Originally written for TonyMorganLive.com
A few years ago, I was working with a church to implement a strategic plan. It involved a rebranding of the organization and the development of a clear discipleship path. As I began meeting one-on-one with the pastors involved, I expected them to reject the change altogether. In reality, they thought it was all much needed! However, there was still heavy resistance. The number one response went something like this:
“We’ve tried things to make changes like this before and we never see them through. Something always comes up that causes us to stop or change direction. This looks great on paper but it really isn’t worth the effort.”
I was shocked…
They believed in the plan. But they did not believe in the team’s ability to execute the plan.
Execution is the ability to connect vision to reality. It may very well be the greatest missing link within churches. In its absence, the following occur:
- Leaders spend more time talking about change than actually making it
- “Opportunities” are constantly chased, leading to distraction and burnout
- Inspiring meetings are forgotten faster than the whiteboard can be erased
- The church slowly dwindles while leaders continue talking about what they should do about it
- Team members’ belief in the future wanes as each year passes with little movement
So how can you ensure your current strategic plan lives to see the light of day? These five steps can help you find that missing link:
