Purpose Driven Organizations--Strategy

A coaching client was not only a pastor, but a military chaplain. He had served a period of time on active duty and had taken the opportunity to pursue the training that would complement his experience so that he could advance in rank but also in impact. What he learned about the difference in tactics and strategy helped me to understand what leaders must do to expand their capacity to lead.

The chaplain who thinks tactically asks questions like, “What am going to do for chapel services next Sunday?” or “Who can I get to lead this group?” On the other hand, the chaplain who thinks strategically asks, “How can I staff to meet the spiritual needs of the airmen in my squadron?” or “What are the added responsibilities I face if we are deployed?” One is thinking short term and one is thinking long term. Short term thinking gets the job done; long term thinking prepares for the next challenge.

Strategic thinkers lead out of a sense of purpose and create long term value for the organization. The same is true in the church. Purpose-oriented leaders first understand their own calling then seek to articulate the purpose of the church. By so doing, they realize that the methodology of the church has changed over the centuries, but the mission has remained the same.

In recent days, ministry leaders have been forced to gain a clearer understanding of their own purpose as well as what is essential for their churches. For most leaders, the default position has been, “We are the church.” Whether we are gathered in the sanctuary or online, we are still the people of God attempting to do the things that the people of God do--worship, study, and serve. Purpose has been the North Star that has provided the way forward.

Although we may have not done ministry like this before, we are now. In so doing we have been forced to think strategically and are fulfilling our purpose. We can only hope that we can embrace this strategic understanding and build on it in the days ahead.

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