annual Meeting at church. Many of our leaders are submitting their reports detailing the various ministries and activities that we have engaged in. It is a lot of fun to look back and remember. But it is also a time to reflect on where we have been and what we could have done better. There are some areas of ministry that we will discontinue this year. There are others where we will make radical changes in what we have been doing. When all is said and done, we will also acknowledge that we have failed in a few areas as well.

Most of us do a little bit of this around New Year's Day. The difference is that for us there is no outside accountability. Even if we make resolutions we figure no one is going to hold us accountable except ourselves. You can't do that in business. If you don't continually monitor what you are doing and make changes accordingly, you will be out of business.

Every year most business evaluate where they are and make the changes they need to in order to thrive in the coming months. So maybe we need to do that too. If we want to thrive, if we want to be the best possible witness for Christ, we need to examine ourselves and make changes.

I went to a leadership conference last week and the speaker suggested that we all have one or two confidants, people who have no vested interest in us, evaluate what we are doing and make suggestions. So maybe my confidant tells me I need to lose weight and get a haircut because I am not taking enough pride in my appearance and it is robbing me of my effectiveness. Or maybe my confidant tells me I need to read more so I can get a better grip on what is happening in my field. You see another person can help us see past our blind spots. They can help us see ourselves as others see us.

I liked what this man had to say. It rang true to life. I want to be the best Cal Lord I can be. I'm sure the same is true for you. So maybe its time we give our annual report so we can make those tough decisions that will us and the people we serve.

Cal