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Second in a Two-Part Series

Elements of a
Strategic Plan
by Nancy D. Olsen and A plan spells out where an organization is s 7HAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MISSION
Howard W. Olsen, Ph.D. going over the next year or more and how and vision?
it is going to get there. A strategic plan is a s 7HICH COMES lRSTˆOBJECTIVES OR
DO YOU KNOW where your church is management tool that serves the purpose goals?
going? What will your church be like in of helping an organization do a better job, s (OW DO THEY WORK TOGETHER
three years? Will you be a few steps clos- and it improves organizations because a
er to realizing your vision? If you do not plan focuses the energy, resources, and This is probably the most widely de-
change anything, will the future be any time of everyone in the organization in the bated part of strategic planning. Every
different than the past? One sure-fire way same direction. person you ask will provide a different
to impact your church’s future is to dust answer. Ignore the semantics and focus on
off an old tool—the Strategic Plan. Strategic planning does not have to be establishing a framework. What matters is
mysterious, complicated, or time-con- having a combination of long-term and
No one strategic model fits all organiza- suming. In fact, it should be quick, simple, short-term markers to keep your church
tions, but the planning process includes and easily executed. Additionally, strategic moving in the right direction.
certain basic elements that all churches planning is not just something you cross
can use to explore their vision, goals, and off your list of “to-dos”—you must cre- Think of the elements of a typical strategic
next steps of an effective strategic plan. ate a culture of strategic thinking, so your plan in the hierarchy as outlined in Figure
strategic planning does not become an 1:
WHY DO A STRATEGIC PLAN? annual retreat but, instead, a part of daily
Strategic planning is a process that helps decision making. s -ISSION—To define the organization’s
focus on aligning the unique gifts and purpose. Why do we exist?
resources that God has given your A good strategic plan achieves the
organization to take advantage of your following: s 6ALUES—To clarify what you stand for
opportunities. Scripture says, “Be very and believe in.
careful, then, how you live—not as un- s 2EmECTS THE VALUES OF THE ORGANIZATION
wise but as wise, making the most of every s #LEARLY DElNES WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT s 37/4—To assess the particular
opportunity” (Ephesians 5:15–16). As you for achieving success. strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
do the planning, let God do the directing. s !SSISTS EVERYONE IN DAILY DECISION and threats that are strategically impor-
making. tant to your church. (SWOT is a filtering
For the Christian, this is not simply s 'ETS EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE tool to assess where you are now.)
projection-based planning but the real- focused and pulling in the same
ization that through prayer and obedience direction. s !DVANTAGE—To define what you do
you can be a catalyst to help bring about a s #REATES A CULTURE OF STRATEGIC THINKING best. What do you do best?
future that is in alignment with God’s will. and a part of daily decision making.
Through prayer, the framework for a plan s 6ISION—To explain where you are
can be established. We do the planning, WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A headed. Where do we want to be in five
but God does the directing. STRATEGIC PLAN? years?
There are several different components
WHAT IS STRATEGIC PLANNING? or pieces in a strategic plan. The typi- s /RGANIZATION WIDE 3TRATEGY—How will
Simply put, a strategic plan is the formal- cal questions people have relating to the you get to your vision? What is the route
ized road map that describes how your elements are the following: you will take?
organization executes the chosen strategy.

22 NACBA Ledger Winter 2009


why you exist. A mission statement states

Elements of Your Strategy Figure 1


what the church organization intends to
accomplish and the needs it is endeavor-
ing to serve. It also serves as a guide for
Mission/Core Purpose
day-to-day operations and as the founda-
The underlying “why” you are climbing the mountain, why do you exist?
tion for future decision-making.

Core Values/Beliefs
To create a mission statement you need to
Enduring core beliefs to adhere to no matter what mountain you climb.
understand how God has uniquely gifted
your church with core strengths, abili-
Vision (5–10 year)
ties, and gifts. You need to embrace your
The specific mountain you are currently trying to climb – the “where.”
church’s uniqueness and develop plans
around it. With this in mind, your mission
Organization-Wide Strategies
statement will be one that expresses God’s
The route you intend to take and the general methods you intend to use to reach the top of that
call on your church—focusing on who you
specific mountain.
are and what you do.

Strategic Objectives/Priorities (3–5 year)


To write a mission ask the following
Intermediate objectives to the top of the mountain. If you have a 5-year vision, these would be three-
questions:
to four-year intermediate mileposts on the way up the mountain.

s 7HY DO WE EXIST
Goals (1–3 year) and Actions
s 7HAT IS 'ODS PURPOSE FOR OUR CHURCH
Specific methods for climbing the sections of rock and ice that confront you right now. These would
s (OW CAN WE WITH LIMITED RESOURCES
be analogous to detailed annual plans for getting things done this year on the way to the five-year
really make a difference?
vision.

Adapted from Jim Collins Examples:

s /BJECTIVES—To connect your mission 2 is a simple, yet clear way of looking at s 4O GATHER TO WORSHIP AND BECOME
to your vision. What are the long-term, the whole plan. (see pages 26–27) By plac- empowered to serve.
3-year out strategic priorities you need ing all the elements of the plan into three s 4O BE AN OASIS OF FAITH AT A BUSY
to perform in order to achieve your areas, you can clearly see how the pieces crossroad.
vision? fit together. Each area has certain compo- s 4O HELP OUR COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE
nents of the plan. The three areas are Jesus in a real and relevant way.
s 'OALS—To set goals that convert the s 4O BUILD AN OVERCOMING CHURCH OUT
strategic objectives into specific per- s 7HERE ARE WE NOW of broken lives through the power of
formance targets. What are the one- s 7HERE ARE WE GOING Jesus.
year goals you are trying to achieve to s (OW WILL WE GET THERE s 4O EXALT THE ,ORD EQUIP THE BELIEVER
support your objectives? evangelize the world, and expand the
WHERE ARE WE NOW? Kingdom.
s !CTION—To set specific action plans As you think about where your organiza- s 4O PRESENT AUTHENTIC #HRISTIANITY TO
that lead to implementing your goals. tion is now, you want to look at your foun- our families, community, country and
What are the 30, 60, 90 days actions? dational elements (mission and values) to world.
make sure there has not been a change.
s 3CORECARD—To measure and manage More than likely, you will not revise these 6alues
your strategic plan. What are the key two areas very often. Then you want to Values are enduring, passionate, and dis-
performance measures you can track look at your current strategic position, tinctive core beliefs. They are guiding
in order to monitor if you are achieving which is where you look at what is hap- principles that never change. Values are
your goals? pening internally and externally to deter- why we do what we do and what we stand
mine how you need to shift and change. for. They are beliefs that guide the con-
HOW DO THE ELEMENTS FIT Here are your foundational elements: duct, activities, and goals of the organiza-
TOGETHER? tion. Values are deeply held convictions,
Because it is easy to confuse how all the el- -ission priorities, and underlying assumptions
ements of a plan come together and where Mission defines your purpose—the pur- which influence our attitudes and behav-
they go, the visual Strategy Map in Figure pose for which you were founded and iors. They have intrinsic value and impor-

Winter 2009 NACBA Ledger 23


tance to those inside the organization.
Your core values are part of your strategic
A Godly vision is based on God’s will for the
foundation. church. It is a picture of seeking the needs of
A church’s values can dominate the kind other people and meeting those needs. It is vitally
of strategic direction it considers or
rejects. When values and beliefs are connected to the heart of God and His perspective.
deeply ingrained and widely shared by
pastors, board and staff, they become a s Excellence—We believe excellence s Committed community—through in-
way of life within the church and they honors God and inspires greatness. timacy within the community, servant
mold church strategy. leadership, genuine relationships, and
s Equipping—We believe in equipping beauty in diversity.
To write values ask the following the saints for ministry and life by help-
questions: ing them to operate in their spiritual 37/4 (Strategic Position)
gifts. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,
s 7HAT ARE THE CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS OF Opportunities, Threats) is a tool to help
our organization? s Prayer—We believe in the power of match internal organizational strengths
s 7HAT VALUES AND BELIEFS GUIDE OUR DAILY prayer, and that makes a critical dif- with external opportunities to meet the
interactions? ference in all we attempt to achieve. needs of your constituents and commu-
s 7HAT IS OUR CHURCH REALLY COMMITTED We are to be a house of prayer for all nity best. Think of the SWOT as a filter-
to? nations. ing tool to assess your current strategic
position. A good understanding of your
Examples: s Authenticity—through authentic liv- strengths and weaknesses, your opportu-
ing, biblical authority, worship, prayer, nities, and the external threats is essential
s Family—We believe there is nothing and spirit. to the assessment.
more important than strong united (Continued on page 28)
families.

Summary
s /NE SURE lRE WAY TO IMPACT YOUR CHURCHS s 4HERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OR s #OMMUNICATE THE PLAN TO EVERYONE IN YOUR
future is to dust off an old tool—the Stra- pieces in a strategic plan which are dis- ORGANIZATION ! STRATEGIC PLAN IS A LIVING
tegic Plan. cussed in this article. dynamic document. Strategic planning is
about keeping the plan active so that it does
s .O ONE STRATEGIC MODEL lTS ALL ORGANIZA- s 3TRATEGIC PLANNING NEEDS INCLUDE SETTING not gather that proverbial dust.
tions, but the planning process includes GOALS TO BUILD ON YOUR CHURCHS STRENGTHS
certain basic elements that all churches SHORE UP THE WEAKNESSES CAPITALIZE ON THE Authors
can use for next steps of an effective OPPORTUNITIES AND RECOGNIZE THE THREATS $R (OWARD 7 /LSEN IS
strategic plan. the president and Nancy
s &ORMING A STRATEGIC VISION SHOULD PROVIDE Olsen is the vice president
s 3TRATEGIC PLANNING IS A PROCESS THAT HELPS long-term direction and infuse the church of M3 Planning, Inc., a
focus on aligning the unique gifts and with a sense of purposeful action. lRM THAT SPECIALIZES IN
resources that God has given your HELPING ORGANIZATIONS
ORGANIZATION TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR s 3TRATEGIC OBJECTIVES STATE THE BROAD DIRECTION develop their strategy to
opportunities. and goals and work towards converting your accomplish their growth
mission into actions that will accomplish plans. They can be reached
s ! STRATEGIC PLAN IS THE FORMALIZED ROAD your vision and help sustain your unique VIA THEIR 7EB SITE AT WWW
MAP THAT DESCRIBES HOW YOUR ORGANIZATION advantage. mychurchplan.com.
executes the chosen strategy.
s 3TRATEGY ESTABLISHES A WAY TO MATCH YOUR
CHURCHS STRENGTHS WITH OPPORTUNITIES SO THAT
your church comes to mind when people
have a need.

24 NACBA Ledger Winter 2009


Company: Community Church
Plan: Strategic Plan Figure 2

Where are we now? How are we going to get there?

Foundation Strategic Objectives and Goals


Our Mission Mission/Financial—How will we accomplish our mission?
Our mission is to present authentic Christianity to our families, community,
Mission: To stay focused on money Revenue Generation: To increase
country, and world to ministry. funds from giving.
s 4O SPEND  OF OUR BUDGET ON s 4O AVERAGE + A WEEK IN TITHES
evangelism by the end of the year and offerings by 12/31/YYYY
Our Core Values
s &AMILYˆ7E BELIEVE THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN STRONG UNITED
families.
s %XCELLENCEˆ7E BELIEVE EXCELLENCE HONORS 'OD AND INSPIRES GREATNESS
s 2ELATIONSHIPSˆ7E BELIEVE THAT LOVING RELATIONSHIPS SHOULD PERMEATE EVERY
aspect of church life.
Constituents—How we provide value
s %QUIPPINGˆ7E BELIEVE IN EQUIPPING THE SAINTS FOR MINISTRY AND LIFE BY
helping them to operate in their spiritual gifts. Current services: Provide excellent Current constituents: Increase the
s $EVOTIONˆ7E BELIEVE THAT FULL DEVOTION TO #HRIST AND (IS CAUSE ARE NORMAL FOR service in all family areas. involvement in small groups.
every believer. Busters and Generation X— New Millenium Generation—
s 3OUND $OCTRINEˆ7E BELIEVE THAT TEACHING AND DOCTRINE SHOULD BE BALANCED ON Ages 35–44 Ages 25–34
the historical roots of Christianity that shaped the theology and orthodoxy of faith. s 4O PROVIDE EXCELLENCE IN FAMILY MINIS- s 4O PROVIDE EXCELLENCE IN THE AREA OF
Sound doctrine is held in high esteem. try education classes by 12/YYYY media by expanding and
s 0RAYERˆ7E BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER AND THAT IT MAKES A CRITICAL s !DD MORE SMALL GROUPS THIS YEAR enhancing technology by 3/31/YYYY
difference in all we attempt to achieve. s )NCREASE CHURCH WIDE SOCIAL ACTIVITIES s #LASSROOMS TO BE COMPUTER CAPABLE
s #HARACTERˆ7E BELIEVE THAT CHARACTER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TALENT this year by 12/31/YYYY

s %VANGELISMˆ7E BELIEVE THAT AN EFFECTIVE CHURCH SERVICES ITS COMMUNITY AND


treats everyone with love, respect, and dignity.
s 7ORSHIPˆ7E BELIEVE THAT FULL DEVOTION TO #HRIST AND (IS CAUSE ARE NORMAL FOR Operational—Which processes we must excel at
every believer.
Facilities: To provide adequate facili- Administrative Management:
ties and maintain property. To improve office efficiency.

Unique Advantage s 4O PREPARE OUR CURRENT BUILDING FOR


sale in Spring YYYY
s 4O HIRE OFlCE MANAGER AND
assistant by 11/YYYY
s 4O DETERMINE NEEDS AND DEVELOP s 4O HIRE A NEW STAFF MEMBER WITH AN
What we do best plan for new facility by 6/30/YYYY annointing in the area of music and
s 7E ARE YOUNG MINDED PROGRESSIVE AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT MESSENGERS OF THE fine arts by 11/31/YYYY
Gospel.
s 4O DEVELOP AN ACCURATE 9999
s 2ESOURCES TO SERVE THE SPIRITUAL NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY budget that we follow and monitor
s -ATURE AND TRAINED LEADERS

People—How we must learn and improve


Organization-wide Strategies Leadership: Create a leadership Staff Development: Learn and adopt
culture. best practices.
How we wll get there s 4RAIN LEADERS IN ,EVEL /NE BY  s (AVE EACH PASTOR ATTEND ONE BEST
s 9EAR ONEˆ4RAINING LEADERS YYYY practice church conference each
s 4O PROVIDE A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ALL year starting in YYYY
s 9EAR TWOˆ'ROWING MINISTRY TEAMS
levels of leadership
s 9EAR THREEˆ#OMMUNITY PENETRATION
s 4RAIN LEADERS IN ,EVEL 4WO BY
6/30/YYYY
s 4RAIN LEADERS IN ,EVEL 4HREE BY
10/31/YYYY
26 NACBA Ledger Winter 2009
Where are we going?

Scorecard
How we measure success

Operational Efficiency: To be finan- Measure Target


cially stable.
s 4O HAVE + IN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT
by 12/YYYY
s 4O MAKE WEEKLY CHURCH PAYMENTS
in order to cut interest and add to
the principle

New Constituents: Increase


numbers of members in all groups.
Baby Boomers—Ages 45–55
s 0LAN SPECIAL ACTIVITIES WITH
emphasis on them by 9/30/YYYY
s $EVELOP COMMUNICATION TOOL BY Vision
2/YYYY

What our church will look like

To be the premier charismatic, seeker driven, community church in the state.

Ministry Management: To develop Communications Management:


programs so they can be run by To maintain database
members. management and all
s 4O DEVELOP OUR MISSIONS PROGRAM communications.
for extensive international s 4O HAVE A MONTHLY ONLINE Scorecard
outreaches by 12/31/YYYY newsletter by 9/28/YYYY
s 4O PURCHASE A CHURCH How we make strategy a habit
management system by
12/YYYY

Culture: Be the most creative and


culturally relevant church around.
s 4O PUSH EVANGELISM ENVELOPE BY
studying the most progressive
churches in America by 12/YYYY
s 4O ATTEND  NEW CHURCHES THAT ARE
progressive by 9/YYYY
s 4AKE ALL ELDERS TO  PROGRESSIVE
church by 1/YYYY
© 2007 M3 Planning – All rights reserved

Winter 2009 NACBA Ledger 27


(Continued from page 24)

The SWOT is only as good as the informa- Resources


tion it contains. Gathering information
from your constituents and stakeholders Strategic Planning Online System:
about the effectiveness of your programs, -Y#HURCH0LANCOM IS A 7EB BASED SYSTEM STRATEGIC PLANNING SYSTEM 4HROUGH A SELF GUIDED STEP
services, and church is essential for the by-step, cost-effective process, a church can quickly and efficiently build, monitor, and revise their
SWOT to identify key issues. The purpose growth plans as God directs. MyChurchPlan will assist a church in developing a strategic plan, creating
of a SWOT is to help produce a good fit professional reports without having to recreate the wheel every time, and implementing the plan. It will
between your church’s internal resources save the church valuable time, create a plan that is dynamic and easily editable, produce professions
and capabilities and your external envi- reports, and increase performance through execution.
ronment.
Books:
When you plan you will need to set goals .ANCY $ /LSEN AND (OWARD 7 /LSEN 0H$ Strategic Planning Made EasyTM for Nonprofit Organiza-
to build on your church’s strengths, shore tions: A Practical Guide, 2007.
up the weaknesses, capitalize on the This book is designed to help executive directors and their boards build and execute their strategy
opportunities, and recognize the threats. THROUGH A COST EFFECTIVE SELF GUIDED PROCESS LEADING TO EFFECTIVELY FULlLLING THE ORGANIZATIONS PURPOSE
Through thought provoking questions, relevant examples and worksheets, the book guides nonprofits
Assess your strengths and weaknesses by THROUGH THE PLANNING PROCESS 4HE /NE 0AGE 3TRATEGIC -AP HELPS YOU VISUALIZE THE PLAN
answering these questions: what do we do
well, and where could we improve? Erica Olsen. Strategic Planning For Dummies, November 2005
Strategic Planning For Dummies brings you everything you need for the next phase of church growth.
Assess your opportunities and threats by Learn how to build and sustain your competitive advantage, develop a vision for you and your organi-
asking what opportunities should we take ZATION SET UP AN ONGOING PROCESS FOR MARKET ASSESSMENT DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED STRATEGY MONITOR WITH
advantage of and are there any emerging a scorecard and make strategy a habit.
trends that might affect our organization?

Unique Advantage
Just what is a unique advantage? It is sim-
ply the answer to “what does your church s 7HAT DOES YOUR CHURCH DO BEST 6ision
do best?” Your unique advantage is what s 7HAT CAN YOUR ORGANIZATION POTENTIALLY A vision is a picture of what your church’s
your church does or potentially could do do better than any other organization? future makeup will be and where the
better than similar organizations. The s 7HAT UNIQUE SKILLS RESOURCES GIFTS AND organization is headed. Vision provides
result of a well-developed and execut- capabilities has God placed in your a clear mental picture, by faith, of what
ed strategic plan is to develop a unique church? your church will look like in five to ten
advantage. It is what you do best that years from now. Forming a strategic
draws constituents/stakeholders to use Examples: vision should provide long-term direc-
your programs and services instead of tion, delineate the organizational activi-
similar organizations. Successful church- s 7E ARE YOUNG MINDED PROGRESSIVE AND ties to be pursued, the capabilities it plans
es deliberately make choices to be unique culturally relevant messengers of the to develop, and infuse the church with a
and different in activities that they are re- Gospel of Christ. sense of purposeful action. It serves as a
ally, really good at doing and they focus all s 7E HAVE A PRIME LOCATION unifying focal point for everyone in the
of their energy in these areas. s 7E HAVE "IBLE BASED PREACHING organization like a North Star. It delineates
s 7E ARE A CHURCH OF SMALL HOME GROUPS the future focus and where the church is
Your unique advantages are the founda- s 7E HAVE AN EXTENSIVE CARE MINISTRY going.
tion, the cornerstone of your strategic s 7E HAVE A STRONG YOUTH MINISTRY
plan. Throughout the planning process A Godly vision is based on God’s will for
you will need to evaluate every part of WHERE ARE WE GOING? the church. It is a picture of seeking the
your plan to determine whether it sup- The elements of the question, “Where are needs of other people and meeting those
ports or detracts from this. we going?” help you answer other ques- needs. It is vitally connected to the heart
tions, such as, What will my church look of God and His perspective. A vision which
To identify your unique advantages ask like in the future? Where are we headed? is inspired by God is God-sized and will
the following questions: What is the future I want to create for my require the power of God to fulfill. A Godly
church? The following elements help you vision makes your heart surge, carries you
define the future for your church: to heights you never dreamed possible,

28 NACBA Ledger Winter 2009


and causes exponential growth. You are s 4O DEVELOP A LOVING AND CARING #HRIS- 3TRATEGIC /BJECTIVES0RIORITIES
empowered and motivated by it. It seizes tian community effecting a global Strategic objectives are long-term, con-
hold of you and orders your thoughts and impact for Christ through its local, tinuous strategic areas that get you mov-
actions. Scripture says, “Record the vision regional, and international outreach. ing from your mission to achieving your
and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who vision. Objectives explain how you will get
reads it may run.” (Habakkuk 2:2) s 4O BE THE PREMIER SEEKER DRIVEN COM- there. In other words, objectives are long-
munity church in the state. term (3–5 years) general areas that state
To write a vision, pray and seek God’s wis- how your organization will get from its
dom by asking the following questions: s 4O BECOME A PREMIER MULTI CULTURAL mission (where you are now) to its vision
soul winning, disciple-making church (where you are going).
s 7HAT WILL OUR CHURCH LOOK LIKE TEN YEARS in the area, renowned worldwide for
from now? our commitment to missions and our Objectives are also called strategic pri-
s 7HERE IS 'OD DIRECTING OUR CHURCH passion for excellence, service, and orities, initiatives, and cornerstones. It
s 7HAT IS 'ODS VISION FOR OUR CHURCH team work. is helpful to think of objectives as broad
general area. Objectives state the broad
Examples: HOW WILL WE GET THERE? direction; goals then operationalize that
Knowing how you will reach your vision direction. They are the continuous stra-
s 4O BE AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CELL is the meat of your strategic plan, but it tegic activities necessary to achieve your
based, multi-congregational church of is also the most time consuming. The vision. They define what your organi-
believers in our community who prac- reason it takes so much time to develop is zation is intending to accomplish both
tice authentic Christian community. because there are a number of routes from programmatically and organizationally.
your current position to your vision. Pick- Objectives work towards converting your
s 4O BE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE SEARCHING ing the right one determines how quickly mission into actions that will accomplish
to know God are welcomed and taught or slowly you get to your final destination. your vision and help sustain your unique
Biblical principles and relevant Chris- The parts of your plan that lay out your advantage.
tian community. roadmap are as follows:

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An administrator devoted to the successful give you things He wants you to do. Hold
your plans before the Lord.
implementation of the plan is key. The plan
The following is an explanation of the cri-
needs to be supported with people, money, time, teria for SMART goals:

systems, and, above all, communication. s Specific—Goals must answer the ques-
tions: How much? What kind of perfor-
mance is to be accomplished?”
To write objectives ask these questions: Examples:
s Measurable—Goals must be stated
s 7HAT ARE THE KEY ACTIVITIES THAT YOU s /VERALLˆ.UMBER OF LIVES CHANGED in measurable or quantifiable terms:
need to perform in order to achieve s ST YEARˆ"IRTH OF THE CHURCH Can we measure this goal? How will we
your vision? s ND YEARˆ,EADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT know if we achieved this goal?
s 7HAT AREAS DO WE NEED TO FOCUS ON OVER s RD YEARˆ'ROWTH
the next 3–5 years to accomplish our s TH YEARˆ$ISCIPLESHIP s Aggressive yet Achievable—Is the goal
vision? s TH YEARˆ#OMMUNITY OUTREACH aggressive yet achievable? Goals must
s TH YEARˆ)NTERNATIONAL OUTREACH provide a stretch that inspires people
Examples: to aim higher. Set goals you know you
Goals convert your strategic objectives can realistically achieve.
s 4O IMPACT STRATEGICALLY MORE LIVES EACH into specific performance targets. Effec-
year. tive SMART goals clearly state what you s Relevant/Realistic—Is the goal rele-
s 4O MANAGE OUR CHURCH ON A lSCALLY want to accomplish, when you want to vant to achieving the objective? Goals
sound operating basis. accomplish it, how you are going to do it, must maintain consistency and focus.
s %XPAND PROGRAMSSERVICES TO EXISTING and who is going to be responsible. Each
congregation. goal should be specific and measurable. s Time Specific—Is the goal time spe-
s 4O SERVE MORE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNI- With short-term goals, the organization cific? Goals must answer the question,
ty through new programs and services. converts the mission, vision, and long- “by when is it to be accomplished?”
s 4O IMPROVE INTERNAL PROCESS CONTINU- term objectives into performance targets.
ally to realize efficiencies. Realistic goals ought to serve as a tool for Write goals by asking these questions:
s 4O IMPROVE INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS stretching an organization to reach its full
s 4O DEVELOP THE LEADERSHIP ABILITIES AND potential. s 7HAT ARE THE n TO nYEAR GOALS WE ARE
potential of our staff. trying to achieve to support our strate-
It is important for the church to view gic objective?
Strategy goals as motivational targets, and excit- s 7HAT ARE YOUR SPECIlC MEASURABLE AND
Strategy establishes a way to match your ing, measurable milestones for the future. realistic targets of accomplishment?
church’s strengths with opportunities so Think about achieving them in a 12–18
that your church comes to mind when month timeframe. Write goals to build Action Items
people have a need. A strategy is like an your unique advantage. Additionally, use Action items are plans that set spe-
umbrella. It is a general statement(s) that your SWOT analysis to write goals. Match cific actions that lead to implementing
guides and covers a set of activities. You your strengths with opportunities, shore your goals. Action items are basically a
can develop one strategy for your church up your weaknesses and guard against “To-Do List” for each goal. It involves list-
or guiding statement for each year. threats. ing out the concrete steps that you need to
Strategy answers the question “how.” It accomplish in order to achieve your goals.
explains how you will travel to your final Goals can be difficult to set because they An action plan explains who is going to do
destination. should be faith-stretching without being what, by when, and in what order for the
presumptuous. church to reach its goals. The design and
Consider listing the top one to two strat- implementation of the action planning
egies or long-term activities your church Goals ought to serve as a tool for stretch- depend on the nature and needs of the
needs to pursue in order to achieve its ing a church to reach its full potential. organization.
vision by asking how will we achieve our This means setting them high enough to
vision and how can we best match our be challenging to energize the organiza- To ensure implementation of action
strengths in a way that provides value and tion and its strategy. Prayerfully seek God’s items, it is important to assign responsi-
is perceived by our constituents? guidance in setting faith goals. Let God bilities and deadlines. A great method to

30 NACBA Ledger Winter 2009


get buy-in from your stakeholders is to To develop a scorecard ask, “what are the CONCLUSION
assign each goal to a board member, staff, or key performance measures you can track A strategic plan is a living, dynamic docu-
volunteer. Ask him/her to write the action in order to monitor if you are achieving ment. It drives your church and must be
plan and be responsible for making sure your goals?” integrated into every fiber of your organi-
each task is accomplished. Another meth- zation, so all staff is helping to move the
od is to identify all the actions that need to Execution church in the same direction. All the best
occur in the next ninety days. You can Implementation is the most difficult missions and strategies in the world are a
continue this same process every ninety- part of the planning process: it is actu- waste of time if they are not implemented.
day increment until the goal is achieved. ally achieving the goals set out in the plan To be truly successful, the plan cannot
while remaining alert and flexible to new gather dust on the bookshelf. You know
To write action items ask, “What are we opportunities as they unfold. The overall what “shelf” we are talking about.
going to do in the next 90, 60, 30 days to aim is integrating the strategic planning
work towards this goal?” with daily, weekly, and monthly routines. Strategic planning is about keeping the
It is good to remember that a plan that is plan active so that it does not gather that
Scorecard well-implemented brings Godly success proverbial dust. Know what your end
To help monitor your strategic plan, one to the church. result looks like and where your milestones
of the best tools around is the Balanced should be. Plan your near-term actions
Scorecard developed by Kaplan and Nor- An administrator devoted to the success- and evaluate your progress each quarter.
ton from Harvard. The scorecard is to be ful implementation of the plan is key. The Are you where you thought you would be
used as both a measurement and man- plan needs to be supported with people, if you had been on target? Or, if you are off
agement tool to assist in fulfilling an orga- money, time, systems, and, above all, target, how far are you off? The course cor-
nization’s vision. With it, you can actively communication. Communicate the plan rection to put you back on track becomes
track progress towards your goals. to everyone in your organization. Hold your next action plan. When your church
a monthly or quarterly strategy meeting has a clear plan and acts according to the
For each goal put a measurement and to report on the progress toward achiev- plan, you are going to go from where you
target on a scorecard (in Excel). With the ing the goals. Take corrective actions as are to where you want to go, therefore,
scorecard, you can actively track your needed. Above all, remember that imple- ensuring your success!
progress on a monthly basis. To begin menting the plan requires continued
using the scorecard, select the “Top Five” daily prayer for direction accompanied by
key goals that you want to measure that obedient action in response to what God
will have the most impact in moving your reveals.
church forward.

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Winter 2009 NACBA Ledger 31

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