In our last article, we looked at the importance of setting S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timed) goals. S.M.A.R.T. goals can give you a framework upon which to build a ministry that accomplishes your purpose and advances your vision — or rather, hopefully God’s vision — for your ministry.

There are several widely accepted business practices, such as S.M.A.R.T., that I believe the church would do well to adopt. But that’s a topic for another time and place. Right now, you’re concerned about building a good, solid, well planned small-group ministry. And there’s a key difference between business and ministry that needs to be understood to successfully apply these principles.

The truth is, even in businesses that aren’t all that well-run the employer still has the paycheck as a tool to see that goals are met. In church, unless you expect paid staff to do everything, we rely heavily on volunteers for the success of our ministries.

The great thing about volunteers is that they are excited, interested and/or passionate enough about your ministry to give their time and talents for free. The downside is that if that excitement, interest and/or passion fades — or some other group or opportunity rises higher on their priority list — they can disappear as quickly as they appeared. Or you might have a cadre of volunteers who are sticking around just out of a sense of obligation or guilt, and we’ve all seen how effective those volunteers can be!

Therefore, I’m going to suggest that S.M.A.R.T. goals may not be enough. When it comes to church, we may need to be S.M.A.R.T.E.R.

So, in addition to being Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timed, need to make sure our goals are also:

Engaging — Our goals should not only accomplish a function but also capture the imagination and empower others to act. Even if you have a clear purpose and a compelling vision you can stumble when setting goals if you don’t see that they invite and engage volunteers to play a key role in their accomplishment. A goal that is properly engaging should build a sense of ownership in volunteers. Simply put, you need goals that give away the ministry.

Goals should also be Relevant. Another thing we’re learning about volunteers — and truly about all of humankind — is that there’s an urge (I believe God-given) in all of us to make a difference. We’re driven to make a difference in our neighborhoods, cities, country and world. We want to know that our lives count for something. If we’re honest with ourselves, many people often struggle to see how church or the various ministries of the church are relevant to their day-to-day lives. It’s hard to recruit and keep volunteers if they don’t see that it makes any real difference.

The point of building ministries that are engaging, and especially, relevant, was driven home to me while reading the latest book by Rob Bell and Don Golden, Jesus Wants to Save Christians. I was flying home from the National Outreach Convention, which always gives me plenty to think about, when I read:

“There’s a pattern built into the universe, it’s true for each of us, and it’s also true for groups of people. In a world in which there are twenty-seven million slaves, in a world in which 840 million people will go to bed hungry tonight because they cannot afford one meal, in a world in which one million people commit suicide every year, in a world in which today nearly 4,500 people in Africa will die of AIDS, Jesus wants to save our church from the exile of irrelevance. If we have any resources, any power, any voice, any influence, any energy, we must convert them into blessing for those who have no power, no voice, no influence.”

As I read those words, a clear statement of purpose for my own church’s small-group ministry popped into my head: “Small groups at our church exist to eradicate poverty and suffering (in all their forms) from our communities and the communities where we’re sent.”

We’re now in the process of examining that purpose with a team of leaders at our church and looking at the vision and goals that have grown out of that. I don’t know what the final version will look like but I can tell you that I’m energized by the prospect that our small-group ministry actually has the potential to accomplish that purpose. We can build goals on that foundation that are engaging and relevant. I believe people will be clamoring to be part of something that is bigger than they are and will make a real difference right in their own backyard.

As promised, I’ll keep you posted on how things are progressing. For now, just remember that we can make goals that hit all the S.M.A.R.T. targets and still don’t accomplish what we want. As you set your goals for small-group ministry, make sure you’re being S.M.A.R.T.E.R.

Tim Kurth served as a Director of Christian Education in the Midwest for more than 20 years. During that time he assisted churches in starting a variety of volunteer ministries. He’s a husband, father, author and speaker. He and his wife Elizabeth live in Loveland, Colorado, where he currently serves as Camp Project Leader with Group Workcamps Foundation.