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3 Reasons Churches Don’t Strategically Plan
A friend of mine, Dr. Andrew Harewood, was once the pastor of one of the largest Seventh-day Adventists Churches in New York City–Ephesus in Harlem. Andrew attended Howard University School of Divinity studying under Dr. Cain Hope Felder. In the mid-90’s, Andrew introduced me Dr. Felder. He was very kind to me, he offered feedback on my book and invited me to sit alongside him at the Hampton Minister’s Conference bookstore as we sold our books. Not only that, sitting at the same table was the pastor of Canaan Baptist Church Dr. Wyatt T. Walker, and Civil Rights Activist Al Sharpton. That was a great day for me. I was hanging out with three giants of the black community– Cain Hope Felder, Wyatt T. Walker, and Al Sharpton. I was sitting next to the Reverend Al Sharpton! Regardless of how you feel about his approach you must admit that it’s pretty cool to have met Al Sharpton. Since that day I once attended a church service in my town at which he was preaching. Since that day I’ve seen him on television. Since that day, over 20 years ago, he has done some remarkable things. I was introduced to the Reverend Al Sharpton but I cannot say that I know him.
In the same way I was introduced to Al Sharpton over 20 years ago, I was also introduced to strategic planning over 20 years ago. Since that day I’ve read a lot about strategic planning. Since that day I’ve attended seminars about strategic planning. I’ve even attempted to lead my churches through, what I thought was, strategic planning. Over time I came to the realization that there is always more to learn about strategic planning. Which brings me to the first reason churches don’t do strategic planning.
- Pastors and other church leaders don’t do strategic planning because they don’t know strategic planning. Most people have met strategic planning and may have even enjoyed its presence for a day or two. Sure, I was introduced to Al Sharpton, but I can’t walk up to him and say, “hey Al, let’s do lunch today!” When you don’t know something we either avoid it or reduce it to something more manageable for us. For instance, most pastors and church leaders believe that by publishing a calendar and a budget they have a strategic plan. A strategic plan is so much more than that. Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, and ensure that stakeholders are working toward common goals. If we don’t know what it is we cannot understand its value.
- Pastors and church leaders don’t do strategic planning because it’s difficult. Strategic planning produces a written document that is more than a calendar and a budget. It should include, among other things, a vision and mission statement that helps to provide clarity, and assist in the decision-making process. I remember the first time I invited my church to create a mission statement. We spent some time debating words, and came up with a neatly formatted document. We were so proud that we had a mission statement, but that’s all we had–a statement. To move beyond that requires real work! We like the idea of strategic planning, but we don’t want to do the work–it’s hard, it’s tedious, and time consuming. Putting in the time, however, is what will give your church true meaning in ministry.
- Another reason we don’t like strategic planning is because it is a threat to the status quo. Strategic planning levels the playing field. With an authentic plan the decisions have meaning and the purposes go beyond the influencers rallying the votes for what they want. Strategic planning empowers to the entire body of believers and cuts through the bureaucracy and bad politics of the church. I had one church leader tell me that I was wasting people’s time with “this strategic planning stuff.” What he was really saying was that if I continued in this direction the little people would have a say in what happens in church. If your church is controlled by a small group of influencers, who make decisions based on their own agenda they will immediately see strategic planning a threat to their position of power and subtly sabotage the process.
After meeting with my new church, Cedars of Lebanon Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chesapeake, VA, I have a renewed passion for the strategic plan. I introduced strategic planning to them a few days ago and they were excited to meet her. Some have met her before, but they didn’t realize the power she could offer the church. They have expressed to me that they want to get to know her better. They want to move beyond the calendar, budget, and mission statement and find authentic meaning to the ministry we are called to do.
What has your experience been with strategic planning in church? How has it helped? Did this article give you new insight? Leave a comment below, I want to know if we can help each other take the church to new heights.
I Know I’ve Been Changed
I’m starting at a new church soon and the feeling is completely different than any other beginning. I’ve seen churches that give new meaning to the words I shall not be moved; refusing to consider any infusion of change, or newness. I’ve also seen at churches on the other end of the continuum—filling the calendar with exciting activities with very little impact for the kingdom of God. I’m excited for this opportunity mainly for one specific reason. It’s not the new building from which to launch exciting ministries. It’s not the youthful exuberance with which I have been embraced so far. It’s not even the fact that the church leadership identifies with my journey and is willing to partner with me as we move in God’s will. I’m thankful that the aforementioned attributes are true and reasons to be excited. I’m mostly excited, however, for this opportunity because I know I’ve been changed! I’ve been at this for over 23 years and while my ministry may be considered successful to some—I have yet to experience the impact I envisioned for the kingdom of God.
I have encountered enough barriers in ministry to write a series of books! The difference, however, today is that I have a new appreciation for barriers in ministry. I know I’ve been changed! God has transformed me for the sole purpose of having the anticipated impact in his work. Transformation doesn’t come without some adversity. Consider the story of a boy who found a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. After watching it for hours he decided to cut a hole in the cocoon and watch the butterfly crawl out. The only thing that butterfly ever did was crawl. Like the butterfly, without the emerging struggle, we fail to reach our full potential.
If your ministry has yet to take off the way you believed it would, if you thought by now you would have reached your full potential, if you thought by now you would have emerged from the cocoon to fly high above the trees. Take some time to thank God for the cocoon. Breaking from it is a process which God gives as a gift so we can experience the kind of change in our life required to glorify him. That’s why I am excited about my new ministry. I know I’ve been changed!
I will be installed as the pastor of the Cedars of Lebanon Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chesapeake, VA on January 16, 2016. Please follow me on twitter as I share the joys of leading in pastoral ministry @drgbanks.
How to Boost Your Leadership Confidence
Do you lack the confidence about the effectiveness of your leadership? Are you constantly looking back to see if anyone is following you? I’m sure you’ve heard the Afghan proverb, “If you think you’re leading but no one is following you, you are simply taking a walk.” People want to be led by people who are about something real! People want to know that what you stand for matters! They listen to what you say and measure it against what you do. So how does a leader communicate what you are all about? It’s not easy but I think Mike Figliuolo can get you started. His book, “One Piece of Paper,can go a long way for the leader who is finding their way through the maze of leadership. I have never read a leadership book that has raised my confidence like One Piece of Paper. It teaches a practical method for identifying a leadership philosophy and the importance of communicating it to your team. True leadership requires teaching others how to grow. Other “leadership” and “self-help” books offer valuable information for personal growth, but they lack a process that raises the thinking beyond the leader. Since reading One Piece of Paper I feel empowered because it offers a roadmap with which I can help my people understand my approach to leadership.
I have been in pastoral ministry for 22 years. Some may even consider my career a successful one. I remain, however, on the quest for developing leaders in a way that creates an excellent team in order to foster authentic spiritual growth. I have followed the steps outlined by Figliuolo, I have written my maxims, I have documented the parallel stories and I feel pretty good about it. If Figliuolo is right, and I believe he is, my people will respond in such a way that will create the team environment for which I am searching. I’m going into a new church with a method that clearly depicts what my team can expect from me and what I expect of them.
Figliuolo is confident that living our maxims “will help you make better decisions and choices.” He suggests that living our maxims “will keep you on track to reach your goals, and they will guide your behaviors along the way.” I love it! It’s exciting! With this approach I feel like I can build an unstoppable team!
14 Simple Strategies to Be More Positive | Jon Gordon’s Blog
Five Leadership Lessons from Canadian Geese
Here are five lessons from Canadian Geese about being proactive in groups. What they do is very practical and applies to leadership in many ways. Canadian geese fly south in the winter and back north in the spring but they cannot do it alone.
- As each goose flaps its wings it creates an‘uplift’ for the birds that follow. By flying in a ‘V’ formation, the whole flocks adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
- The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. This provides encouragement against greater odds and distances. They can fly 4-5 hours without stopping.
Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core values of others) is the quality of honking we seek. What does our honking sound from behind?
- When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation. It moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept our help and give help to others.
- When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns during the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each others’ skills, capabilities and unique arrangement of gifts, talents or resources.
- When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as when we are strong. And move forward as a community.
How will your organization change if your people behaved this way? Let me know what you think about this. Twitter @drgbanks.
Three Feet from Gold
Think and Grown Rich, Napolean Hill
One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another. An uncle of R. U. Darby was caught by the “gold fever” in the gold-rush days, and went west to DIG AND GROW RICH. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to work with pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold was definite.
After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the “strike.” They got together money for the needed machinery, had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.
The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.
Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again-all to no avail.
Finally, they decided to QUIT. They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Some “junk” men are dumb, but not this one! He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with “fault lines.” His calculations showed that the vein would be found JUST THREE FEET FROM WHERE THE DARBYS HAD STOPPED DRILLING! That is exactly where it was found!
Thank you for visiting my blog. Please follow me on Twitter @drgbanks for updates about inspirational, and innovative approaches to leadership.
Don’t Quit
Don’t Quit Poem
by anonymous
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit;
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
Three Characteristics From Winning Teams
I was disappointed for the Heat when they lost to the Chicago Bulls to end the win streak at 27 consecutive games. Winning streaks are exciting, but at some point they must end. It takes a great team to sustain this kind of run. The greatness of a team is found in the value the players recognize in their teammates. The Miami Heat has demonstrated that they know what to expect from each other. Members of great teams have learned to appreciate and even celebrate what the other brings to the table. What are the characteristics of great teams? There are several identifiable qualities that propel teams to success; today I’d like to consider three.
- Great Teams Have Great Role Players. It is not practical for everyone to be a superstar. Even the dream team of 1992 had role players. Sometimes players play different roles in a given game. But in order to have a great team there must be great supporting actors. The role player makes up for the limitations of the so called “super stars.” Team leaders and coaches depend on role players to make a winning team. Batman has Robin, Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen and LeBron James has Dwayne Wade (more on this relationship below). Often teams that have potential to be great fail because good players don’t want to be known as the sidekick.
- Great teams have great leaders who know how to win. There is no shortage of leaders in sports, business or any other arena in which teamwork is required. Among the leaders of the world there are those who know how to win and those who don’t. Vince Lombardi says, “winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing.” Winners are relentless, when everyone else thinks its over—winners keep pressing on. They know what to do to turn things around. During the streak opposing teams raised their game to be the ones to stop the Heat streak. On more than one occasion during the streak the Heat was playing from behind. Most notably, the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in which the Heat was down by 27, they pulled off the win in dramatic fashion. Winners know what it takes to build a winning culture. LeBron is the leader of the team, but he does not take all the credit for their winning ways—which brings me to my third and final point.
- LeBron may be the king, but Dwayne Wade is the king-maker. Both LeBron and Wade had great careers before teaming up on the Miami Heat. In Cleveland LeBron felt the pressure of carrying the team on his back, falling short in the NBA Finals. He had some help but it proved to be less than adequate. Dwayne Wade, on the other hand, experienced the benefit of a king maker. Dwayne Wade had Pat Riley and Shaquille O’Neil, both of whom are proven winners. Wade learned from the best. Riley knew how to put together a winning team and Shaq knew what it meant to make Wade the face and leader of the team. In other words Shaq, three time NBA Finals Champion and MVP, in order to win a championship faded into the background, became a king maker and won his fourth championship. Wade did for Lebron, what Shaq did for Wade. Initially LeBron didn’t understand it. While they had a great run in their first season together, they came up short in the NBA Finals. Wade dropped his ego, willing gave up the rights the Miami Heat being “his team”, and became better than your normal sidekick—a winner in his own right. LeBron is reaping the benefits of Wade’s wisdom and experience. Dwayne Wade is reaping the benefits of being the king maker.
The Heat may have come short of breaking the NBA winning streak record, but there is plenty of more winning on this great team.
Cast down your buckets where your are
Booker T. Washington, in his book Up From Slavery, tells this story. A ship lost at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly vessel. From the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal, “Water, water; we die of thirst!” The answer from the friendly vessel at once came back, “Cast down your bucket where you are.” A second time the signal, “Water, water; send us water!” ran up from the distressed vessel, and was answered, “Cast down your bucket where you are.” And a third and fourth signal for water was answered, “Cast down your bucket where you are.” The captain of the distressed vessel, at last heeding the injunction, cast down his bucket, and it came up full of fresh, sparkling from the mouth of the Amazon River. Often times along our journey we are in search of much needed resources to accomplish the task. We look for solutions from strangers, we ask for money to start a new business, we look for help from people who have their own work to struggle through. If we pay attention and look at our own gifts, our own abilities, our own experiences we may have been floating on the resources we need all along. Sometimes there is a solution to your problem right beneath your feet. Take the problem faced by the mission of Apollo 13. The astronauts were in danger of carbon dioxide poison. Check out the video to see how the scientist on the ground cast down their bucket where they were. You can solve your problem if you just look around and pay attention. The solution is much closer than you think.
drgbanks 