Strategic Planning

Strategic Ministry Planning is a management tool used for one purpose only: to help a church do a more effective job in ministering to its people and its community. A Strategic Ministry Plan (SMP) will help focus energy and resources, and ensure that everyone in the church is working toward the same goals.

In addition, the SMP will assess and adjust a church’s future direction in response to its ever-changing environment. In short, Strategic Ministry Planning is a disciplined effort to clarify foundational decisions and create an action plan that will shape and guide who a church is, what it does, and why it does it; all while keeping the focus on the future.

Successful Strategic Ministry Planning Will:
  • Lead to action
  • Build a value-based shared vision
  • Create an inclusive, participatory process in which church leadership takes on shared ownership
  • Foster accountability
  • Be based on precise data
  • Require an openness to question the status quo in order to grow
Benefits of A Strategic Ministry Plan Include:
  • Uniform vision and purpose, shared among all parties
  • Increased level of commitment to the ministry and its goals
  • Improved quality of service, and a means to measure that quality
  • A foundation for fund raising
  • Create accountability in ministry and board development
  • The ability to set priorities, and to match resources with opportunities
  • The ability to deal with risk from external environments
  • A process to help with crisis management

Components of A Strategic Ministry Plan Are:

  • Purpose—The reason a church exists
  • Vision—A picture of the preferred future
  • Mission—An action, in response to purpose in pursuit of vision
  • Core Values—Principles that govern the operation of the church
  • Objectives—The general areas in which efforts are directed
  • Strategies—Guidelines by which objectives are achieved
  • Goals—Specific and time-based accomplishments, achieved by implementing strategies in pursuit of ministry objectives
  • Programs—Activities that describe implementation plans for key strategies
  • Ministry Action Plans—Specific guidelines for each ministry department

Oaster Strategic Ministry Planning Services Also Include:

  • 5-Year Ministry Plans
  • Ministry Branding and Imaging
  • Identification of Long Range Goals and Objectives
  • Staffing and Budgeting Plans