A strategic plan can be a difficult thing to do. You have to balance the church’s goals in an environment that remains changing and ever changing. The key is to start with what you want and then define how you will get there. A good start is to look at the vision you have in your mind, write it down and finally develop a plan from this vision based on your needs as a church and on what is realistic. Use strategic planning as a vehicle for growth which will enable you to change and adjust as necessary along the way.
The Church Strategic Plan (CSP) is the brainchild of a team of clergy, staff and volunteers. Our team was born out of frustrations with the current state of things and a desire for change. The document of this strategic plan is designed to ensure that everyone knows what we hope to accomplish together. It provides direction for how we’re going to work together as a church family in order to accomplish our goals.
How do you write a strategic plan for a church?
Use SMART Goals
- Specific: Your goal should be clear and well-defined. …
- Measurable: Include precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you can measure your degree of success.
- Achievable: Make sure it’s possible to achieve the goals you set. …
- Relevant: Your goals must align with your church’s mission and vision.
4 Steps to Church Strategic Planning
- Create a Vision, Mission and Values Statement
It is difficult to know where to focus efforts and resources without being able to articulate what it is you are trying to do. Imagine taking a vacation without first deciding where you are going or how you will get there. The first, and arguably most important, step of the strategic planning process is to create a church vision, mission and values statement. This process allows board members and church leaders to clarify why the church exists (mission) and what the church is trying to achieve (vision). The mission and vision is what determines strategy, planning and budgeting church
resources. - Do (SWOT) Analysis
A SWOT analysis is a great exercise to go through because it identifies the key areas of the church that may need targeted resources as well as opportunities or opposing environmental factors that could affect church strategy. For example, if a children’s program is a strength of the church, there may need to be continued or increased resources committed to it to ensure continued development and growth. On the other hand, if the church is located in a high crime area, there might be an opportunity to develop a youth outreach program to support that unique demographic.
The SWOT analysis process can flush out many great ideas to help target
development, growth and improvements.
To begin the SWOT process, think about the following:
Strengths: Characteristics of the church that may give it an advantage over
others;
Weaknesses: Characteristics of the church that may be a disadvantage as
related to others;
Opportunities: Conditions outside the church that could potentially increase
attendance or revenues;
Threats: Conditions outside the church that could create problems for the
church.
For example:
Strength: The church is located on a busy street and has high visibility in the
community.
Weakness: A small percentage of the church population is young families.
Opportunities: The church is located in an area with a high population of
Hispanic families.
Threats: The church is located in a small town with an aging population. - Perform Gap Analysis
A gap analysis answers the question, “where are we compared to where we want to be”? The process looks at the vision – where do we want to go – and compares it to where we are currently. The analysis can be in relation to ministry program development, discipleship, financial viability or customer experience. All areas will be identified and targeted for strategy through the gap analysis process. An example of a church’s current state:
The church is renting a temporary facility until it can build a permanent
building;
The church is lacking volunteer leadership;
The church children’s program is lacking weekly training curriculum;
The church lacks a process for discipleship. - Write Organizational Goals
Once a SWOT and gap analysis is done, it is time to start writing goals. Goals are only as effective as the formalized process of achieving them. Many organizations use the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goal process to ensure their goals are achievable. When writing a goal, filter it through the following questions:
Specific: Is the goal specific enough for clarity?
Measurable: Is there a way to measure the success of the goal?
Attainable: Is the goal truly attainable?
Realistic: Is the goal realistically written?
Timely: Is there a timeline associated to the goal to ensure a completion date?
Church Goal example:
Sample Church will develop a volunteer leadership training program and implement
by 3rd quarter 20xx.
Now if we look at this example, we need to ask the questions:
Is it specific – yes: keywords, will identify, develop and implement
Is it measurable – yes: keywords, develop by 3rd quarter 20xx
Is it attainable – yes: with ample resources
Is it realistic – yes: within the allotted time-frame
is it measurable – yes: keywords, by 3rd quarter 20xx
Now let’s take this a step further and create a goal document. Unless a goal is assigned to someone and is accomplished, it is merely words on a paper. When someone is responsible for completing a goal and is managed by a structured performance management process, goals have a much better chance of being
completed. This is obviously an oversimplified example of a church goal but it provides a framework for identifying tactical steps and assigning accountability.
The church budgeting process is also incorporated into strategic planning as each goal needs to have identified resources (people, time, money) devoted to it to be successful. The strategic planning process should deliver a document that details organizational goals for the short term (3-6 months) and long-term (1-3 years). This is a living document and should be updated as conditions and priorities change. The most important part is getting it written down and assigning responsibility – whether it be an employee or volunteer – assign the task. The beauty of having a written plan, is that once all of the time and effort is invested in the plan, it is just a matter of
overseeing the plan to completion. This is done through a structured performance management process and should be monitored and reviewed at least annually. Once a strategic plan is written with organizational goals, it is time to develop departmental and employee goals.
Church Strategic Plan Examples
A strategic plan can be a difficult thing to do. You have to balance the church’s goals in an environment that remains changing and ever changing. The key is to start with what you want and then define how you will get there. A good start is to look at the vision you have in your mind, write it down and finally develop a plan from this vision based on your needs as a church and on what is realistic. Use strategic planning as a vehicle for growth, which will enable you to change and adjust as necessary along the way.
The Church Strategic Plan (CSP) is the brainchild of a team of clergy, staff and volunteers. Our team was born out of frustration with the current state of things and a desire for change. The document of this strategic plan is designed to ensure that everyone knows what we hope to accomplish together. It provides direction for how we’re going to work together as a church family in order to accomplish our goals.
A good church plan takes time, it takes work and it takes commitment. A well crafted strategic plan can help guide your efforts towards reaching your desired goal.
Today we’re going to have a chat about the business of your church. This is an article about how to use our business model to grow your church. There are lots of strategies you can use when creating a strategic plan for your ministry.
If you are an executive of a church, then you must know that the growth and success of your church depend on the caliber of leadership that needs to be in place. As such, it is necessary for churches to strive for steady growth but also ensure that they have adequate financial resources to meet their ever-growing needs. This means that in order for your church to make more money and stand out from its competitors, it requires strategic planning so that they can stay ahead of the curve as far as congregational resources goes.
The Church Strategic Planning process is meant to help you and your church, so that you can accomplish your goals and reach the world for Christ in your community.
church strategic plan doc, Youth ministry strategic plan pdf, evangelism strategic plan and church strategic plan .A church strategic plan (XLS, Word) has been created by experts to give effective instructions for your organization. This professional strategic planning template can help you with your plans for the future, visions and objectives. The templates of this site are free and can be downloaded easily.
The Church Strategic Plan (CSP) provides the framework and tools that help churches develop a plan to see their vision. The CSP builds upon the church vision by providing a clear, concise and realistic description of what the church is about and who it is as a whole.
A church strategic plan is a strategic document that details how your church hopes to achieve its mission, vision and goals.
A strategic plan for your church’s growth is fairly simple. It consists of four parts or steps: planning, implementing, assessing, closing and keeping the plan up-to-date. To be effective and efficient, we need to make sure that each step is done in a way that allows it to work best for ourselves and our church. I have developed a church strategic plan template that can help you organize your thoughts and ideas regarding how you should improve and where you should focus your time, energy and resources for stronger growth, all in one place.
Is your church’s strategic plan dead? Many churches have lost their focus and purpose in the past few years. The church’s mission and vision statement were once clear, but now it seems that the mission is lost in a sea of activities and programs. I can help you get back to your mission and vision with my Strategic Planning resources.
EvangWest is a strategic plan for your church and ministry. This 12 week curriculum was created to provide direction, focus and guidance for your church.