Plans change. Here are 5 ways you can plan for your plans to not go as you planned them.
1. Have a backup plan…and a backup backup plan.
Be prepared. Know exactly what your plans are and what a few possibilities could be if they need to change. This is especially true in arranging teachers for Sunday school. You will either need to be the backup, or have a backup ready. You never know when someone will be sick or will suddenly have to go out of town for some reason.
2. Flexibility is the name of the game.
Sometimes things happen that are completely unforeseeable. Be flexible. If you are calm, the people handling the issue with you will be calm as well. When those things pop up, just handle them with grace, knowing that plans change and that it’s no big deal.
3. History is a great preparer.
If something went wrong with the projector during children’s church a month ago, you may want to check it a little while before it is needed. This will help you do the next point.
4. See the potential “plan interrupter” before it interrupts.
Something we seek to do at CentriKid is meet needs before people know that they have the need, and this is true in any kind of planning. Meet the needs of your people and your ministry before they become a need.
5. Keep answers in your back pocket.
You don’t literally have to keep a notecard in your pocket, unless you think that would help, but if you are in children’s ministry, it’s always good to have a few games that have spiritual debriefs ready to play at any moment. This may also come in the form of a post-in on your steering wheel with verses to calm your nerves when something just doesn’t go as planned.