Many ministry leaders struggle with creating strategic plans. The problem isn’t in the planning, leaders struggle being strategic.
It’s hard to create a strategic plan on paper without developing the habits of strategic ministry over time.
Here are four habits of strategic ministry.
Habit 1 – Prophetic Listening. Prophetic listening honours a fundamental principle of effective planning: everything is created twice, the physical creation follows the mental creation. Ministry initiatives worth pursuing, begin in the mind of God and come to us through listening prayer and discernment.
Prophetic listening means going to the Lord with an open heart and a blank slate, totally open to His vision and direction for the ministry. Too often ministry leaders go to the Lord and say, “Lord, here are our plans, please bless what we are doing.”
Prophetic listening prays differently, “Lord, we do not ask You to bless what we are doing, but to show us what You are blessing.”
Jesus exemplified this habit, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
What was Jesus’ strategic plan? Catch what the Father is doing and do that.
Habit 2 – Begin with the Win in Mind. A friend recently asked me the difference between a team and a committee. Two things: 1) a team has a clear win in mind and, 2) everyone involved has a specific position, a unique part to play to get that win.
Committees rarely begin with a clear win in mind and the individuals involved hardly ever understand the unique contributions they are expected to make.
Being strategic in ministry means clarifying the win for every initiative (event, program, etc.). If you can’t define the win, don’t pursue the activity. Ministry activity, void of a clear win in mind, will have you drifting into a pattern of being extremely busy but accomplishing little.
Habit 3 – Think steps, not programs. We should thank Andy Stanley for this principle. It comes from his book, The Seven Practices of Effective Ministry. Nothing has been more helpful for me in developing the mindset of strategic ministry.
To borrow an explanation from Andy: Imagine a large meeting room with two doors on opposite sides. Let’s say you wanted to help a friend get from one door to the other. Imagine you took a stack of paper and threw it up in the air, allowing the individual sheets to scatter all around the room. Then you told your friend that he had to step on the pieces of paper to get from one door to the other. He might be able to do it, but his steps would take him all around the room. Some steps would require him to hop pretty far and put himself in danger of falling. Others might lead him away from the goal thus increasing the amount of time it takes to get to where he wants to go. He might easily lose track of where he is. Bottom line, it wouldn’t be a simple process.
But, if you took the stack of paper and carefully laid the sheets out so that the path led directly from one door to the other, and if the papers were laid close enough together to make it easy to step from one to the next …anybody could do it. AND THAT’S THE POINT.
The steps we invite people to take toward spiritual maturity as intentional disciples, need to be easy (you need to be able to make it from one sheet to the next), obvious (you need to be able to see which one to take next) and strategic (they need to lead right to the goal). Think steps not programs.
Every ministry event, program and initiative should begin by defining the step you are inviting others to take. Is that step easy, obvious and strategic? If so, run with it! Of course, without a clear discipleship road-map, you might have a hard time identifying the steps. More on that in a future blog.
Habit 4 – Delegate by Sweet Spot. St. Catherine said these famous words, “Christ has no hands on earth now but yours. You are his hands and feet and voice.” Just as Jesus healed and ministered to people in His natural body while on earth, so He continues to do today through His mystical body the Church. On this we must be clear: God. Works. Through. People.
The strategic habit of delegating by sweet spot, honours the principle above. A sweet spot is the overlapping of talent, passion and need. God has hard-wired your people with specific talents and charisms. Also, He created them with unique passions and desires. As you collaboratively discern your people’s charisms and passions, you can align them with the needs of your ministry.
Consider this – every problem and opportunity occupying your mind right now, God has a name for you. The people in your community, movement or parish are the very answers you are looking for to solve your deepest problems and leverage your greatest opportunities.
Once you discover a sweet spot, an overlapping of talent, passion and need – delegate! Loose them and let them go! Your people will become more engaged and they will bear abundant fruit.
The problem with strategic planning isn't planning, it's being strategic. Click To Tweet Lord, we do not ask You to bless what we are doing, but to show us what You are blessing. Click To Tweet Ministry worth pursuing begins in the mind of God & comes to us through listening prayer. Click To Tweet What was Jesus' strategic plan? See what the Father is doing and do that. Click To Tweet What is the difference between a team and a committee. Too much to write in 140 characters. Click To Tweet A team has a clear win in mind & everyone involved has a specific position or part to play. Click To Tweet
“without a clear discipleship road-map, you might have a hard time identifying the steps. More on that in a future blog.” I’m looking forward to that blog post! Blessings for the new year.