A few weeks ago, on a day out with my wife, we ended up at the local home improvement store. Eighty-four aisles ranging from showers to shrubs greeted us with the express purpose of expanding my to-do list. We’re in the midst of tackling some much-needed repairs and updates on our home, and as we walked from home and garden to plumbing. then into electrical and paint and appliances, the list grew. This gave me the perfect opportunity that comes every time a home renovation needs to be done: the excuse to purchase a new tool.
Tools are designed to make the job easier. The right tool is often vital to getting the job done right. It is the same with small group ministry leadership as it is with home remodel and repair. Tools assist and empower us to do more and do it better.
But what are the right tools? As I stood in the midst of tool world at that home improvement store, I realized a lot of tools might work, might help, but what is really going to improve my odds for success? I find it the same with leading a growing ministry. There are seemingly endless resources for managing people, communication, file sharing, productivity, and the like, but what is really helpful? Here are seven apps and electronic resources, tools, to help you get the job done.
1. Evernote: Evernote is one of my absolute favorites. It is a digital notebook that allows you to organize and share your thoughts in one place. I use it for everything from writing and sermon prep to organizing my weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Alternatives: Microsoft Onenote and Notability.
2. Google Drive: Flexible cloud storage that allows you to share files. The great thing about Google Drive is most people already have a Google account. Alternatives: Dropbox, iCloud Drive, and OneDrive.
3. Google Docs: While on Google, your team can collaborate together and edit in real time with the free online resources: Docs (word processing documents), Sheets (spreadsheets), and Slides (a slide presentation maker). The great thing about Docs is the ease of collaboration and shared documents, plus it’s integrated with Google Drive. Alternatives: iCloud Pages and Microsoft Office 365.
4. Asana: This tool will help your team thrive on project and task management. You can manage team projects and monitor each team member’s task completion. It’s a super app and web tool that will change how you manage projects. Alternatives: Basecamp, Trello, and Zoho.
5. Mailchimp: Design, send, and track amazing email campaigns. Alternatives: Benchmark and Campaigns.
6. Slack: Team collaboration in the cloud. Allows for communication and collaborative work, plus Asana integrates with Slack. Alternatives: Rocket.Chat and HipChat.
7. Survey Monkey: Get instant feedback for your events, track group engagement, and plan ahead by creating surveys with Survey Monkey. Alternatives: Google Form and Survey Gizmo.
So now that you know the tools, you are ready to take on whatever project comes your way.
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