Strategy Development: A New Way of Thinking for the Church
Strategy Development: A New Way of Thinking for the Church
Devin Oten | 2024
Abstract
Businesses are feeling the pressure of rapidly changing environments worldwide, and the church is no different, as it is the business of God that can and will be impacted by its environment. Strategy Development: A New Way of Thinking for the Church researches and offers a framework to any business, but with the church in mind as to how to overcome and thrive in turbulent and everchanging landscapes. The book considers six elements of strategy development: strategic foresight, strategic thinking, strategic innovation, strategic planning, strategic implementation, and strategic assessment. The book also addresses potential threats to an organization by discussing best practices in succession planning, design thinking, economic development, social development, understanding the basics of economics, and organizational culture & ethics.
This manuscript is written with the objective of building a bridge from the popular approaches of church leadership and strategy development to the more theoretical methods for a future-smart and future-ready organization. It is mainly written for leaders of organizations of all sizes, specifically for church leaders, individuals, groups, and teams supporting these organizations, as well as external and internal partners. If you are a decision-maker in an organization involved in long-range planning, strategy development, day-to-day operations, front-line manager, supervisor, paid staff, or volunteer, this book is for you. This book is dedicated to helping individual contributors to companies understand strategy development, their given role in the enterprise, its uses in their respective organizations, and the communities and audiences they serve. This manuscript reviews, analyzes, and constructs real-world strategies with a selected number of strategic elements for any business to consider, but with the church in mind as a reviewer of such strategic thoughts for future planning.
The theoretical approach in this writing gives purpose to how organizations may explore strategy development and how it is practiced in daily operations. Strategy Development: A New Way of Thinking for the Church leads readers through an unconventional set of strategy development principles to help them face and overcome the upstart or rising demands of consumers, unpredictability, and the disruptive environment in which it operates. The church has always had to deal with disruption, uncertainty, and the increasing demands of its constituents. Therefore, having a working knowledge of strategy development is a must-have for the modern-day church if it hopes to outpace the world and its gadgetry that consumes its parishioners’ time, resources, and energy.