Barnabas File

A Bridge Too Far is an epic 1977 film based on the book by historian Cornelius Ryan.     It depicts the failed Operation Market Garden in World War II.     The operation seemed clear to those on the command level, but Allied troops (Brits, Americans, and Poles) found themselves in a terrible tactical position.     Despite their best efforts, the mission failed.     Operation Market Garden is a good illustration of the difference between strategic planning and tactical planning.  It is a reminder that, as one military leader said, “No plan survives contact with the enemy.”     Thinking about this from another perspective, pastor Carey Nieuwhof observes , “In non-crisis conditions, your methods may have a 6 month to five-year shelf life.  In a crisis, your methods can expire in minutes or days.”  When aspirations meet reality, everything changes.   Not every mission is like the failed Operation Market Ga...

I knew I was off to a bad start when I told the church group, “I don’t really believe in strategic planning anymore,” and a member of the group said, “But the pastor said we need a strategic plan for the future.”   Let me explain.  In the past, many organizations (including churches) priding themselves on developing five-to-ten-year strategic plans.  These plans were carefully printed and placed in handsome binders for future reference.  The church invested time and energy in formulating these plans, but they often languished or were forgotten.  Why?   Leadership, usually pastoral leadership, changed and the plan was forgotten. The binder was placed on the shelf and never referenced. Life happened (COVID-19, for example) and the plan was irrelevant.  I suggest that we think about strategy in a different way.  The definition of strategy is “ a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.”  ...

As individuals and organizations, we are often distracted by the latest “bright, shining object.”  The object may be a new training program, software, or ministry opportunity.  Whatever it is, the new object seems more attractive than what we are presently doing, promising a quick and productive result. In his book Leaders Made Here , Mark Miller reminds us that we should hold our strategies tightly and our tactics loosely. In World War Two, Eisenhower’s strategy was to invade Europe and defeat the German forces.  Various troop and logistical movements were the tactics to accomplish this and were constantly modified. Strategies move us toward our long-term goals or vision while tactics are steps along the way.  Tactics change based on the realities on the ground.  New programs and ideas are tactics, but do they move us toward our ultimate goals or divert us from what we want to achieve?  Perhaps they are simply shortcuts to disaster.  We h...