Last week I attended a session that described an assessment process for churches. Consultants go in and diagnose a church, and then provide some affirmations and prescriptions for further action.
I never know exactly what to make of these approaches. Part of me - a lot of me, actually - wants to write this approach off completely. But I've come to recognize that there is some value in assessing as part of a larger strategic planning process. I used to want to say it's of no value. Now I want to say that a process like this is of limited value. It's still valuable; we just need to recognize its limits.
To illustrate: In January I witnessed the operations of the Compassion office in Honduras. I usually think that people who have the right dynamics - the heart and passion - are going to be well-meaning but a little scattered and disorganized. I was really surprised to find an operation that had the dynamics - the heart - but that also employed very effective systems. They had really thought through the ends they were trying to achieve, had created effective structures. They could explain everything they did, and why they did it that way after trying various options. I had the sense that if I came back a year later I would see further changes, because they always seem to be looking for a better way to do things.
It is one of the few times I have seen dynamics (heart) and mechanics (structures) working well together.
I have the sense that when churches engage in a strategic planning process, it's because the dynamics are all wrong. The church has lost its focus on the gospel, or it has become ingrown, or there is some kind of problem with heart and passion. You can do all the strategic planning in the world and you won't solve this. Strategic planning is great at fixing mechanics, but it will never go deep enough to fix the deeper issues, the issues of dynamics, the issues of the heart.
If a church needs new life, then what they need is what Richard Lovelace called a rediscovery of the gospel. That, not strategic planning, will give them the life they need. But if a church needs to channel that life into effective ministry, then maybe strategic planning will help.
Strategic planning will never give new life, but it may help in channeling existing life more effectively. It's of some value, but only when used against problems it's designed to solve.
I think what's needed, Darryl, is singularity of focus. My wife is a nurse and often cites the example of one of the Atlanta hospitals' cardiac center where you could stop a janitor in the hall, and he/she could tell you in a phrase why they were there--"healthy hearts." It sounds trite, but in a sense, everyone there could tell you why they were there, and from this, usually they could figure out why their own role in that was important.
As in most things, brother, the devil is in the mindset. If we are seeking to give God glory and to know know him and the power of his cross and resurrection, then all of the these "plans" are just a container to help us focus. But if we do as most churches seem to do, namely, go through the motions out of motives that do not resolutely tie themselves to the cross of Christ, then of course they aren't going to be of any value to God or anyone else, for that matter.
Mike:
I agree with you about the need for a singular focus. I find, though, that many churches don't give enough attention to what that singular focus should be. The result is that the focus can be more human-centered than gospel-centered.
I guess I'm trying to argue that before a church can meaningfully engage in strategic planning or alignment, it had better recapture its first love, or else everything is just a waste of time. Sounds obvious, yet it's amazing how many times I see people jumping right to strategic planning.
I totally agree that without the right heart/dynamics the strategic plan will accomplish nothing. Recently I've been interacting with ministries (church and para-church) that lean strongly the other way. They have a heart for ministry, but only enter into strategic planning half way. The result is devastating. Things get started, but not finished. People get asked their opinion, but nothing is ever followed up. Stuff gets written down, but never looked at again. Things move forward with a new "vision" but there's no clarity as to how the vision will actually be pursued or how accountability to the vision will be maintained.
I believe that clearly a both/and...heart and strategy, dynamics and mechanics...approach is necessary. It's great to find an example such as Compassion Honduras that has that balance!
Hi Darryl,
From someone who writes frequently on the topic and proclaims the benefits of strategic planing it will sound strange that I will agree that strategic planning can be of very little value. If fact, I would suggest that, by itself, strategic planning is little more than wishful thinking.
To be truly worthwhile, strategic planning must be combined with effective execution. Strategic planning provides the focus, the vision, for a group of people to strive for. It take leadership, however, to touch the hearts of the people, to help them understand and own the vision, and to work together towards its accomplishment.
Leaders using strategic planning coupled with excellence in execution can align their organizations to the achievement of a common goal; one which will be far more easily achieved than without the plan.
The website I write for, StrategyDriven (www.StrategyDriven.com), is dedicated to providing leaders with the tools and techniques needed to effectively plan and execute their organization's vision. I hope you and your readers will consider visiting our website and sharing your planning and execution insights with us.
All the Best,
Nathan Ives
Principal Contributor and
co-Host, StrategyDriven Podcast
StrategyDriven
www.StrategyDriven.com
Strategic planning can become an exercise in utter futility. I've watched a couple organizations spend an inordinate amount of time redefining the same values over and over again. I've seen vision statements so broad they could be for a house church network or a bible college. In short I've seen more effort put in to the plan than actually doing anything connected to the plan, that wasn't done for the last 20 years anyway. Strategic planning can become a wonderful exercise in painting bullseyes around arrows.
However our little house church has a little strategic planning document that outlines who we are and what we are about. It does help us communicate what we are all about.