Strategic Plans

by Judy Comstock

Like many of you, I have participated in brainstorming sessions that were promoted as "strategic planning." The time spent brainstorming during these meetings was a healthy way to list our joys, concerns, and dreams. However, these sessions left me asking the question, "Now what?" At the end of the day we had a long list of ideas, but no clearly defined objectives or action steps. In other words, we had ideas but no plan to get us from point A to point B.

During the years I served as Director of Children's Ministry at Church of the Resurrection, our department was expected to develop an annual strategic plan, as were all of the other departments at the church. A businessman from the church taught us how to use an effective planning approach and how to organize our ideas into a workable plan. The resulting document would align children's ministry around common goals that support the church's mission statement. The plan would be used as a guide to accomplish amazing and necessary goals. Each department director was held accountable during a mid-year assessment meeting and a year-end report.

One of the best examples of how this approach worked effectively relates to our move into a new building. The space that would house our church preschool, the nursery, children's ministry classrooms, children's ministry offices, our resource room, and an electronic welcome center was 64,400 square feet. Yes, that area would hold a lot of chairs, tables, bulletin boards, rocking chairs, toys, and teaching supplies. The big move was scheduled during the week preceding Palm Sunday. We had to recruit our own team of volunteers to move the supplies and equipment, to decorate the bulletin boards, and to assemble the nursery equipment. We had plenty of questions. Where would we get all of the boxes?

Who would create the decorating plan? How would our children and Sunday school teachers know how to transition from their classroom into the new sanctuary for the Palm Branch Parade? Due to safety restrictions enforced by the builder and our facilities director, only designated staff members had been allowed into the new structures. How would we reduce the anxiety that our staff, volunteers, the children, and even the ushers had about safely escorting the children from their classrooms into the new sanctuary for the Palm Branch Parade and back to the secure children's ministry area? Our strategic plan would need to have action steps that answered all of these questions and clearly described a successful transition.

Fast forward to Palm Sunday. We were told that this was the smoothest move in our church's fifteen-year, four-building history. I am convinced that the use of our strategic plan was the reason. The positive results are why this approach has been adopted by other churches and by the staff and board of directors at International Network of Children's Ministry. It is my joy to describe how you can develop a strategic plan and use it for your benefit. Using the components of this strategic planning approach will result in measurable goals, shared duties, and reduced distractions.

Schedule Your Initial Meeting

Here is how we have done strategic planning. First, schedule a time and place for your initial planning meeting. Invite key leaders, volunteers, and parents who have a voice in the department or organization. The planning team should involve ten to twenty people. Designate a scribe to ensure that the details and decisions are recorded. You may want to involve your administrative assistant. Allow at least three hours for the meeting. To ensure involvement of your key players, you may need to provide childcare. If the meeting must take place over a lunch or dinner, offer food that requires very little preparation. This might be a good time for pizza to be delivered. In other words, don't let the food distract you or...