One concept in management is the importance of setting goals. They need to be challenging yet attainable in order to challenge us to achieve them without discouraging us from giving our best. They also need to be clear and measurable so they are understood and so we can gauge how well they have been met.

The reason we set goals in management is because of an underlying concept. We must be moving towards a goal. There needs to be a direction and it needs to be in line with the overall goals of the organization.

Once goals and directions are in place, you can examine you systems to determine how effective they are in achieving your goals.

This was all driven home for me now that I am helping out with Pulse, our high school ministry. When I came on board, we had no staff members casting vision or giving a direction for the ministry. Now that Phillip McCart our family pastor is here, we are rooting out the direction of Pulse, and we have clear goals that our ministry needs to achieve. Unfortunately, this Sunday it was very evident that our current volunteer system is not accomplishing that goal. It's partly frustrating to me because we've spent 3 months building this model and we're going to have to change it again, but at the same time encouraging because the new system will really allow us to better utilize our amazing group of volunteers.

I'm sure that we're now moving in the right direction and I'm grateful for the leadership of Phillip and the outstanding group of volunteers that are dedicated to serving Jesus and forming relationships with our students.