Managing Projects for Ministry

8 Manag i ng Pro j ec t s for Mi n i s t r y

chart the right course with the right tools can easily result in disaster: projects that fail to be done on time, within budget, and according to our specifications. The ability to manage projects is an important tool in all forms of urban ministry. Without a knowledge of how to define, plan, implement, and review projects, urban ministers can waste enormous amounts of time, money, and effort. This course was specifically designed to introduce urban Christian workers, ministers, and pastors to the basic concepts of project management as it applies to doing effective ministry in the city. Its objective is to enable students to become aware of, comprehend, and employ the skills, aptitudes, and instruments in their specific urban ministry contexts according to the three key constraints of all good projects: time, cost, and quality. Understanding these constraints, our objective now is to provide you with the basic project management orientation that you as an urban minister can use in your church, ministry function, or life challenge. We will dialogue over actual case studies and explore real-life examples of project management failures and successes. Remember, we use this as a textbook in a course we teach together on Project Management. When you finish your study, we trust that you will be able to: • Define Project Management according to the language of project management professionals. • Recite the critical principles in the Scripture regarding the exercise of wisdom in the carrying out of ministry functions. • Outline the principles of ministry management, including the specific meaning of Enterprise Project Management. • Outline the process of project management, along with the constraints, requirements, and elements of developing and executing effective projects. • Provide the key items associated with orienting people for project management and highlight the central benefits of project management. • Develop a workable, measurable plan for carrying out a project. • Summarize some of the key tools associated with project management, as well as considering the positives and negatives of project management software.