Your IGP should be closely connected to your Annual Ministry Plan. Your IGP can prepare and equip you for the ministry that God is putting before you in the coming year.

However, not all the IGP goals need to be about preparing ourselves for ministry. The “Missionary Growth Areas” lists different growth areas in three major categories. It is important to look at learning holistically. Our calling encompasses all areas of our life, and so we should be considering all areas of our life as possible areas of growth.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

1. What is the Lord showing me that need to change in my life in this coming year?
2. What do I need to learn so that I can accomplish my ministry goals and fulfill my responsibilities with excellence?
3. Who could I ask to coach/mentor/advise me in the growth areas or the tasks that are before me in the coming year?
4. What could I do to strengthen my understanding of the language and culture of the people I am seeking to engage in ministry in this coming year?

Learning and growing is never our sole responsibility. Our primary assignment remains our primary assignment. However, we believe that stopping regularly to sharpen the saw will make us more effective in the end. SEND allows us to give 10% of our time for our ongoing growth and development. That would be the equivalent of one morning a week.

(Note: the IGP is best done after you have completed your Annual Ministry Plan for the coming year)

1. Spend some time in prayer, asking God to direct you as you take a good look at yourself and plan for growth and development in the coming year. Listen to what God is saying to you about where He would like you to grow. You might want to use one of the self-assessments in the “Helps for Day Alone with God.”
2. Answer the questions above under “What should I put into my IGP?”
3. Review the list of Missionary Growth Areas. This might give you some more ideas of what could be the focus of growth and learning in the coming year.
4. Choose two or three growth areas that you want to prioritize in the coming year. At least one of these should be in a ministry area. Write these on the IGP Worksheet.
5. Describe what improvements you would like to see in this area in the second column on the worksheet. What would you like to learn? What would it look like if you were more skilled in this area?
6. Choose one to three learning activities that you could do that would help you grow in each of your growth areas. Think of people you might ask for coaching or mentoring, books you want to read, online courses you want to take, conferences you want to attend, or ministries you want to visit and observe. Invite others, including your fellow missionaries and team leaders to suggest learning activities. Go to the SEND U wiki for additional ideas. Put these learning activities in the third column on the worksheet.
7. Choose the date (during the coming year) by which you intend to complete this learning activity. It is helpful to stagger the completion dates throughout the year, so that you know what you need to do first, and do not procrastinate until the end of the year to start your learning activities.
8. Invite someone to be your IGP Encourager (see below) and show them your IGP. This could be your supervisor/ team leader or a trusted friend (so they can encourage you and keep you accountable).
9. As you complete each learning activity, mark the date on the IGP form.
10. Reflect on what you have learned. During the year, and again just prior to developing another IGP at the end of the year, reflect on what you have learned over the past year. Your IGP Encourager will also help you identify what you have learned. Use the reflection form on the last page of this guide to record your learning.