Strategic Christian

Christian ministries, including churches, mission agencies, and parachurch organizations, are stewards of God’s calling on them. One way to help ensure that we fulfill that stewardship is through godly planning, under Biblical principles, coupled with ways to track our effectiveness. Tracking (or monitoring) our progress gives us feedback so that we can know what’s working and what isn’t.

Over the next several weeks or months I will be writing a series of blog posts on ministry strategic planning and ways to monitor stewardship. Each blog entry will be bite-sized, a page or so of reading. This page will serve as an index to the entire series, which will grow as I write new entries.

The left column here is focused mostly on process: steps to take in strategic planning. The right column, focused on The Balanced Scorecard, has to do with the content of strategic plans, as well as the foundation they provide for measuring progress. Paul R. Niven, the author of the book referenced here, also has recommendations for the strategic planning process. In general, where there is any difference between the two, I follow the process as written in the links on the left rather than his process.

Biblical Heart of Planning Being the person God can use God’s call for your ministry Developing a Biblical mission and vision Plans and ideas: from yourself or from God? Strategic Planning Training Resources PDF Guide to the Strategic Planning Process (125 KB) PowerPoint Presentation (2.8 MB) on Strategic Planning Summary of Mintzberg’s work on the Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning (Word document, 45 KB) Book List Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies (2003) by Paul R. Niven The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment (2000) by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning (1994) by Henry Mintzberg Strategic Renaissance: New Thinking and Innovative Tools to Create Great Corporate Strategies Using Insights from History and Science (2000) by Evan Matthew Dudik Visioneering: God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Personal Vision (2005) by Andy Stanley Color Outside the Lines (2002) by Howard G. Hendricks (on creativity) A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative (1998) by Roger Von Oech

The Balanced Scorecard Approach, Adapted for Ministries How to Use This Material Web Articles by Paul Niven Introduction Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard (Chapter One) Adapting the Balanced Scorecard (Chapter Two) Adapting the Balanced Scorecard (Chapter Two, Conclusion) Before You Begin; Training and Communication (Chapters Three and Four) Mission, Vision, and Values (Chapter 5, Part 1) Mission, Vision, and Values (Chapter 5, Part 2) Strategic Planning and Performance Management Frameworks (Chapters 6 and 7)