In the last several Equipper articles we considered the importance in life and ministry to establish a clear mission and vision. The goal is not to simply have an engaging statement but to build a strategic plan based on the mission and vision. This is often where mission and vision statements fail.
Once you have defined your mission based on the authority of Scripture and established a vision based on the mission, then you need to move to strategy. Moving from vision to strategy can be the challenging part of this process.
Transforming vision into strategy first requires a look at where you are. Understanding our Strengths, Weaknesses, Obstacles, and Opportunities helps us to identify potential Targets for building a strategy. BBM offers a workshop we call S.W.O.O.T. that helps to identify each of these areas. It is similar to the common SWAT business model.
After you have developed your potential targets, the next step is to connect the targets to the mission and vision. If a target does not fit the mission it may need to be reconsidered or even deleted. Seeking to accomplish targets not related to the mission generally results in limiting resources that should be directed toward the mission.
Questions to ask to establish targets:
- Does the target reflect the Biblical Mission?
- Does the target help to accomplish the Vision?
- Does the target consider the strengths of the church?
- Does the target address weaknesses and obstacles?
- What opportunities do the targets take advantage of?
Once targets are established and identified we are ready to begin strategic planning. In the next issue of the Equipper we will look at building strategies based on Mission and Vision.