What is your congregation's vision? Church long-range planning is about clarifying your vision - who you are as a congregation and how you want to live out your vision of ministry. The James Company helps you clarify goals and objectives. There are numerous examples in the Scriptures that illustrate the correlation between effective church long range planning and the faithful utilization of God's gifts to His people, i.e., stewardship. Proverbs 29:18 teaches us that, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." In Luke 14:28-30, Jesus speaks eloquently about the importance of planning when He says, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'"
The James Company approach to leadership is based on effective techniques and principles for visioning, planning and stewardship. Effective planning, when guided by the Holy Spirit and coupled with skillful plan implementation, brings results that honor and glorify God. Our visioning and long-range planning process is modeled after these techniques and principles. Our practical approach considers the congregation's vision and incorporates past planning efforts as we help develop an updated ministry plan. We involve a lot of people in the process which insures that plans and strategies are based on a broad perspective. This process can provide a sound basis on which the congregation can develop ministry plans, building campaigns and financial projections.
Key deliverables from our process include: A documented ministry plan Defined objectives/priorities for each major ministerial area A summary of policies, procedures and other governance processes to be developed/revised/documented A fund-raising feasibility study, if warranted An integrated financial plan that defines budgetary requirements for achieving long-range objectives and implementing key ministerial initiatives A communications plan for keeping the congregation informed of plan progress/results
Learn more about how a long-range planning with The James Company can help your congregation by calling 1-877-337-1126 (in Illinois), 1-800-472-0535 (in Minnesota) or 1-800-258-7575 (in Wisconsin).
