Advanced Strategic Planning , livre ebook

Also by Aubrey Malphurs

Being Leaders
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Building Leaders (coauthor)
Church Next (coauthor)
A Contemporary Handbook for Weddings, Funerals, and Other Occasions (coauthor)
Developing a Dynamic Mission for Your Ministry
Developing a Vision for Ministry in the 21st Century
Doing Church
The Dynamics of Pastoral Leadership
Leading Leaders
Maximizing Your Effectiveness
Ministry Nuts and Bolts
Money Matters in Church (coauthor)
A New Kind of Church
The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting
Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century
Pouring New Wine into Old Wineskins
Strategic Disciple Making
Strategy 2000
Values-Driven Leadership
Vision America

© 1999, 2005, 2013 by Aubrey Malphurs
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4030-9
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Contents
Cover 1
Other Books by Aubrey Malphurs 2
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Introduction 7
Part 1: Prepare to Sail! The Preparation for Strategic Planning 21
1. Preparing the Navigator: A Prelaunch Checklist 23
2. Preparing the Crew: Readiness for the Process 54
3. Preparing the Boat: Developing the Strategy 91
Part 2: Set the Course! The Process of Strategic Planning 103
4. Developing a Biblical Mission: What We Are Supposed to Be Doing 105
5. Developing a Compelling Vision: The Kind of Church We Envision 128
6. Discovering Core Values: Why We Do What We Do 145
7. Introducing the Ministry Strategy: How We Accomplish the Mission and Vision 167
8. Reaching the Church’s Community: Strategy Activity 1 175
9. Making Mature Disciples: Strategy Activity 2 195
10. Building a Ministry Team: Strategy Activity 3 209
11. Assessing the Ministry Setting: Strategy Activity 4 236
12. Raising and Managing Finances: Strategy Activity 5 255
Part 3: Pursue the Course! The Practice of Strategic Planning 283
13. Launching the Boat: Implementing the Strategy 285
14. Evaluating the Course: How We Are Doing 299
Appendixes 312
A. Readiness for Change Inventory 313
B. Leader-Manager Audit 316
C. Covenant of Commitment 318
D. Strategic Development Worksheet 319
E. Implementation Barriers Audit 326
F. Vision Statements 328
G. Vision Style Audit 333
H. Values Statements 334
I. Core Values Audits 343
J. Community Survey 345
K. Character Assessments 347
L. Ministry Description 351
M. Setting: Creating a Welcoming Environment 352
N. Sample Evaluations 354
Notes 361
Index 365
Back Ads 377
Back Cover 380
Introduction
I spotted the creature sitting off in the distance almost by itself. With long arms that looked like a tangle of dark blue steel tentacles, it reminded me of a large octopus that had crawled out of the ocean nearby. It was nothing of the sort. It was one of several rides operated by a small, traveling carnival that happened to pass through our town close to where my family and I lived. I was alone with my daughter, Jennifer, who at the time was around the impressionable age of four or five. I decided to live a little and have a good time that would make a lasting impression on my little girl. She would discover that Dad wasn’t afraid to try something new.
We boarded the monster, and soon it was spinning around at breakneck speed while the tentacles frantically lashed up and down. It was frightening. I began to worry that one of the tentacles—the one that held us—could possibly tear loose with all the contortions it was going through. We would not survive if it did. I silently prayed and made a vow to God as I held Jennifer tightly against my chest. It went something like this: God, if you get us off this ride alive and in one piece, I promise never to get on another ride for the rest of my life! God answered my prayer, the octopus let go, and I have kept that vow.
More than at any other time in history, North America, along with much of the world, is exploding with change—fast, frightening change. I refer to it as megachange. It has affected every institution—business, government, the schools, and the church—and it is occurring at a number of levels: national, corporate, and individual. The result is a revolution taking place all around us that is likely to be as profound as any in the past. Some wrongly advise us just to be patient, that in time it will all pass. The reality is, however, that there is no end in sight. We have climbed on board the octopus only to discover that it will not let go.
What is the explanation for this megachange? What is happening? Peter Drucker sums it up best:
Every few hundred years throughout Western history, a sharp transformation has occurred. In a matter of decades, society altogether rearranges itself—its world view, its basic values, its social and political structures, its arts, its key institutions. Fifty years later a new world exists. And the people born into that world cannot even imagine the world in which grandparents lived and into which their own parents were born. [1]
Drucker’s point is that we are living at one of those rare points in time when an old worldview (modernism) and many of its trappings are dying and another (postmodernism) has been born. The consequence is a massive shift in our culture, science, society, and institutions. This change is enormously greater than the world has ever experienced, and we are caught in the middle of it. We are living at a frightening point of absolute, chaotic discontinuity, watching the old die off and the new rush in to fill the vacuum.
Where is the church in all this? How is it doing?
The Problem
The answer is, not well. In an earlier book, I noted that in 1988 between 80 and 85 percent of churches in North America had either plateaued or were in decline (dying). [2] Now in the twenty-first century, that figure has not changed appreciably despite a valiant surge in church planting. The number of unchurched people across America continues to be high, possibly as high as 70 to 80 percent. Penny Marler comments that if the Gallup surveys over the past thirty years that estimate the unchurched to be only 57 percent of the population were accurate, then people would be flocking to our churches. But this is not happening. [3]
Based on my research and consulting ministry with churches, I am convinced that the typical church does not understand the full implications of megachange. Even when a church has some understanding of the implications, it doesn’t know how to respond in effective ministry to those becoming immersed in the postmodern paradigm. I believe that the majority of seminaries that prepare people for ministry sit in the same boat with the churches. They are still preparing future pastors for ministry to a modern—not a postmodern—world. Most training equips pastors for one hour on Sunday morning but ignores the other forty-plus hours of the week that demand such things as leadership gifts and abilities, people skills, and strategic thinking and doing. My research, pastoral experience, and church consulting indicate that pastoring a church is a leadership-intensive enterprise. It is imperative that a pastor be able not only to preach to a congregation but also to lead and relate well to that congregation. [4]
The Explanation
The information above indicates that the North American church is not on a plateau but in decline. It is facing a major growth challenge. It is over the life-cycle hump and moving downward. Before venturing to offer a solution to the problem, I want to look at an explanation for the problem. I believe an understanding of the reason the problem exists is a major step toward solving it. As someone once said, a problem well defined is a problem half solved.

Experts have put forth numerous explanations for why the North American church is struggling. Many lay blame. Based on the information above, you could blame the church for not doing a better job of evangelism and edification. If 65 percent of the people in the churches are either plateaued or declining in their spiritual growth, it is no wonder that so many churches are struggling.
You might also blame the seminaries and colleges that train the church’s leaders. A scan of the typical seminary curriculum would reveal that far too many are not aware of what is taking place in North American culture and its impact on the typical church. Though many seminaries and Christian colleges have begun to use the new technology, they are typically business as usual when it comes to the curriculum.
My view is that the problem is not what evangelical seminaries teach but what they do not teach. Many evangelical seminaries teach the Bible and theology, and it is imperative that they do so. However, they often do not provide strong training in leadership, people skills, and strategic thinking skills, and this is poor preparation for ministry in today’s shrinking world, which is undergoing