Have you ever tried using a metric socket on a bolt that was made in inches? It doesn’t quite work, does it? You can find one close, and with effort and patience, you might be able to loosen or tighten the bolt, but it would be so much easier if you just had the right socket for the job.

I think that’s a fitting word picture for how we often approach setting ministry goals. The reason we fail to reach the goals we set isn’t because we don’t try hard enough; it’s often because we set the wrong kind of goals in the first place. Our effort and our goals don’t line up—we’re using a metric socket on a goal made in inches!

The Common Goal-Setting Imagination
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​You’re probably familiar with setting goals that are measurable, meaningful, challenging, and achievable. A measurable goal is one that can be evaluated, such as increasing VBS attendance by ten percent. A meaningful goal is one that matters, such as having each kid memorize twelve Bible verses during the year. A challenging goal is one that will stretch you and your team, such as breaking through an attendance barrier. An achievable goal is one that is realistic, such as taking two more leaders to summer camp. What we often hear is that the best goals combine all four of these into one. So, for example, increasing VBS attendance by ten percent is indeed measurable, meaningful, challenging, and achievable. That’s certainly true, but it’s missing one critical aspect of goal setting, one key nuance that can make all the difference.

Why We Often Miss Reaching Our Goals

The problem with the goal-setting matrix above is that it fails to consider what we can control. Most goals are quite simply out of our control. We can’t (legally) make people attend VBS. We can’t make kids memorize a Bible verse. We can’t make people attend our events. We can’t make leaders attend summer camp. All these goals are worthy and good. But we can’t do anything to achieve any of these goals as they are constructed. Like using a metric socket on a bolt in inches, we might work hard with patience and see some success, but even so, we will often make things much more difficult than they can and should be. The key is to ask an important question as we formulate our goals: “What can we do to reach this goal?”

The Power of Lead Goals

Let’s change gears for a second to make sure we understand what we’re talking about. Imagine you set a goal of losing 20 pounds this year. Now, is there anything you can do to make that happen by itself? No, not really. Instead, you would want to think of what actions you can take that will lead to that goal—reducing calories, making smarter food choices, exercising, and sleeping enough. In fact, you could calculate the exact steps to get you to your goal. Then, it’s a matter of working that plan. Your focus shouldn’t be on the uncontrollable goal of losing 20 pounds (called a “lag goal”); it should be on the controllable actions (called “lead goals”) of diet and exercise that lead to that goal.

So, let’s return to the example of increasing VBS attendance by ten percent. What steps might we be able to take to reach that lag goal? Perhaps increasing advertising, providing personal invitations for our families to give out, lowering the cost, adding a special event, or providing giveaways. The first time you create lead goals, you’ll likely need to take educated guesses. But in time, you will come to learn how effective lead goals are and quantify them. So, for example, if after a few years you learn that about one of every 20 personal invitations is accepted, and you want to grow VBS by ten kids, then if your church made 200 personal invitations, you’d come close to reaching that goal. Now, personal invitations are a lag goal under a lag goal (which is okay!). But you would then need to think of lead goals to support it (e.g., producing quality invite cards, setting up an easy online registration).

Whether you’ve already set your annual goals or are about to, it’s never too late to craft winning lead goals for each. Gather your core team around a dry erase board, make some strong coffee, and pray, think, and dream about lead goals for each lag goal. Then do your best to track data from each to make them even more effective next time.

Brian Dembowczyk (Ph.D., Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the associate publisher at Thomas Nelson Bibles. He previously served as managing editor of The Gospel Project and in full-time ministry. He is the author of Family Discipleship that Works (IVP), Gospel Centered Kids Ministry (B&H), and Faith Foundations (IVP; releases fall 2025).