SMART Goals for the Kingdom

This is an open letter to a pastor-friend.

Dear Carl,

At the pastors' gathering last week you seemed to suggest that it is not wise for pastors to adopt the "business model" of setting up SMART goals for our mission. Instead we should be simply going about the business of the Kingdom in a pre-modern manner. That may be my own distortion of what you said. Nevertheless, I'd like to raise a question about pastoral leadership from the perspective of one recorded leadership Biblical event, namely the crossing of the Jordan under the leadership of Joshua, viewed from my faith perspective of Jesus of Nazareth as the LORD. Your comments are welcome.

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law (Torah) my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law (Torah) depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, for the LORD (Jesus) your God will be with you wherever you go.

"So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: Go through the camp and tell the people, "Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own." (Joshua 1:6-11).

You have your orders. This is your mission. Go!

1. Be strong and courageous for I, the LORD Jesus will be with you
2. Meditate on the Book
3. Speak about the Book
4. Do everything written in it
5. Lead these people
6. Get your supplies ready
7. Go!

Be SMART as we carry out our orders

"Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho. So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. . . Then the two men . . . came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us" (Joshua 2).

Joshua provided SMART goals for his army and the people of Israel. They needed to know exactly what they were to do as they took the land. Obviously they couldn't go in all directions at one time. They also needed the courage to accomplish what was before them. Forty years earlier their courage melted as they looked upon themselves as mere ants facing giants. Now, however, the LORD had prepared their hearts and opened their eyes with faith to see that He was going before them. So this was the time to move forward.

S - specific: "two spies . . . especially Jericho." This was the first and very specific strategic goal in the larger task of taking the land. Jericho had to be taken first. Other goals would follow, day by day and week by week.

M - measured: "look over the land." The army of Israel had to know what it was facing. They needed factual information. How large was this city? What were its fortifications and vulnerabilities?

A - achievable: "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands." This task was achievable for this new generation of fighters precisely because they put their trust in the LORD Jesus who was with them, guiding and protecting their every step.

R - realistic: "all the people are melting in fear because of us." The scouts brought back faith-encouraging news. The LORD had gone before to guarantee that the whole land would be theirs.

T - timely: "Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here" (1:11). They operated with a schedule. Each member of the army knew how much time was alloted to accomplish the awesome task before them. On the third day they would cross the Jordan and the great work would begin.

Am I doing eisagesis? Am I reading into the text what is not there?

There are many examples of leadership in the Bible. Based on this one, however, I humbly suggest that we may indeed do well to assist our congregations to understand their mission in terms of where the LORD has placed them, the resources He has given and the specific tasks before them. With this in mind we do well to adopt SMART goals to accomplish the same.