What are the steps in the vision and planning process?

1. Convene a vision team (or long range planning team or
       whatever you want to call it).

2. Hear the visions of all the members in your congregation.

3. Articulate your congregation's shared vision for its future.

4. Develop objectives and action steps that will bring that shared
       vision into reality.

5. Communicate your new vision and plan.

6. Set priorities. “Do the right things and do them right.”

7. Establish who is responsible for each action step.

8. Build in mechanisms to measure your progress, evaluate
       your results, and update your plan.
   
    

Who should be on a congregation's vision team?

A typical team has around a dozen members, but we’ve had workable teams ranging from 6 people to 19. The council generally appoints the team. Team members should be drawn from the various demographic groups in your church and include people with a variety of viewpoints. The pastor and at least one council member belong on the team. Each person on the team should be trusted and respected, and each person should have a strong commitment to the ministry of the congregation.

How long does a vision and strategic plan process take?

 ChurchFuture has found that the team will need to meet for 20 to 25 hours to complete this work effectively. A team that holds two-hour meetings twice a month will complete the process in 5 to 6 months. A team can finish in 4 to 5 months if members are willing to have occasional longer meetings or a retreat. It helps to have a target date, such as the congregation’s annual meeting or some other event.

How can we possibly involve the entire congregation?

Common techniques for member input include surveys, house meetings, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews. All of these work in appropriate situations. In addition to these methods, ChurchFuture has refined a technique that we call “Town Hall Meeting” that achieves high participation and reliable results with minimal time investment. Town all meetings  use small group discussions of carefully-worded questions in combination with facilitated large group reporting. We’ve found that in this setting uncovers a bolder vision in most congregations than other techniques because of the power of group reporting. (Malcolm Gladwell explains this phenomenon in The Tipping Point, Little Brown and Co., 2000.) The technique is validated by the success of congregations that have used their Town Hall reports as a foundation for their plan for the future. The small group segment allows everyone to be heard in a safe and comfortable setting, and the large group segment gives the big picture in a short time. Town Hall Meetings can be scheduled immediately after worship or at other convenient times. They can be structured as two 45-minute sessions (which work well after worship) or as one 90-minute session.

Involving the congregation is a two-way street. The vision team needs to listen, but it also needs to keep the congregation informed of its work. ChurchFuture can set up a web site for your vision team that congregation members can access to stay informed. Go to www.nelutherans.com to see an example of a team web site. (This type of web site also helps vision team members stay up to speed when they miss a meeting.) ChurchFuture puts a big emphasis on communication, because a strategic plan that is little known or misunderstood is worthless.

How much does it cost to use ChurchFuture?

Our fee is customized for each situation because the majority of the congregations we work with are struggling financially. For a vision and strategic planning process or a collaboration process we typically establish a flat fee before the work starts, based on the work required and the financial capability of the client.

The fee is payable in installments as the work progresses. Often 25% to 33% of the fee is deferred until the plan or process is successfully implemented. If the plan or the process is unsuccessful that portion of the fee is cancelled. Our objective is not to collect fees--it is to help your congregation succeed in your mission.

ChurchFuture can also work on an hourly fee basis if that is preferable. The fees typically do not include normal expenses for mileage, travel and other out of pocket expenses.

The compensation that ChurchFuture really wants is to see revitalized congregations that spread the kingdom of God in their communities.  

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