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1. The planning process must belong from the outset to those who will approve and implement it. The consultant’s role is to advise, support, and facilitate, not to manage the process or direct its outcome.
2. The key to the process is a strong planning team composed of persons who are open to discern what the congregation is called to be and do; who understand the political realities; and who understand the value of open deliberations and the need for a redundant system for keeping the membership informed.
3. Early in the process, the planning team identifies a group of “driving questions” and presents them to the governing Board for endorsement. It is essential that the leadership feel a sense of urgency about addressing the driving questions.
4. Data collection should be focused on data that will help to answer the driving questions, and designed to make collection and interpretation manageable.
5. Both internal and external data should be gathered. Internal data includes feedback from the membership considered both as “consumers” and “producers.” External data includes information about the local community and the larger social and religious context.
6. Strategic Planning requires both wide participation and deep integrative thought.This tension is best maintained by a cohesive Planning Team that reaches out several times during the planning to keep the membership contributing to and learning from the process.
7. Institutional health requires a clear understanding of the mission and common covenants about behavior. Ordinarily the best time to attempt to clarify these is after the internal and external data gathering are complete. Statements of mission and covenant should be richly informed by the faith tradition.
8. A written plan with specific recommendations or action steps is one important outcome of the planning process. At least as important is the process itself—the Planning Team’ssuccess at getting the membership to feel urgency about the Driving Questions and to grapple seriously with them.
9. A good plan will suggest things the institution should not be or do. Unless a plan provides a basis for selecting a short list of priorities and setting others aside, it will not affect the institution’s future.
Adapted from the writings of Alice Mann, Gil Rendle, Roy Oswald, and others
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