Strategic planning in the local church
Some people like to plan for the future; others just seem to deal with whatever might happen to them. I am a planner. I like to make lists. I like to know what my diary is likely to look like next week, and what major events are planned next month. I realise that not everyone is wired like I am, and the idea of strategic planning to some people seems as interesting as watching paint dry. Yet hear me out: leaders in the local church need to plan for the future.
The local church is not like a company. It would be foolish to measure the performance of a church by the number of new members, for example, when we know that so much is due to God’s work and unpredictable from our perspective. We always need to take into account the fact that whatever we might plan, God might have other plans for us:
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”- 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
(James 4:13-16 ESV)
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t plan for the future. Traditionally, churches have often added “Lord willing” after their planned events to remind us that nothing we plan is certain; God might have other ideas. We plan to meet together next Sunday, Lord willing, for example. This means that we think we will meet as brothers and sisters next Sunday, but perhaps there will be a riot, a building fire, or maybe Jesus will come back this week. We plan to meet, but God might have other plans.
Strategic planning is one way we can think carefully about what has been entrusted to us. Every person, and every church family, has been given different resources and combinations of gifts and opportunities. We want to work hard in God’s world, using these resources and gifts well, with the aim of bringing God glory. This is like we see in the parable of the talents; one day we will be asked to give an account of what we have done with what we have been given. If we are not thoughtful about the best way to use what we have, we might miss opportunities we should have taken.
This kind of planning also helps the church leadership to think proactively rather than simply responsively. We are all tempted by the urgent tasks; we race to help that big pastoral need, for example. Yet there are many things that are important but not urgent. Church leaders need to shepherd those under their care; that will include thinking about how best to care for them in terms of providing teaching, discipleship, and ways for them to use their gifts.
As churches grow, the need for careful strategic planning becomes more important. Many things just happen in a small church; you notice when people are missing, you know each other well enough to understand the needs, and you can welcome any newcomers well. If God blesses a church with growth, it will become impossible for one person to know everyone well, and more than possible for new people to be missed or pastoral needs to be neglected. Structures are needed to do this well, and structures need planning.
How might strategic planning work in your context? It could be as simple as a group of leaders meeting together for that purpose once a year. Time needs to be allocated to think carefully and honestly about what is going well, what could be better, and what threats and opportunities might exist that need to be considered. We should ask whether the way we are currently doing things is the best way to do it, or whether there are different structures that might reach our community more effectively.
The elders in my church are about to head off to our annual planning weekend. We go off-site for a night to talk and pray and spend time together. These can be great bonding times for the eldership as well as the forum where big decisions are made. We need to consider how best to care for the growing number of people God has given us and how best to develop the next generation to know and love Jesus. We will be thinking about new ministry opportunities and how these might be resourced and funded. And we will spend time in thanks and reflection, seeing what God has already done and is doing among us.
Planning matters. We want to use what we have been given well for God’s glory.