Had a great conversation the other day with a fellow church planter and we were discussing the benefits of advanced planning. I wanted to record some of those benefits to encourage you to plan ahead:
- When you plan ahead it will help you not to fall behind. Proverbs 21:5 says, “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.” (The Message)
- Planning ahead allows time for the implementation of your ideas.
- Planning ahead allows you to slow cook whatever it is you are planning. And slow cooked meals are always better than microwave meals!
- Planning ahead is the opposite of procrastination. We all know procrastination isn’t an honorable virtue, but not everyone is certain that planning ahead is.
- Planning ahead lowers stress. If you wait until Saturday to start sermon prepping you’re going to have way more stress than if you start working on your sermon early in the week.
- Planning improves the quality of your sermons. The longer you have to meditate on the Scriptures you’re going to preach, the more insights you’ll glean and the more illustrations you’ll come across.
- Planning ahead saves money. When you order materials last minute you pay extra for shipping.
- Planning ahead helps with evangelism. People in our culture want to know what to expect. This is key to getting your people to invite their friends to church. If they know what’s coming on Sunday they can invite a co-worker, friend, family member or neighbor who might need to hear a message on that topic.
I know there are many other benefits to advanced planning that I’m missing. Please leave a comment with any of the benefits you’ve experienced from advanced planning.
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