Notes based on chapter 1 of Aubrey Malphurs' Advanced Strategic Planning - as used at LTCi, Siliguri

1. 224 - Strategic Leadership
Learning Outcomes
The student who successfully
completes this course will be able to:
1.! Explain how a vision is born.
2.! Explain the role of faith in vision
casting.
3.! Explain how to go public with
one’s vision.
4.! Explain the power of vision.

2. 5.! Explain the price of vision.
6.! Explain the need for
perseverance.
7.! Explain the need or courage.
8.! Describe the preparation for
strategic planning.
9.! Describe the process of
strategic planning.

3. Section 11 - Preparing to
Think and Act
1. A Vision Is Born
2. Praying and Planning
Create summary of one of these chapters
Study chapter 1 in ASP
Study the introduction and chapters 1-2 in
Visioneering.
Subscribe to the free online Christian Vision Project
Newsletter http://www.christianitytoday.com/lyris/su
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4. ADVANCED
STRATEGIC
PLANNING
By Aubrey Malphurs

5. ADVANCED
STRATEGIC
PLANNING
By Aubrey Malphurs

6. PART 1
PREPARE TO SAIL!
The preparation
for strategic
planning

7. Understanding how
you are doing and
preparing for what
you are about to go
through

8. CHAPTER 1
PREPARING
THE BOAT
A PRE-LAUNCH
CHECKLIST

9. When you get onto an airplane
there are all sorts of prelaunch
checks conducted - it is the same
for a boat before it is launched - all
the equipment must be in good
working order, which in turn
ensures the journey is smoother
and quicker - the same principle
applies to strategic planning. So
this chapter consists of 11 pre-
launch checks for a leader - by
using these it will help you prepare
for strategic planning.

10. Malphurs suggests that if a leader
does not establish why a team is
doing strategic planning, then
some in a team will fail to see the
need for it, which will lead to
reduced effort and ineffectiveness.
So in order for success to be
attained the 11 points need to be
examined and understood.

11. 1. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE
OF STRATEGIC PLANNING
1. SP makes a difference
Churches which are more
effective use SP - the use of a
plan which involves evaluation
and long term planning has
been shown to work in 85% of
churches that moved from
plateauing to growth.

12. 1. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE
OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

13. 1. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE
OF STRATEGIC PLANNING
Malphurs suggests most
churches which are making a
difference have a strategic
thinker with either a plan
written down or well formed in
their head.

14. 2. SP addresses 3
organisational questions
- identity, who are we, what is
the church’s DNA?
- where are we going? (mission
and vision)
- Ministry strategy, how will we
get there?

15. 3. SP addresses 3 affects the
long-term life of the church
The circumstances in which
ministry is performed are
constantly changing - we have
to adapt and change, SP is the
vehicle for this.
SP helps us to navigate (using a
naval analogy) difficult waters,
or to set a course for a new
destination.

16. 4.SP addresses
alignment issues
Are the church’s vision,
values, mission etc.
aligned?

17. 2. DEFINING STRATEGIC PLANNING
Strategic planning is “the envisioning
process that a point leader uses with a
team of leaders on a regular basis to
think and act so as to design and
redesign a specific ministry model
that accomplishes the Great
Commission in their unique ministry
context.”

18. Process - it is not an event but is
ongoing. It acts like a compass
directing the course of the church
according to the church’s identity
(core values), direction (mission and
vision) etc.
An envisioning process -
Malphurs suggests in ASP you
envision the future and then ask,
“How will we get there?” [This will
be explained more fully later on.]

19. Comparison of Conventional and Visionary
Strategic Planning
Visionary
Strategic Conventional
Strategic
Elements Strategic Planning
Planning
Learns from past
Learns from all
sources. Tends to
1.Learning sources. Creates
preserve and rearrange
new categories.
established categories.
Synthesis - uses
Analysis - breaks goals intuition and
2. Thinking
down into steps. creativity. It’s very
“messy.”

20. Strategic Conventional Visionary Strategic
Elements Strategic Planning Planning
3. Questions What was or what is? What could be?
Past orientation. It Future orientation.
works forward from
4. Time the past. It is long- It works backward.
term & brings the More short-term, tend
past forward with it. to break with the past.
Assumes little Assumes much
5.Change change will take change will take place.
place.
More of the same- Little of the same- we
6. Future we can anticipate the can create the future.
future.

21. Strategic Conventional Visionary
Elements Strategic Planning Strategic Planning
May impede May include some
7. Relationship visionary strategic conventional
planning. elements.
Decentralized - add
Centralized - stick
8. Control to and adjust the
to the plan.
plan.
Less team More team
9. Team
involvement. involvement.
10. Decision making Compromise. Consensus.
11. Planning Long-range. Short-range.
Formal (by the Less formal (more
12. Process
book). open).

22. The point leader - SP requires a
“captain of the ship” to be in charge
of day-to-day implementation and
be responsible for the process.
Sometimes this person will need to
make decisions quickly and
independently - at others they will
challenge the team to contribute,
influencing but not dominating
them.

23. The Leadership Team - this is vital
(Malphurs calls them the strategic
leadership team [SLT] - ministry has to be
accomplished through a team - good
leaders work in teams and use their wisdom
and gifts - it is not a one man show. Moses,
Jesus and Paul all exemplify this.
Thinking and Acting needed - you have
to think and dig deep into the basics of
who and what “you” are and what the Bible
says. Remember that different models of
church and ministry wok in different places
- then you act upon thought and the Bible!

24. A Specific Ministry model -
ASP will produce a unique
ministry model - ask the right
questions and you get a specific
answer - regular application of the
process results in continual
redesign and fine tuning.
Obeying Christ’s Great
Commission - what does Christ
want for his church - Matt
28:18-20, 1 Cor 10:31 etc.

25. The church’s unique ministry
context - ministry is contextual -
do not copy or mimic other
peoples good ideas, learn from
them but you do not open a
franchise of MacChurch

26. 3. OBSERVING TWO ADDITIONAL
ASPECTS OF STRATEGIC PLANNING
Biblical - Malphurs stresses that SP is a
biblical idea. Moses (esp. along with
Jethro) was strategic, Joshua strategised
in taking the PL, the Gt. Comm is
followed by Acts 1:8 and then the
missionary journeys.
Not Operational Planning - OP
addresses what a church should be doing
(mission and vision) - this is included in
(as a part of) SP.

27. 4. UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Malphurs suggests the typical
(American) church is like a ship
without a compass, drifting without
any sense of navigational plan - a
conclusion based on his own
research observations. He concluded
that there was a need to put
together mission, vision, core values
and strategy - which is where this
book comes in.

28. His research suggested that less than
20% of churches pursued strategic
planning - the result is (generally)
stagnation.
He suggests also that his SP needs to
be deeply theologically based - and
so precludes using the worlds
techniques.
He also says that good SP is based
on an envisioning process which asks
“why” questions of the church and
its direction. In this way it does not
just plan but dreams God’s dreams.

29. 5. ADDRESSING THE PURPOSE OF
STRATEGIC PLANNING
What is the benefit of SP, what good
will it do for your church?
Malphurs gives 26 reasons!
I shall not give the full text for these
but if you want to read more you can
find it here: http://
southwestregion.adventistchurchconnect.org/
article/136/conference-administration/
executive-subcommittees/strategic-planning-
committee/the-26-purposes-for-strategic-
planning

30. 1. To discover the organization's strengths,
limitations, and weaknesses.
2. To build on its strengths and minimize its
weaknesses.
3. To facilitate organizational communication and
build the organization's trust.
4. To understand and implement spiritually
healthy, Christ-honoring change.
5. To get our people―leadership team and
congregation―on the same page.
6. To encourage and promote spiritual revival.

31. To discover and articulate your ministry’s core
values.
1.To develop and communicate your God-given
mission.
2.To develop and articulate an inspiring,
compelling vision.
3.To understand and relate more effectively to the
community.
4.To develop a disciple-making process for the
entire church.
5.To assess, recruit, and develop a strong staff
team.

32. To mobilize the congregation to serve and do the work
of the ministry.
13.To make wise decisions about the facilities and their
location.
14.To inventory and assess current giving.
15.To explore new streams of giving to increase current
income.
16.To design a stewardship strategy to help people be
good stewards of their finances.
17.To analyze and evaluate the organization's budget,
looking for ways to best handle the finances.
18.To raise additional funds and to direct capital funding
projects.
19.To know how to implement the entire strategic plan.

33. To regularly evaluate and improve the organization's
ministries.
21.To discover the ways God is blessing organizations
across America and abroad and why.
22.To know and work with the latest technology
(Internet, website, and other).
23.To empower the governing board and pastor to lead
with excellence.
24.To build a lay and staff leadership development
process.
25.To develop a marketing strategy that will best
position the church in the community to glorify God.

34. 6. DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN SP
Malphurs suggests 25-30
people in an ASP process - less
if the church is small - why?
- people occasionally have to
miss meetings
- a broad spectrum of opinions
is required
- larger means less chance of
extreme groups swaying the
process

35. 6. DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN SP
There might also be times
when you involve the whole
church in part of the process -
e.g. When talking about giving

36. 7. CONSIDERING THE TIME FOR
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Time commitment and cost are
important considerations in SP.
Initial process - 9-12 months,
meeting every 3-4 weeks - suggested
Friday night 6-9pm and Saturday
8am-12 noon.
Meeting 1 - chapters 1, 2, 3
#2 - chapters 3, 4
#3 - chapters 5, 6
#4 - chapter 8

37. #5 - chapter 9
#6 - chapter 10
#7 - chapter 11, 12
#8 - chapter 13, 14
Other meetings can cover
specific areas which are
important to the church /
group, implementation then
takes place - the church then
continues this process for
the rest of their life on a less
regular basis.

38. 8. WEIGHING THE COST OF STRATEGIC
PLANNING
- the cost for the people drafting the
initial work - these might already be on
staff.
- if you meet outside of the church then
the cost of hiring a hall etc.
- the cost of a consultant to help you
through the process ( common in the
USA: $500-1000/day
- research for the community phase and
environmental analysis

39. 9. DECIDING ON THE LOCATION FOR
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Whatever place is used it has to
allow for the best thought
process and action:
- church facility - whiteboard,
tables, internet access, video
facility, wall space
- other locations where there
might be reduced chance of
disturbances

40. 10. USING CREATIVE TOOLS FOR
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Functional tools - see previous section 9
Process tools:
- brainstorming
- Storyboarding, most used by Malphurs,
Scale of 1 to 10 - on a specific issue

41. Do you have to have full agreement
(unanimity) for a decision to be
made?
Compromise suggests we all give
a little for the sake of the bigger
picture - often people are left
feeling unhappy.
In consensus people approach
the decision with the attitude that
they will try to support the
decision of the team, even if they
disagree with it - because they eel
it has had a fair hearing.

42. Within this people can agree to
disagree without disturbing others
as they feel they have had a fair
hearing for their point of view.
This is not the same as majority rule
- taking a vote on every thing!
“The problem with majority
rule is that most churches have
more immature than mature
believers - thus the spiritually
immature can control the
direction (or lack) of the
church.”

43. Consensus differs from
majority in the people
involved - spiritually mature
people are involved -
Malphurs argues this can
save you countless hours of
fruitless discussion.

44. 11. USING AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT
FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING
Malphurs suggests this is the
wise action (if at all possible.)
Someone who has been through
the process and knows the
possible areas of difficulty or
sticking points - they will guide
the church.
As he would be an outsider there
is no problem of church politics
being involved - objectivity.

45. 11. USING AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT
FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING
Malphurs suggests this is the
He also gives extra credibility
wise action (if at all possible.)
to the process.
Someone who has been through
The major problem here is the
the process and knows the
cost.
possible areas of difficulty or
A full paper on this issue can
sticking points - they will guide
be found here:
the church.
http://
As he would be an outsider there
www.malphursgroup.com/
is no problem of church politics
images/PDFs/FiveReasons.pdf
being involved - objectivity.

46. 11. USING AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT
FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING
He also gives extra credibility
to the process.
The major problem here is the
cost.
A full paper on this issue can
be found here:
http://
www.malphursgroup.com/
images/PDFs/FiveReasons.pdf

47. THE COMMITMENT TO STRATEGIC
PLANNING
The church must commit to the
process - meaningful action flows
out of commitment. Will people give
it full energy and make it a high
priority?
The pastor must commit to the
church - he needs to provide an
example of being committed and
seeing the value of the process.

48. PRE-PLANNING CHECKLIST
Score the following 1 =strongly
against, 10= strongly for 5, 6 = not
sure.
1. Is your church ready for SP?
2. Is this ministry willing to take
the necessary time to do SP?
3. Is the church willing to spend
the funds necessary to think and
act strategically?

49. 4. Is the organisation willing to meet in
the best possible place to accomplish its
planning?
5. Which of the strategic thinking
process tools will you use, which won’t
you - why?
6. Do you believe it would be wise to hire
a consultant? Why, why not? Is lack of
money a good reason for not using one?
7. If you are going to start the SP process
what commitment will you make to it?
What will you set aside to achieve
success?