The View from 20,000 Feet
About a week ago I posted about WAC's brand new Strategic Plan. I know the idea of a strategic plan probably makes most people's eyes glaze over, but I'm one of the odd few that actually enjoys the process of clarifying where we are going. When the plan is complete, it is like looking out the window of a plane. You can see the whole countryside spread out below you. Once you land, it is hard to see much more than a short distance in front of you.
A strategic plan is a lot like that view. It helps us see the whole picture and keeps us from getting lost in the details. During our planning we settled on 5 Top Priorities:
- Internships
- Enrollment
- Finances
- Volunteers
- Location
Pareto Principle
Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle? Essentially it states that 80% of our impact comes from 20% of our work. In other words, there is a limited amount of things you can do that will produce 80% of what you want to achieve. It original was discovered as a principle in economics but has since been found to be true in many other areas. For instance, in computer programming, if you fix the top 20% of the bugs in your program, it will eliminate 80% of your errors and crashes.
I believe the priority of Internships is our 20% of effort that will produce 80% of our goal.
Internships
Our Internship Program connects WAC students with local churches in a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The student gains
- a scholarship to help cover the cost of their education
- practical hands on experience
- immediate hands-on application of their education
- resume and portfolio development
The church receives
- 10 hours of work per week
- a part-time worker at a very reasonable rate.
- a motivated, career focused worker
- a chance to invest in the life of a future church leader
WAC benefits by
- offering practical experience for our students
- being able to offer a great scholarship
- attracting highly motivated students who take multiple courses
- being able to help local churches while we train future church leaders
How can I help?
You can help by letting everyone know about our Internship Program. Share it on social media, forward it on email, call your friends and neighbors, hang a sign from the tallest building ... well, you get the idea.
We would also like to offer the opportunity for smaller churches to have an intern. So, if you would like to sponsor an internship in a church, let us know.
Finally, but most importantly, pray. Pray that God would bring 5 new interns to WAC for the Fall 2018 term.
by Dr. Jerry Wyrick
President, Worship Arts Conservatory
worshiparts.net