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Ministry Strategy

A clear direction, and a plan your team will actually follow.

I guide your leadership team to decide where your ministry is going, then build a specific plan for getting there: clear priorities, who owns what, and the steps to take first.

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The real problem

Most ministries don't lack vision. They lack a plan.

Ministry is tough right now. The culture is shifting away from the church. Your people, and you, are tired. And your community still needs your church to connect them to the Gospel.

When everything feels urgent, the vision stalls somewhere between the retreat and the calendar. It isn't a lack of faith or effort. Nobody turned the big idea into decisions, owners and dates. These are the gaps I see most often.

Too many priorities

When everything matters, your team spreads thin and nothing gets finished.

No one owns it

Goals that belong to "the team" belong to no one. Every priority needs a name next to it.

Words without decisions

A vision statement is a start. It still has to become choices about people, money and time.

No rhythm to follow up

Without a regular check-in, the urgent crowds out the important by the second month.

A plan built for the shelf

Forty pages impress a board once. One page guides a staff meeting every week.

Leaders pulling apart

Senior leader, staff and board each carry a different picture of the future.

What you walk away with

A what, who and when for every action.

A strategic plan is only useful if your team can act on it. Yours will spell out exactly what happens next, who owns it and when it's due.

  • A written Ministry Assessment of your strengths, issues to address and opportunities to seize
  • Clear core values, vision and strategic areas of focus
  • A detailed action plan with an owner and a date for every step
  • Your final strategic plan, in writing
  • 12 months of follow-up to make sure things get done

Strategic Plan · 2027

Riverside Community Church

Sample

Vision

By 2030, every adult at Riverside is connected to a small group and serving somewhere in our city.

Core values

Gospel first · Every member serves · Doors open to our neighbors

Areas of focus

  1. 1Small groups
  2. 2Volunteer pathway
  3. 3Neighborhood partnerships
WhatWhoWhen Recruit and train 12 small group leadersExec. PastorFeb 2027 Map the path from first visit to servingConnections Dir.Mar 2027 Meet with two neighborhood school principalsOutreach LeadApr 2027

An excerpt to show the format. Your plan is built from your ministry's own decisions.

How it works

From a full whiteboardto a clear plan.

I've developed a simple five-step process that has helped ministries plan and grow. We'll customize it to fit your ministry's needs.

I'll walk with you every step of the way, and I'll follow up to make sure things get done.

Schedule a Conversation
  1. 1

    Discovery

    An initial conversation where I learn about your ministry and you learn about me and how I work. If we both think we'd work well together, I'll put together a custom proposal for you.

  2. 2

    Assessment

    I'll conduct a survey, talk with your leaders, examine your documents and look at your community's demographics. Then I'll write a Ministry Assessment that highlights your strengths, the issues to address and the opportunities to seize.

    Can include an onsite visit and focus groups.

  3. 3

    Vision and Strategy Onsite

    I lead a workshop with your leaders that focuses on core values and vision and sets your strategic areas of focus. Participants leave refreshed and excited about the future of your ministry.

  4. 4

    Action Planning Onsite

    Building on the workshop, I lead a planning session to create a detailed plan for reaching your strategic goals. We set the what, who and when for every action. After this session, I deliver your final strategic plan.

  5. 5

    Follow-Through 12 months

    I don't leave when the written plan is delivered. For the next 12 months I'll monitor your progress through regular calls, email and plan revisions as things change.

Who's in the room

Strategy is a team decision.

A plan only one person believes in won't last long. This work brings the people who set direction and the people who carry it out to the same table, so the plan belongs to all of them.

  • Senior Pastors and Executive Directors

    You hold the vision. I help you sharpen it and lead your team to real agreement, instead of quiet compliance.

  • Leadership Teams

    Executive pastors, directors and ministry leads who turn the plan into Sunday, Monday and every day after. They need to own it, not just hear it.

  • Boards and Elders

    When the board is part of the conversation, the plan has its backing from the start, and governance and staff stop pulling in different directions.

  • Influential Members

    Every congregation has people whose opinions carry weight, with or without a title. When they help shape the plan, they help the rest of the church get behind it.

What makes this different

Strategy built for ministry, not borrowed from business.

Good planning tools come from many places. What matters is whether they fit a church or ministry, its people and its calling.

Grounded in your real situation

No template plan with your logo on it. Your plan starts from your people, your budget, your history and your calling.

Simple enough to use

We cut through the clutter to what you need to do to grow. Plain words, clear priorities, and an owner and a date for every action.

Built to finish

The work doesn't end when the plan is written. I stay with you for 12 months after it's delivered, so the plan shapes how your team spends its time.

Common questions

Before we start.

A few things leadership teams often ask before planning together.

Do we need a vision statement before we begin?
No. Some teams come in with a clear vision and need a plan. Others need help naming where they're going first. We start from wherever you are.
How long does it take?
It depends on the size of your ministry and how we customize the assessment. Your proposal will lay out the timeline. Once your plan is delivered, I stay with you for 12 months of follow-through.
Do you come to us?
Yes. The vision and strategy workshop and the action planning session happen onsite with your leaders. The assessment can include an onsite visit and focus groups too.
What does it cost?
Every ministry is different, so there's no one-size price. After our first conversation, if we both think we'd work well together, I'll send you a custom proposal.
How is this different from Ministry Advisory?
Ministry Advisory is one-on-one counsel for the senior leader. Ministry Strategy is team work focused on direction and planning. Many leaders start with one and add the other.

Schedule a conversation

Let's talk about where your ministry is headed.

Pick a time that works for you. We'll talk about your ministry, what's working, what's stuck, and whether planning together makes sense. You'll leave with a clearer view either way.

  • A focused, confidential conversation
  • An honest read on where your plan stands
  • A clear next step, whatever you decide
Schedule a Conversation