5 components your strategic plan cannot leave out

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On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?

2 Kings 18:19-20 NVI

Sennacherib knew that Hezekiah didn’t have a solid strategy to confront him. Having a strategy is fundamental to winning. The strategic challenge is the third of the 4 challenges of using technology in your ministry. A strategy establishes a common language; a clear narrative that helps us communicate. An integrated and consistent strategy must include the technological aspect to facilitate ministry effectiveness.

This is the strategic challenge:

We must devise the commission before we commission the device.

Spiritual Character of the Strategic Plan

In my limited ministry experience, I have noticed that many ministries resist developing a strategic plan. Strategy is not only biblical but can also be revelation; in other words, there are strategies that come from God. They can be inspired by the Holy Spirit and received in prayer.

The Bible says that Hezekiah consulted the Lord (2 Kings 19:1), and He gave him a strategy that culminated in the withdrawal of the army and the assassination of Sennacherib at the hands of his own sons.

Every ministry strategy must be covered in prayer. This includes every component of technology within the strategic plan. However, that does not mean we suffer from prayer paralysis. We can plan our path and commit it to the Lord (Psalm 37:5).

Components of the Strategic Plan

The first thing a strategy does is define what winning means; how we will recognize victory when it arrives. For that reason, a strategic plan has the following components:

1. Vision: The vision is visual, to put it redundantly. Think of a snapshot of the future. A detailed narrative of the place we would like to reach. It doesn’t express our current state but our aspirations. It doesn’t need to be short. It’s fine if your vision consists of a couple of descriptive pages.
2. Mission: The mission is the performance of a task. Think of a map of the present. A manual that describes what we should be doing. If the vision is the destination, the mission is the route. The mission is a short, easily memorable statement..
3. Values: Values are the irrefutable principles of carrying out your mission. Think of railroad tracks; you can take different routes, and you can accelerate or decelerate, but never off the tracks. Describe 3 to 5 core values, never more than 7. Use an acronym to easily remember them.
4. Strategies: Strategy is direction. Think of the mode of transportation. Several strategies will serve the mission, but you need to be precise about which strategies you will use. In other words, you can go by donkey or by plane, but you need to decide now, as part of your plan.
5. Goals: Goals are action. Think of milestones along the way. Once you decide on the vision, mission, and strategies, you set goals for each strategy that are clear, achievable, and measurable. The purpose of goals is to act according to the plan. Goals also help you evaluate your progress to realize when you’ve reached your destination.

Mission of the Strategic Plan

The mission of the church was set by Jesus Christ and is known as the Great Commission. Nevertheless, it must find expression in the context of your ministry. I like to define the mission as follows:

The mission of the church consists of five essential functions; five verbs that invite action: worship, learn, reach, help, and manage.

Technology aligns with the strategic plan at this level of the mission. A strategically aligned mission will allow you to achieve your vision. Your vision may have technological elements, but the practical nature of the mission makes it the ideal strategic component for planning your technological initiatives.

There are technologies available to support each of the five essential functions of the mission. In your strategic plan, you must then define the following ministry technology strategies:

• Technology to adore
• Technology to announce
• Technology to assimilate
• Technology to assist, and
• Technology to accompany

The Ministry Technology Matrix™ is my response to the technology challenge. It inserts technology strategies within the framework of the mission of strategic planning.

Write to me if you would like to receive a free session about the Ministry Technology Matrix™ and how you could implement it in your ministry. Use #ministrytechnologies on social media to continue the conversation.

How about you? How do you respond to the strategic challenge of technology? How does the lack of a technology strategy affect your ministry?