STRATEGIC PLANNING MADE SIMPLE
Michael R. Baer
April 1, 1989
"For the first time, I think I really understand what it means to be an elder." Those were the words of the newest member of our board, at the end of our first "Annual Strategic-Planning Retreat." Some of the other board members nodded in agreement, and I felt a certain sense of triumph as a pastor.
For several weeks, I had been listening to lectures on strategic planning by leaders such as Boone Powell (CEO of Baylor Hospital), Howard Hendricks (director of the Center for Christian Leadership in Dallas), and Don Geiger (then pastor of Reinhardt Bible Church, also in Dallas). They shared the concept of working with a board to develop a vision (and the strategies to implement it) in the local church, and I began to think about the small church I serve.
On one hand, I was excited: if we could develop a team vision, rather than one I'd cooked up, there would be more commitment to it. And the process could catapult our board into a true position of leadership.
On the other hand, I wondered if our board would go for it. I wondered if our congregation would accept such a practice and follow whatever direction the board might set. And, to be honest, I wondered if I could pull off facilitating such a process.
But I decided to try.
Selling the board
At the next board meeting, trying to put things in the best light, I explained that our church needed direction, a sense of mission, a vision tailored to our congregation and our community. I also explained that I didn't want to come up with such a vision myself; I wanted it to be our vision.
The board was surprisingly positive about that, so I decided to play all my cards. I told them I had learned a new method of developing a team vision called strategic planning, and I suggested we set a ...
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