Wayne Hedlund

Category: STRATEGIC PLANNING

  • Strategic Planning for the Local Church

    Strategic-Planning-church

    “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

    Wow. This quote so aptly applies to what Christ has done for us on the cross! What a privilege to be serving on the side of victory! It (the quote) also serves as a reminder that sometimes the best way to fulfill a vision is to map out a strategy for getting there before we ever begin. That’s what I want to talk about in this post.

    Last year Elim Fellowship produced a professional recording of my one day workshop entitled, “Strategic Planning for the Local Church”. In this workshop I tackle the following topics:

    • How to build and maintain a cohesive strategic planning team.
    • How to clarify your ministry’s DNA (Mission, Vision, Values).
    • How to apply the ‘Strategic Process’ to any challenge your church faces.
    • How to roll out a strategic plan to your constituents.

    At the time of this teaching, my goal was to impart to my listeners everything I’ve learned about Strategic Planning. I have received, by far, more positive feedback from this material than any other teaching to date. One pastor told me he requires all new elders and key staff to review this workshop as part of their church leadership requirement. Another pastor mentioned to me the other day that his leadership team has already walked through the workshop twice since purchasing the DVD set – and they attended the workshop in person!

    All said, I’d like to invite you to consider purchasing a copy of this workshop for your church or ministry as well. I really do believe it can make a big difference in how you approach and think about ministry. Cost for the workshop is $99.00. It is available at my online store or you may purchase you’re copy by clicking ‘Buy now’ below. Blessings!

    Strategic Planning for the Local Church Workshop: $99.00
    Note: if you are receiving this post via email, click on this link to buy now.

  • Thursday Quote: Who – The A Method for Hiring

    This is a guest post by Pastor Doug Cowburn II. Pastor Doug serves as the Executive Pastor at Elim Gospel Church in Lima, NY. Recently, while sharing lunch together, Doug told me about this book and readily agreed to writing this Thursday Quote about it for your benefit. Enjoy.

     
     
     
    Recently, two different people I know recommended that I read, Who: The A Method to Hiring. I found that this book was not only a great resource for when you need to hire someone, but also a great way to look at writing your own job description. If you’re like me, you want to know when you are being successful at your job. The problem is that many who are in ministry are either working without a job description or the one they have is all activity based. Activity based job descriptions say things like:
    • Connects with volunteers
    • Teaches on a regular basis
    • Leads the deacon team

    Someone could follow an activity based job description for years and never actually move the needle on the church’s mission. I want to be an “A Player” who delivers his best and contributes toward the church’s vision and mission. In order to do this I need a job description, or as this book suggests, I need a scorecard that gives me some targets to hit.

    Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

    “We define an ‘A Player’ this way: a candidate who has at least a 90 percent chance of achieving a set of outcomes that only the top 10 percent of possible candidates could achieve.”

    “The scorecard is composed of three parts: the job’s mission, outcomes and competencies. Together, these three pieces describe ‘A’ performance in the role—what a person must accomplish and how. They provide a clear linkage between the people you hire and your strategy.”

    “While typical job descriptions break down because they focus on activities, or a list of things a person will be doing (calling on customers, selling), scorecards succeed because they focus on outcomes, or what a person must get done (grow revenue from $25 million to $50 million by the end of year three). Do you see the distinction?”

    “Scorecards: • Set expectations with new hires • Monitor employee progress over time • Objectify your annual review system • Allow you to rate your team annually as part of a talent review process.”

    As you can see, this book was written primarily for the business world, but it has huge implications for ministry related job descriptions as well.  What would your scorecard look like?

  • Pixar and Creative Thinking

     

    I love to hear stories of people who know how to engage in creative thinking. Creative thinking is a very important ingredient in a thriving, growing and culturally relevant organization. One of the important questions creative thinkers will eventually ask is, “Why?”. (Note: check out my eBook, ‘Thinking for a Change‘ to learn more about the critical thinking process.)

    This 2 minute clip by Pixar Studio’s vividly captures what the creative process can look like, and how it can lead to simple solutions and great ideas (even if the finding the solutions weren’t that simple).


    If you can’t see this video, try clicking this link.

  • Clarifying Core Values

     

    Patrick Lencioni once had a conversation with a business leader about his core values. The business leader boldly declared that “a sense of urgency” was one of their core values. When Patrick asked if his employees all met their deadlines, the executive responded with a profound, “No, their complacent as hell, which is why we need to make urgency one of our core values!”

    As Patrick describes so clearly in his article entitled “Make Your Values Mean Something” in the Harvard Business Review (a great and quick read), it can be very easy to define values that are, in fact, not really values at all.

    In today’s post I’d like to identify what core values are NOT.

    • Core Values are NOT the same as Mission.

      Your mission should be one simple statement defining WHY you exist as an organization. Your values will support your mission by providing the ground rules for effectively walking out that mission every day. 
    • Core Values are NOT the same as Vision.

      Your vision represents a desired future based on the mission of your church. Your values are different. They represent HOW you will carry out ministry between now and the fulfillment of that vision. For example, “be a multi-campus church” is a vision statement, not a core value. 
    • Core Values are NOT Core Beliefs.
      It can be easy to confuse the two. Simply put, your values COME FROM your beliefs. For example, I have a core value that all ministry should be Bible-Based because I have a belief that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Using the illustration in my post entitled “Why Core Values?”, I have a value that my preschool children will not watch certain evening programs because I have a belief that those programs will harm my child’s development.
    • Core Values are NOT the same as personal growth principles.
      There are many powerful principles about how we are to live out our faith in the Bible. For example, we will personally grow if we love others, be fiscally responsible, work hard and give glory to God while we do, worship, pray, fast, read the Bible, stay connected with like-minded believers, not be unequally yoked, etc. These are all important aspects of the Christian’s life. However, they should not be confused with your church core values. 
    • Core Values are NOT Strategies or Goals.
      Strategies and goals will, by necessity, change over time. Core Values will rarely, if ever, change. Don’t confuse a strategy for fulfilling a vision with your values. For example, ‘summer camps’ may represent a strategy for reaching young people in your church. However, I would not consider ‘summer camps’ a value. Perhaps in 5 years you will decide that mission trips will reach young people better than summer camps. That would be a new strategy. 
    As a general rule of thumb, think of your Core Values as the basic rules by which you will accomplish your mission as a church. These well defined rules should never be broken, as that would ultimately compromise a basic belief you have about how ministry should always take place.

    Your mission represents WHY you exist.

    Your vision represents WHAT you think the future should look like.

    Your strategy represents the PLANS you have set in motion to fulfill your vision.

    Your values represent HOW you will carry out those plans at all times.

  • Strategy Kickstart: Hire A Mystery Guest

    A Strategy Kickstart is a short 3-5 minute video clip which can be used to ‘kickstart’ a strategic discussion in your church or ministry. Simply show the video clip to your team and use the ideas and question posed in the video to stimulate a valuable and hopefully relevant discussion on how you can better fulfill your ministry mission.

    In today’s Strategy Kickstart I challenge your team to consider hiring a mystery guest to provide more realistic feedback on the Sunday morning experience from the perspective of a guest.

     

  • Why Core Values?

     

    You will never see my wife or I watching the nightly news, select sit-coms, or murder mystery’s on TV at night with one of my preschool children present in the room. It’s simply not something we have ever done. Becky and I have chosen this standard together. It wasn’t hard. It’s one of the family values we share. I’m glad for this value, and will always stand by it for my family. I won’t impose that value on other families, though I may share why we have this value in the hopes that others might adopt it too. This value is part of our family DNA and shapes who we are and what we do in our home.

    In the same way, churches have values. They may or may not be well defined, but they are there and they make a huge difference in how ministry happens.

    I’m helping three churches develop their ministry core values. In one of our discussions, the question came up, “Why do we need core values?”.  I’m convinced that if a church defines their core values, and lives by them, they will serve as both a protection and a guide to church leaders in fulfilling their mission.

    Here’s Why:

    • D.N.A.
      Everyone knows that there are no two people exactly alike. Even identical twins are overwhelmingly unique from one another. The same is true for every church in the world. The mixture of leadership, people, culture, values, experiences, etc. ensure that there will never be another church like it. Identifying values helps to clarify for church leaders as well as attendees and guests just WHO you are. For example, a church with a core value of “Family Friendly” will not only attract families, but clarify to all that this is part of who God made this church to be.
    • G.P.S.

      There are many paths that can get you to where you want to go, but not every path is the best or right path. While driving, you may prefer to stay away from toll roads or highways. Most GPS units will allow you to program that information in. As a result, the path (or strategic plan) created for you  will stick to those preferences. Additionally, when a roadblock forces you to detour, your GPS will recalculate keeping your programmed preferences. In the same way, core values ensure you don’t stray from ‘who you are’ while fulfilling ministry. For example, let’s say you’ve identified a value of ‘Accepting’ – meaning you will accept anyone in your church regardless of status, background, race, etc. If a group of mentally handicapped adults begin attending services and occasionally become disruptive, your value will ensure you find a way to accept them into your church without alienating or rejecting them.
    • Guardrails
      A business consultant once told me that core values are the guard rails that will protect you while you move from where you are to where you’re going. It’s true. Well defined and implemented values will help ensure we don’t fall off or meander off the path. For example, I recommend you adopt a core value of “Integrity”. This means you will build into your culture certain standards and practices that will ensure that your ministry operates with integrity. Perhaps that might include higher standards regarding the handling of money or who counsels who, where, and when, etc.
    • Behavior

      Values dictate behavior. I’ve heard it said that whenever a person strongly reacts to something it probably means their values have either been violated or validated. When a church selects and chooses to live by certain values, people have a blueprint for how they should act, react, and live out ministry in the church. For example, a value about reaching the ‘younger generation’ might impact the primary means by which the church chooses to communicate to it’s attendees.
    • Buy-In
      Well defined values help others decide how involved they want to be in the life of the church. People want to know what they are getting into, and they want to know they can sink their teeth in deep. Values will help them make that leap. For example, if one of your values includes “Family Friendly” and I have a strong conviction that solid families help lead the church for the next generation, then I will be inclined to give a lot of myself toward the cause.
    • Strategy
      Finally, your values will play a big role in strategic planning. You have no desire to create plans that don’t incorporate every one of your values, but sometimes that is what happens when values aren’t clarified. For example, a value of ‘team’ might communicate that you have no interest in people running a ministry by themselves. It’s critical that teams are in place everywhere, which will mobilize the church to ‘be’ the church. This value comes into play at the outset of a strategic discussion by asking the question, ‘How will we accomplish this as a team?’ or ‘Who will we recruit to be on this team?

  • Strategy Kickstart: Team Meetings

     

    A Strategy Kickstart is a short 3-5 minute video clip which can be used to ‘kickstart’ a strategic discussion in your church or ministry. Simply show the video clip to your team and use the ideas and question posed in the video to stimulate a valuable and hopefully relevant discussion on how you can better fulfill your ministry mission.

    In today’s Strategy Kickstart I challenge your team to consider separating Strategic Discussions from Tactical Discussions.

  • Strategy Kickstart: Mission Down The Hall

     

    A Strategy Kickstart is a short 3-5 minute video clip which can be used to ‘kickstart’ a strategic discussion in your church or ministry. Simply show the video clip to your team and use the ideas and question posed in the video to stimulate a valuable and hopefully relevant discussion on how you can better fulfill your ministry mission.

    In today’s Strategy Kickstart I challenge your team to consider just how effective you have been in connecting your mission to your ministry. This discussion is relevant to have at any stage in your ministry’s development.

    For more information about developing and rolling out your ministry mission, check out Mission, Mission, On The Wall and Developing Your Mission!

  • Thinking for a Change: a fresh look at critical thinking e-book

    I’m pretty sure our ‘default’ style of thinking errs somewhere between “not too simple that I look stupid” and “just enough to get me average results.”

    I’ve heard it said that progress is only one idea away. With some fresh ‘thinking’ tools and a renewed motivation to press through the status-quo I am sure that, in Christ, our lives and ministries can reach their fullest potential!

    That’s what my brand new e-book, ‘Thinking for a Change’ is about: Critical Thinking. I’m convinced that most of us can be critical thinkers, but first we need to learn how. I hope ‘Thinking for a Change’ will equip you and your team with tools to be successful wherever you are. Cost is $3.99.


    Here are a few suggestions on how you might utilize ‘Thinking for a Change: a fresh look at critical thinking’.

    • Discuss With Your Team
      Critical thinking and strategic thinking have a lot in common. What better way to ensure everyone is ‘thinking’ together than to talk about ‘thinking’ before you really start ‘thinking’.
    • Give To Your Key Leaders
      This book can be a great tool in the hands of your key leaders. Armed with a fresh perspective about how to approach problems, you may discover they spend more time working up solutions than in coming to you with their problems.
    • Give To Your Staff & Volunteers
      I didn’t market this book as a leadership book for a reason. It isn’t. It’s a book about solving everyday challenges. It’s use ranges from cleaning the carpets to dealing with the photocopier to facing scheduling, financial, relational challenges and more. 
    • Promote To Your Congregation
      Obviously, ‘thinking’ applies to everyone, everywhere. Although most of the examples in ‘Thinking for a Change’ are ministry oriented, the principles will apply in every aspect of life. You may want to consider letting your congregation know about the book and point them here for purchase.
    If you do choose to purchase this e-book, I invite you to also consider giving me your feedback. What did you like? What didn’t you like? How could I improve on the content? Was there anything missing? I’d love to hear from you. Thanks!
    Purchase your copy today! Cost is $3.99.
    Also, checkout my other products at the Transforming Leader store.

    Photo compliments of joecicak at istockphoto.

  • Ten Church Strategies: A Strategic Culture

     

    I’m convinced that healthy and growing churches result from BOTH prayer and strategic planning. I’m pretty sure you can’t have one without the other. I know that God expects us to both seek Him and make things happen. Jesus hit on this very idea in The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 when he described the pleased master as saying:

    “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things.” Matthew 25:21

    In this final installment of ‘The Ten Church Systems‘ I will talk about perhaps one of the most important (and least attended) aspects of a growing church and organization: Strategic Planning. I recommend you also read some of the ‘Getting Started Thoughts and Disclaimers’ I wrote prior to this series on systems. It was written in three parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

    Key Sub-Systems of the Strategic System
    Following are the key sub-systems of strategic development in the local church. Ironically, we’re discussing what your strategy is for ongoing strategic planning.

    • The Strategic Team & Strategic Meetings
      Strategic planning is not a solo sport. Although one individual can plan and implement plans, that’s not how a healthy church will function – nor is it very effective. This system will build the best possible team (or teams) of leaders and will include regular, consistent and well led strategic meetings throughout the year. 
    • Philosophy of Ministry Development (mission/vision/values)
      It’s very difficult for your church leaders and staff to get where you’re going when it hasn’t been defined. Howard Hendricks said, “If it’s a mist in the pulpit, it’s a fog in the pew.” This system includes the development of your church mission statement, core values, and long range vision statements. Once that is done, this system will also ensure that your philosophy of ministry is integrated into every area of church life. 
    • Strategic Evaluation & Feedback
      Feedback is the bread and butter of successful strategic planning. Without regular and unbiased input your church will create amazing strategic plans that lead in the wrong direction. It can be the difference between hitting the target in the bulls eye and simply hitting the target. This system will create ways to evaluate every aspect of church life. It will include evaluating how well the Philosophy of Ministry is being integrated throughout church events and activities. It will also include occasional or regular evaluation of each of The Ten Church Systems. Finally, this system will evaluate the effectiveness of all major sub-systems and tactical plans.
    • Strategic Metrics & Benchmarks
      Metrics take evaluation and feedback to a whole new level. They will play a big role in setting agenda items for future strategic meetings. Besides revealing possible areas of weakness in the church, they will also bring great encouragement when your team is doing things right – resulting in growth and an increase in positive life change in your congregation. This system will track important areas of growth over a period of months and years. Common metrics often include giving, attendance, and small group participation.
    • Strategic Coaching & Training
      It is rare for the average pastor to be knowledgeable in every aspect of church life and development. Most pastors have been trained in the Bible, public speaking, and other aspects of spiritual care and oversight. Strategic planning and organizational development usually are at the bottom of their repertoire of skill sets. This is why it is critical the pastor and church leaders gather around themselves others who excel in those areas. This system will ensure that strategic planning happens through regular input from ministry coaches and/or a strategic leader. This system will also include ongoing training in areas of strategic planning for the pastor and all church leaders. (tip: subscribe to this blog!)
    • Ongoing Strategic Planning
      If you’ve followed along at all, then it’s very likely you’ve become overwhelmed reading through all of the ‘Ten Systems’ and their various sub-systems. No church can focus on every area at once. This system will ensure the feedback, metrics, and strategic team are all utilized in the best possible way in order to focus on the most important areas of church health and growth each year. It also includes basic training in strategic thinking for all key staff and leaders. Ideally, strategic planning will take place at every level of leadership and for every area of ministry in the church.
    • Strategic Roll-out & Tactical Planning
      At some point, everybody needs to stop talking and start doing. Surprisingly, this can be very difficult to do. Strategic Planning can easily become a sinkhole that leaders and teams can never find their way out of. This system will finalize strategic development through the creation of tactical plans. This system will also include intentional strategic steps to ‘roll-out’ new plans to other church leaders and the congregation without creating mass discord or dissension.

    Note: Inspiration for the Ten Church Systems comes from Nelson Searcy and the Eight Systems of the Local Church he proposed in his free e-book entitled, ‘Healthy Systems, Healthy Church‘.