Strategic Planning for Churches

What is Strategic Planning for Churches?

It is an organization’s process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues through which it can pursue a particular course of action. Does this apply to a church? Yes, most definitely!

Strategic Planning For Your Church Deals With One Of Four Key Questions:

In many organizations, this is viewed as a process for determining where an organization is going over the next year or – more typically – 3 to 5 years (long term), although some extend their vision to 20 years. The key components of “strategic planning” include an understanding of the church’s vision, mission, values and strategies. (Often a “Vision Statement” and a “Mission Statement” may encapsulate the vision and mission).

Vision

Outlines what the church wants to be to its members and to the world. It is a long-term view and concentrates on the future. For example, an evangelistic strong church might say, “We will not stop until the gospel has been preached to the entire world.”

Mission

Defines the fundamental purpose of the church and describes why it exists and what it wants to do to achieve its vision. For example, the church above might have a mission statement as “reaching every person in our city with the Good News.”

Values

Beliefs that are shared among the stakeholders of the church. Bible-based values drive an organization’s culture and priorities and provide a framework in which decisions are made. For example, “give a man bread and feed him for a day, but teach him to farm and feed him for life”.

Strategy

What the church will do to accomplish its goals. A strategy is sometimes called a roadmap; the path chosen to plow towards the end vision. The most important part of implementing the strategy is ensuring the church is going in the right direction and is under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Church Strategic Plannings

One of the most difficult things in life to do is to take one’s self out of the picture and look at a situation objectively. It is human nature to not be able to “see the forest for the trees.” That is why organizations hire consultants; they don’t look at the situation with the same “rosie coloured glasses.” A church minded strategic planner can sit down with the church board and pastor for a “fireside chat” and objectively listen to all parties concerned and help them to see themselves for who and what they are and where they should be going. When you book Dr. Watkins for a Biblical Economics course, you not only receive twelve hours of Bible-based financial teaching but a complimentary evaluation of your church. He will arrive a day early to the start of the economics seminar, meet with the pastor and church board and provide strategic planning and assistance to set the church on a path of achieving its goals. Together they will look at all issues of the church and answer the questions outlined above. Who are we? What are our needs? Where are we going? How will we get there? The greatest gift that a consultant can provide is to be a “listening post” – and be a “mirror” so to speak. Every organization has within itself, the skills to go where it needs to go; those skills just need to be “drawn out” and activated. That is what a consultant can do for you. Click here to contact Dr. Watkins and book him for a no-fee strategic planning meeting.

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