We all need help being faithful, unified and focused on our mission, writes Darren Roorda of Shepherd Consulting in Lincoln, Ont. Planning can prompt hard, Spirit-led questions: What’s bearing fruit? What’s a distraction? Where is God at work?
I just received a call from a pastor considering a role at a church I’m familiar with. The leadership of the church had enthusiastically shared with him their openness to making discipleship their main focus, and “they just needed the right leader to guide them.” My pastor friend was energized by the potential.
But I had to caution him. The apparent openness to adopting a specific ministry focus was more likely, to those who’d known the congregation as long as I have, another example of the leadership’s lack of understanding around intentional ministry planning, long-term. In other words, discipleship might just be another short-term thrust, a flavour of the month.
This church had cycled through various post-Covid trends, adopting new ideas with little focus, only to watch meaningful opportunities fade over time.
An ongoing problem like this, I warned, might leave him frustrated. Without a huge amount of stamina or improved structures for follow-through, his discipleship vision would likely diminish under shifting leadership priorities.
Missing organizational intentionality
As a former pastor, denominational leader and now organizational consultant for Christian churches, charities and schools, I’ve seen this pattern often. Churches, like any Christian organization, need more than spiritual health – they need organizational health. And one of the most effective tools for organizational health is a unifying strategic plan.
Why? There are many reasons, but three major ones stand out: (1) Strategic planning keeps leadership focused on the Great Commission, (2) it helps churches discern what to do and not do, and (3) it builds unity across the congregation.
Refocusing on the Great Commission
It’s easy for churches to drift – busy with programs, property or internal issues, without a clear sense of mission. A strategic plan grounds the church in its primary calling to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
Without this anchor, even well-meaning ministries can become scattered good ideas that fade over time. But a plan that is embedded in leadership discussions, sermons and ministry design gives a church staying power and focus.
It also pushes the church to look outward. Through community surveys, demographic study and stakeholder input, leaders and members can re-engage with their neighbourhood in relevant and redemptive ways. A strategic plan helps churches not only remember their mission – but live it consistently.
Sorting out what we do
Churches can’t do everything. Strategic planning helps them do the right things well. It prompts leaders to ask hard, Spirit-led questions: What’s bearing fruit? What’s a distraction? Where is God at work?
As Canadian pastor, scholar and author Mark Buchanan puts it: “The church from the start has been a divine and human collaboration, a dance – and sometimes a tussle – between what God is doing and what we do.”
That dance requires discernment and discipline. Jesus himself modelled this kind of focussed intentionality, finishing the work God gave Him (John 17). Likewise, churches must determine where to focus their energy, and what to release.
Here are some examples of focused churches I know.
- I know of a Chinese-Canadian church in North York (Good Shepherd) whose primary focus is cultivated through the practice of spiritual disciplines.
- There’s a church plant in Kelowna (The Well) whose unique gifting and context have led it to centre its ministry around addressing food scarcity – so much so that it became known locally as a dinner church.
- Another congregation, Creekside in Kitchener, is a non-denominational community where music is unapologetically their driving force.
- In the Vancouver area, Joy Fellowship has shaped its ministry around inclusion, focusing specifically on welcoming people of all abilities.
Building unity and purpose
Good strategic planning isn’t top-down. It involves listening to the congregation, ministry partners and local community. This inclusivity generates buy-in and reveals how deeply people care about the church’s mission.
Consequently, the process creates a unified momentum. When congregants understand the church’s purpose and why it matters, they're more likely to engage, serve and give joyfully.
Once a plan is approved, it often feels like a natural fit – something everyone recognizes as true. It becomes the engine of alignment. Ministries coordinate. Prayers focus. Conversations shift from “What do I want?” to “What is God calling us to do together?” Enthusiasm grows from pew to pulpit.
The effect?
Strategic planning isn’t just paperwork – it’s a spiritual practice. A process of prayerful reflection and intentional alignment. It doesn’t replace discernment – it strengthens it. Done well, it revives a church’s missional imagination and sets people on a unified path to love God and neighbour more faithfully.
If your church has never walked through a strategic planning process, now may be the time. Not because it’s trendy – but because it’s faithful.
Darren Roorda of Lincoln, Ont., is the founder of ShepherdConsulting.ca. Arrows image by Freepik.