INTRODUCING THE MINISTRY STRATEGYThe final step in the strategic planning

process

Malphurs, Advanced Strategic Planning, Chapter 7

Navigators start with their destination port in mind and then determine how to get there - that is simple strategic navigation. This is done through mission (knowing where you are going) and vision (seeing where you are going). Now the question is how will we get there? How will we have to act?So in preparing for the strategy process you have to conduct a careful ministry analysis. This reveals inadequacies and motivates asking what could be.

You have to ask: how will you get where you want to be?In this you devise a strategy backwards from the future not forward from our past.This chapter teaches leaders how to develop a strategy to realise the missions they have articulated and the dreams they see.Moses led the Israelites strategically through the wilderness. Nehemiah had a strategy in chapters 3-6. Jesus strategically trained disciples and gave them a mission.

How will we get where we want to be?How will we realise our ministry dream?How will God use this ministry to accomplish his ends?How will we successfully sail to our port of destination?We need a biblical strategic structure to guide the operational and strategic decisions of daily life and direction in the church.

Malphurs suggests that there are 5 stages (strategy activities) to this - each of these take a chapter of the book (we shall not have time to cover them in class).1. Discovering the ministry community2. Making mature disciples3. Building a ministry dream team4. Determining the best ministry setting5. Raising the necessary finances

The overall process has been:Values discoveryMission developmentVision developmentStrategy development ( the area we are now considering)

THE IMPORTANCE OF A STRATEGY

As ever you have to be convinced you need this - otherwise effort and results will be half hearted at best!

STRATEGY ACCOMPLISHES THE MISSION AND VISION

A church strategy is reflected in what it does - ask if your strategy is a good one to accomplish your mission and vision? Malphurs suggests you can see a bad strategy when people are going through the motions but accomplishing nothing much apart from maintenance.

STRATEGY ACCOMPLISHES THE MISSION AND VISION

Good strategy moves the congregation from where they are spiritually to where God wants them to be. So it delivers in ensuring the church accomplishes what god has said to it.

STRATEGY FACILITATES UNDERSTANDING

In many older, established churches no one asks questions about why are we doing this? Often people just assume this is the way we have always done it.Ministry strategy ties all areas together and gives them meaning - programmes are built around strategies. Within this each programme builds to the whole, not standing on its own.

STRATEGY PROVIDES A SENSE OF SPIRITUAL MOMENTUM

Malphurs cites a survey of over 4000 Christians which found more than 65% said they were static or sliding back in their walk as a disciple. People who understood and were involved in their church’s strategy showed the opposite trend.Rick Warren’s church use the baseball diamond shown as their pattern for strategic growth - there is no “stationary” time.

STRATEGY PROVIDES A SENSE OF SPIRITUAL MOMENTUM

Malphurs cites a survey of over 4000 Christians which found more than 65% said they were static or sliding back in their walk as a disciple. People who understood and were involved in their church’s strategy showed the opposite trend.Rick Warren’s church use the baseball diamond shown as their pattern for strategic growth - there is no “stationary” time.

STRATEGY INVESTS GOD’S RESOURCES PROPERLY

People have talent’s time and treasure that God has given them. “To invest our talent’s time and treasure in a ministry that has no disciple making strategy and therefore is going nowhere is a poor use of God’s resources...investing one’s blessings in such a church may serve to hinder God’s plan by keeping their doors open”Does your church need to close?

STRATEGY DISPLAYS WHAT GOD IS BLESSING

Evangelism, fellowship, worship, teaching etc. Are timeless activities that the church has to engage in - how these are performed changes over time and therefore they will not be done in the same way in 2012 as in 1812. Times change, culture changes and the church has to adapt its form at times to these even if the function remains the same. What forms is God blessing in your church?

THE DEFINITION OF A STRATEGY

A strategy is the process that determines how your ministry will accomplish its mission.A MissionEvery strategy needs a mission. No good navigator sets off not knowing where he is going. Unfortunately many churches do not have a strong sense of direction (mission) though they do have a strategy of sorts. They can answer function questions but not mission ones.

Malphurs has said the mission of the church is the Gt. Comm. A church has to regularly ask3 questions of itself:1. What are we supposed to be doing?2. Are we doing it?3. If not, why not?Malphus suggest many churches have become niche churches - specialising in one area of the GC but ignoring the whole of it.

A Process - a strategy moves people from pre-birth through birth to maturity or christlikeness (in spiritual terms) - this has to be done for the whole church using programmes which include all not only some.The How - a good strategy asks the how questions (vision and mission ask about what) - how will we do what we are supposed to be doing? E.g. How will we make disciples, how will we reach the lost...

The kinds of strategies - your personal strategy enables you to accomplish God’s plan for your life. The church’s corporate strategy does not remove a personal responsibility to mature. Additionally each department, youth etc. will need to have their own strategy which fits into the umbrella of the church’s strategy.

THE STRATEGY FOR YOUR MINISTRY

The preparation stages looked at previously will have a powerful impact in the way your strategy is developed.Discovering the core values - drives the strategyDeveloping a mission - directs the strategyCreating a vision - energises the strategy

THE STRATEGY FOR YOUR MINISTRY

Values mission and vision are pretty much timeless - and the core elements of strategy will not change (community, disciple making, team building, ministry setting, finances).

Community for ministry will always exist - but it will change as culture changes - so your structure, practices, systems, policies etc. will change in line with this but still being firmly grounded in values, mission etc. If a ministry freezes and stops making changes then it starts to die.Malphurs’ general church strategy has 5 components as we saw earlier, and for each there are key strategic questions to be answered:

1. Discovering the ministry community2. Making mature disciples3. Building a ministry dream team4. Determining the best ministry setting5. Raising the necessary financesEach of these asks key strategic questions:

1. Discovering the ministry community2. Making mature disciples3. Building a ministry dream team4. Determining the best ministry setting5. Raising the necessary financesEach of these asks key strategic questions:

1. Whom are we trying to reach?2. What are we attempting to do for them?3. Who will do this for them?4. Where will this take place?5. How much does it cost?