Strategic Planning for Christian Organizations

Book excerpt: Leaders know they should plan for the future but are often uncertain of how to do it. Strategic planning can seem too "corporate." Is it right to use a technique from the business world in ministry?God is a master planner whose plans extend from one end of time to the other. We are created in his image to be like him including in our capacity to discern his will and to formulate plans to follow him. Dr. Saffold draws on the Bible to show that planning strategically is a thoroughly biblical discipline that when rooted in faith, prayer and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit can help a ministry realize God's direction and future.By reading this book you will learn how to:*Orient your planning team to think about the future from God's perspective and to work through the process from a perspective of faith and prayer.*Think flexibly and strategically about leadership with a clear plan for the future but also sensitivity to the Spirit's leading at every step. Clarify an inspiring mission for your organization and use it to shape every aspect of your organization. *Discern a compelling vision for the future that can motivate action for progress toward the goal. *Assess your organization's current internal and external environment as the basis for determining next steps. *Develop high level initiatives and strategies to focus your efforts and resources on what really matters. *Manage results, evaluating progress against goals and adjusting plans and strategies as the future unfolds.The book is filled with examples of how planning can be done. Exercises and forms are included that will help you move from a desire to plan to effective leadership of your planning team.Ultimately, strategic planning is about putting into effective practice a biblical philosophy of leadership and action, the true end goal of this book.The book includes a complete sample strategic plan that illustrates how the process fits together."To read Guy Saffold's book is to read his mind. Strategic thinking is his trademark: strategic planning a natural outcome. Born out of the dynamics that shaped Trinity Western University, Strategic Planning for Christian Organizations illustrates clearly how the power of vision can be turned into effective ministry. The illustrations are factually accurate; the conclusions convincing. But basic to the whole thesis is the underlying assumption that intervention by a sovereign God provides both the anticipation and sense of reward for planners dependent on him and sensitive to his leading." -- R. Neil Snider, President, Trinity Western University