STRATEGIC PLANNING
Also includes Core Values
Part of the Ministry Resource Guide on Church Leadership and Renewal.
- Introduction to Strategic Planning in Christian Ministry
- Ministry Resources on Leader-Participatory Strategic Planning
- Ministry Resources on Congregational Discernment Strategic Planning
- Select Resources from the Corporate Arena on Strategic Planning
- Related Ministry Resources
Introduction to Strategic Planning in Christian Ministry
Strategic Planning guides lay out a standard planning sequence, with suggestions on how to execute the process for ministry in the church. These cover process issues such as scanning the mission environment, defining corporate core content [mission, vision, core beliefs, core values] setting goals and objectives, designing appropriate ministries and structures, defining time lines and accountability measures, etc. These manuals are not necessarily tied to a prescribed list of features all healthy churches must possess. Instead, they help church leaders define these issues for their contexts within the rubric of the strategic planning process.
Strategic planning, though quite profitable for Christian ministry, is a very intentional and time-consuming process. Seeing it through to the end requires a level of sophistication, diligence, and patience that is rare in congregations. One should not attempt strategic planning without good exposure to the literature. It would be better not to do strategic planning at all than to do it poorly. I recommend church leaders peruse a few of the volumes recommended below and choose the ones that best fit their context, or develop their own hybrid model.
There are many types of strategic planning. For church leadership, two are helpful. I call them Leader-Participatory and Congregational Discernment.
Ministry Resources on Leader-Participatory Strategic Planning
This is a “guide through” approach to planning where leaders who have a general idea of congregational direction but still wish to walk the congregation through a standard strategic planning process to insure widespread participation and support. Some leaders who use this method may start with a general idea of congregational direction, but wish to refine and clarify their intuitions with a participatory process. These approaches reserve a fairly directive, influencing, and perhaps visionary role of congregational leaders, and suggest means such as task forces, surveys, and focus groups to assess the congregational pulse in a way that informs the leaders’ decisions and secures better buy-in.
First Read:
Aubrey Malphurs, Advanced Strategic Planning: A New Model for Church and Ministry Leaders, Second Edition — Probably the best from the evangelical, church-growth perspective. A very comprehensive, step-by-step guide, full of useful appendices. One may be interested in companion volumes by Malphurs:
- Aubrey Malphurs, Developing a Vision for Ministry in the 21st Century, Second Edition
- Aubrey Malphurs, Developing a Dynamic Mission for Your Ministry: Finding Direction and Making an Impact as a Church Leader, Second Edition
- Aubrey Malphurs, Values-Driven Leadership: Discovering and Developing Your Core Values for Ministry, Second Edition
- Aubrey Malphurs, Ministry Nuts and Bolts: What They Don’t Teach Pastors in Seminary
Other Helpful Resources:
- Michael J. Anthony and James Estep, Jr., Editor, Management Essentials for Christian Ministry — Among the general guides on church administration, this has the best section on organizational leadership and strategic planning. Great section on five budgeting models and six stages of budget development. Good templates.
- George G. Hunter, III, The Apostolic Congregation: Church Growth Reconceived for a New Generation — An excellent recasting of the church growth philosophy in the missional era. The last chapter is a good succinct description of change principles and strategic planning.
- Patrick M. Lencioni, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else – An excellent, usable tool to help church staff and leadership teams anchor a newly established (strategically planned) congregational culture. Provides a simple “Organizational Health Checklist.”
Ministry Resources on Congregational Discernment Strategic Planning
These approaches are slightly less directive and use the strategic planning processes (task forces, surveys, focus groups, etc.) to equip the congregation to discern and shape its own vision and strategy. They are not as non-directive as Large Group/Whole System approaches, but are less leader-influenced than the Leader/Participatory guides.
First Reads:
- Gil Rendle and Alice Mann, Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations — My top recommendation on strategic planning for churches overall, with Malphurs’ Advanced Strategic Planning as a close second. It is unsurpassed in its breadth on the subject.
- Daniel P. Smith and Mary K. Sellon, Pathway to Renewal: Practical Steps for Congregations — A good attempt at applying the best practices of spiritual formation and congregational development to the hard work of church renewal. Good supplement to Holy Conversations.
Other Helpful Resources:
- Roy M. Oswald and Robert E. Friedrich, Jr., Discerning Your Congregation’s Future: A Strategic and Spiritual Approach — A brief, well-written, directive guidebook to strategic planning as a spiritual practice by seasoned practitioner-scholar-consultants from the Alban Institute.
- Nancy Vogel, Catching the Next Wave Workbook: Leadership Strategies for Turnaround Congregations — A good volume for spurring creativity in various aspects of the planning process.
Select Resources From the Corporate Arena on Strategic Planning
Obviously, strategic planning processes did not originate with churches. They are borrowed from the world of business, industry, and education. For those who are serious about this process, it makes sense to become familiar with literature from these circles. The materials recommended above do a fine job of guiding churches through the complex maze of planning, but for those who want broader exposure, one of the most respected volumes isKarl Albrecht, The Northbound Train: Finding the Purpose, Setting the Direction, Shaping the Destiny of Your Organization.
Related Ministry Resources
See Other Resources on Church Leadership and Renewal:
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal, Index
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal – Theological Foundations, Ecclesiology
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal – Philosophical Foundations – e.g. Church Growth, Missional, Emergent, and Other Missionally Responsive Trajectories
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal – Practical Foundations, Church Dynamics and Research
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal – Practical Foundations, Congregational Culture, Church Identity
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal – Practical Foundations, Church Size, Size Transitions
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal – Practical Foundations, Research and Case Studies on Effective Churches
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal – Special Situations, Small Church Development
- Church Leadership, Church Health and Renewal – Strategies for Renewal
Ministry Resources on Related Areas
- Church Administration
- Transition and Change in Church
- Conflict in Church
- Elders, Church Governance
- Evangelism
- Church Giving, Tithing, and Financial Stewardship
- Involvement, Using Spiritual Gifts for Ministry in Church
- Christian Leadership
- Managing Volunteers in Christian Ministry
- Church Staff, Ministry Teams
- Ministry Transitions, Interim Ministry
- Missional Perspectives, Intro
- Missional Strategies for Christian Ministry
- Pastoral Theology
- Social Ministry, Social Justice
- Spiritual Formation for Christian Ministry
- Theology of Mission and Ministry
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