Communication
Value Definition - Contextualized, effective communication of Biblical & theological truth by a variety of means for personal & corporate transformation.
Personal Goal:
More efficient conversations
SMART Goals
Specific
Work on rambling less in conversations
Work on rambling less in conversations
Measurable
- Set up time limits on phone, video or in-person meet-up conversations to prevent rambling (1-2 hours maximum)
- Set up time limits on phone, video or in-person meet-up conversations to prevent rambling (1-2 hours maximum)
Achievable
- Start going to therapy and/or seeing a pastor or mentor at least twice a week to prevent inappropriate verbal processing in casual/professional conversations
- During conversations, make checklists of key things they have shared to ensure active listening
- Start going to therapy and/or seeing a pastor or mentor at least twice a week to prevent inappropriate verbal processing in casual/professional conversations
- During conversations, make checklists of key things they have shared to ensure active listening
Relevant
- Living alone, I tend to word vomit when there are social interactions, and this puts people off both personally and professionally.
- Rambling less will allow other people in conversations more space to feel seen and heard.
- Living alone, I tend to word vomit when there are social interactions, and this puts people off both personally and professionally.
- Rambling less will allow other people in conversations more space to feel seen and heard.
Time-Based
Aug 15-Sept 15: Start seeing a therapist.
-Sept 15-Nov 15: Start coaching.
- Nov 15-May 15: Set time limits for meetings and interviews to ensure efficient communication.
Aug 15-Sept 15: Start seeing a therapist.
-Sept 15-Nov 15: Start coaching.
- Nov 15-May 15: Set time limits for meetings and interviews to ensure efficient communication.
Goal Artifacts
Ministry Goal
Church connections
SMART Goals
Specific
Engage with all 7 supporting churches and other district churches at least once a year in-person.
Engage with all 7 supporting churches and other district churches at least once a year in-person.
Measurable
- Email/call churches to schedule visits
- Schedule church visits on Calendl
- Email/call churches to schedule visits
- Schedule church visits on Calendl
Achievable
- Reach out to churches about visits
- Agree upon dates of visits and what/how they would like me to share
- Write camp interpretations of various lengths to share with churches
- Reach out to churches about visits
- Agree upon dates of visits and what/how they would like me to share
- Write camp interpretations of various lengths to share with churches
Relevant
- To help churches stay in the loop about the camp ministry
- To reach out to more disconnected church and encourage re-engagement by reaching out
- To help churches stay in the loop about the camp ministry
- To reach out to more disconnected church and encourage re-engagement by reaching out
Time-Based
- Aug 15-Dec 15: Visit 7 Eastern Shore COB churches
- Dec 15-Mar 15: Visit 4 Western Shore COB churches
- Mar 15-May 15: Visit 3 brand new churches
- Aug 15-Dec 15: Visit 7 Eastern Shore COB churches
- Dec 15-Mar 15: Visit 4 Western Shore COB churches
- Mar 15-May 15: Visit 3 brand new churches
Goal Artifacts
Overall Reflection
For my competence in the Christian Leadership degree, I am submitting:
-
Meeting & Interview Notes to show note-taking to help with active listening and to help remember key compliments of important conversations.
-
Meeting schedules to show time limits that were set on meetings and interviews to help with keeping communication efficient and respectful of people's times. Also to show regular mentor, therapy, and coaching sessions.
-
Church visit schedules to show when I did church visits.
-
Presentations for Churches to show what information was shared during these visits (including speaking notes).
-
Print materials for Churches to show how information was shared with churches whether or not we were able to visit.
Lifelong Reflection
As a result of the experiences documented by these artifacts, I will continue to develop in the Christian Leadership degree by continuing the personal growth I benefited from in therapy, and will continue my mentorship as well. Taking so many notes during meetings is something I will continue to do. It was a helpful aid in active listening, and also was helpful to review notes for follow-up meetings to make sure I remembered all of the details from previous meetings. I also plan to make more time to visit churches on the Sundays I don't have other obligations. This was the greatest challenge, and will require greater schedule coordination to achieve in the future.
Learning Reflection
As I developed in the Christian Leadership degree and ministry experiences, one of the most valuable things I got from my goals was mentorship, coaching, and therapy. I learned that I struggle with a lot of anxiety and high burnout, and I spent most of the year trying to navigate those challenges single-handedly in ministry, so having that outside, professional support was extremely helpful. I was able to celebrate wins, process struggles, and make practical action steps, and I feel like as a result of seeking to ramble less, I was able to grow in spiritually healthy emotions, which in turn did help me become a more effective communicator and listener in conversations.
For my professional goal, I feel like I was less successful at this goal because of the lack of Sundays I had available to visit churches. I was able to visit 3 Eastern Shore Churches (primarily helping with pulpit supply 1-2 times a month) 1 new Western Shore Church, and I connected with a local eccumenical organization of churches and share about camps with some new church leaders there. I would have liked to visit more churches, and will continue this goal in the fall to make sure I visit the remaining 4 Eastern Shore churches and a few more Western Shore churches and make in-person visits to my new friends in the Caroline County Clergy Association.
