youth ministry goals

We love to have a goal for the year.  It is crucial to set goals, and have a target.  I have personal goals that I set each year, ministry goals, and website goals.  We recommend Michael Hyatts Life Plan.

Here are our 2014 goals.  We did a good job last year with our goals, but this year we want to shift gears, and refocus.

1. Have 2000 facebook follows.  We did a decent job on this, but we didn’t focus enough on building this page up.  It has a long ways to go.  We will exclusively release all our ebooks, and free content on our facebook page. I am going to drop all the printable youth pastor resources files on there for free.

2. 12,000 hits per month.  We lost momentum last year because we didn’t post enough late in the year.  I feel focused and ready to write everyday.  It is going to be a great year.

3. 15,000 twitter followers(30 retweets per month).  I don’t care about the number anymore, I just want to see it grow.  I am more concerned about the engagement.  

4. Build my email list to 1000.  This email list is going to get an overhaul.  It needs a facelift.  Next week is when it is going to be changed.

5. Write 2 more ebooks.  I want to publish one in December 2014 as a pilot project, and one in June.  I am looking forward to writing and graphically laying them out.  I am also looking at possibly writing one on planning in youth ministry.  

6.  Comment 10 times a week on different blogs.  Also, start 1 conversation on someone else’s blog.  Of this whole list, this is the one that makes me the most excited.  I love engaging online with different youth pastors.  If you have a youth ministry blog, leave a comment below with your website and I will make sure to put it in my feedly.

7. Podcast once a month.  I want this to work so bad, but I have had troubles setting up times to record the stupid thing.  This years goal is to have 12 podcasts.  The goal is to make a professional youth ministry podcast that you can listen to that actually will help you be a better youth pastor.  

8. Write a post every day.  This is going to be the big challenge.  I want to write 30-31 posts a month, and publish 20-25 of those.  I want to start stock piling content, and working away at ebooks.

9. Give half of everything we make from the ads we sell away.  It is amazing to look at the goal two years ago to have this website self sustaining, and last year it made roughly $700.  I want to give away half of that.  Whether it is gift cards attached to our weekly/monthly email, or if it books that we give away each month.  I want to be generous, and I want to be generous with this website.

Those are the goals this year.  What are your goals for your website?  

Here is how we did with our goals this year.

Before we get to the numbers, I want to thank all of you for reading this website.  This past year has been a great journey, and I have some big plans for 2014.

Here is the break down for last year. 

1. Have 2000 facebook follows.  We ended up at 1,290.  Not bad.  I feel like this is the one I want to focus on this coming year.  I want to have around 3,000 by the end of the year, and I think it is possible.

2. 15,000 hits per month.  We averaged about 9 thousand per month.  This isn’t bad, but we want more traffic.

3. 30,000 twitter followers.  We ended up at 11,800.  For awhile we were over 20,000, but I swallowed my pride and cleared out the bots.  Next year, I want twitter engagement up!

4. Build my email list to 1500.  Ended the year at 700.  We are trilled at this, and 2014 is the year to grow this list over a 1,000.

5. Write 2 more ebooks.  I ran out of time on this one.  I am still working on two projects that will turn into ebooks.  I am hoping to release one around the end of february.  

6.  Have 100 comments a month.   Comment 10 times a week on different blogs.  Done!  I love reading peoples blogs, and leaving comments.  The one thing that I am finding in the youth ministry world is the lack of a proper comment system.  I am always annoyed that people don’t use disqus.

7. Use google+ better!   I sucked at this one.  I am slowly getting better at google+, but I love twitter and facebook.  I know that google+ will allow more people to engage with my content, but I am not a big fan of it…yet.

That is how we did on our goals for 2013.  I would give myself a C+.  Lots of work to be done.  Tomorrow I will release my goals for 2014.

Each month I will do a update at how this website is doing.  I love having you in the loop.  I think it shows how much thought and work goes into a website like this!

1.  Have 2000 facebook follows.  Plus spend an hour a week engaging with my facebook crew! 

2. 15,000 hits per month.  I am shooting the moon on this one!  We will see.  

3. 30,000 twitter followers.  I am not sure if this will happen, but it would be awesome to get there!  

4. Build my email list to 1500.  It would be fantastic to have these youth pastors in the conversation.

5. Write 2 more ebooks.  I am going to write one ebook called, “31 days to build a better youth ministry”, and another one on using/developing a texting system with digital download.  I am not sure if I will sell these ebooks, or release them for free!  

6.  Have 100 comments a month.   Comment 10 times a week on different blogs.  I use to do this more and for some reason I have not be in the habit of leaving comments on youth ministry sites.  I am sorry!  I am reading your blog, and I am probably even subscribed to it, but from now on I will leave comments!

7. Use google+ better!   I have their new app, and my hootsuite is now hooked up to my google+ account.  I think this will help.  I love the discussion, and hangouts.  I am thinking of doing a bi-monthly vlog.  I just need the gear, and I think I know how to get it!  I have some awesome youth pastor friends that I think you would love to get to know.

Those are my goals this year! What do you think?  What are the goals for your website? 

Do you have goals for your site or youth ministry?

It’s great to have goals.  If you don’t have goals, how do you know if you accomplished what you wanted to do?

I wrote an article on why I decided to create life goals in the post titled, “Why I created a life plan (and why you should too!), ”  If you are looking to organize your life and establish goals for life try checking out Michael Hyatt’s Life Plan.  Having goals helps clarify your life, and your purpose in life.

I think it is also great to have a youth ministry strategic plan.  I wrote a post about having a plan for social media in your youth ministry titled, ” 5 ways to communicate effectively in a digital world“.  Social media can consume all your time if you don’t have a plan for it.

Here are my Goals for 2012

1.  Have 500 facebook follows.  Currently at 166 / 188(april) 222 (march).  Not bad.  Still a long ways to go.

2. 10,000 hits per month.  8,808 in March.  This goal might be a challenge just yet!  So close, yet so far away.  Trying to figure out how to take this site to the next level.  I have a few ideas!

3. 10,000 twitter followers.  5,454 as of January. 5,870 at the end of feb.  6,250 at the end of March.  Stead as she goes!  This has been a grind!  Twitter is a great resource, and I love that I have met tons of new friends from it!

4. Build my email list to 500.  261 at the end of January.  325 at the end of March.  I purchased a premium plugin to direct people to the ebook at the bottom of posts, and it looks like it has been working.

5. Write another ebook.  I have one almost finished on on Social Media.

6.  Have 100 comments a month.   48 in January.  40 in February. 56 in March.   Wooohoooo….Slow increases!  I love love more of your comments.

7.  Break into the top 10 of google search for youth ministry.  This is going to be the biggest challenge of the year.  I am current ranked 150.  As of Feb, 106.  March 200.    The goal is to actually post twice a month articles that have keywords youth ministry in it.  Once I have those posts, I will backlink them!  Experiment time.

I feel like things are going ok.  How are you goals going for your site? 

Do you have goals for your site or youth ministry?

It’s great to have goals.  If you don’t have goals, how do you know if you accomplished what you wanted to do?

I wrote an article on why I decided to create life goals in the post titled, “Why I created a life plan (and why you should too!), ”  If you are looking to organize your life and establish goals for life try checking out Michael Hyatt’s Life Plan.  Having goals helps clarify your life, and your purpose in life.

I think it is also great to have a youth ministry strategic plan.  I wrote a post about having a plan for social media in your youth ministry titled, ” 5 ways to communicate effectively in a digital world“.  Social media can consume all your time if you don’t have a plan for it.

Here are my Goals for 2012

1.  Have 500 facebook follows.  Currently at 166. Still a long ways to go.

2. 10,000 hits per month.  10,431 in January.  I think we might have set this too low.  It feels great to accomplish something in the first month.

3. 10,000 twitter followers.  5,454 as of January.  This has been moving slow.  According to twittercounter I will make it this year.

4. Build my email list to 500.  261 at the end of January.  This is building at a reate of 55 people per month.

5. Write another ebook.  I have almost finished on on Social Media.

6.  Have 100 comments a month.   48 in January.  Not bad. This is something to work on.

7.  Break into the top 10 of google search for youth ministry.  This is going to be the biggest challenge of the year.  I am current ranked 150.  I was ranked 160 last month.  Not bad, but I need more progress on this.

Those are a few of my goals for the next year.  What are your goals?