Long-range planning is the ultimate kind of planning.
Long-range planning for a church involves a SWOT analysis. The
church does a thorough investigation of itself looking for
strengths and weaknesses. This is the SW of the SWOT analysis.
Next it studies the community looking for opportunities and
threats. This is the OT of the SWOT analysis. With the SWOT
analysis, the church can anticipate the future, and then be in a
position to influence it. Then goals and plans for implementing
them are formulated. This is what long-range planning is all
about. Long-range planning is now sometimes being referred to as
strategic planning.
When long-range planning is considered for churches, the
time frame is usually 5–7 years. Most churches are not
attempting to project that far into the future. It is
generally accepted that less than 20% of churches in America
have completed long-range planning. Many churches are not
even doing good annual planning. Annual planning, however,
is like a thermometer as it records what is happening and
adjusts to the changes. Long-range planning is more like a
thermostat as it controls the environment.
Long-range
planning is seeking to find the answer to seven questions:
1. Who are we? (Objective)
2. Where are we now?
(Evaluation)
3. How did we get here? (Past trends)
4.
Where are we going? (Forecasts and assumptions)
5. How do
we get there? (Goals and strategies)
6. What is the
biggest need of the church? (Priorities)
7. What is our
timing? (Schedule)
When these seven questions are
answered, a church will have plans that will give them
direction as they move into the future.
Advantages
of long-range planning
The number of advantages
to long-range planning indicate that it may be worth-while
for leaders to use. Long-range planning allows an
organization to act rather than react. The organization can
make things happen, rather than just let things happen. It
is writing history before it happens. Long-range planning
will allow an organization to anticipate problems and work
out solutions before the problems appear (building, staff,
community change, demographic changes in membership). They
can make use of circumstances, rather than fret about
misfortunes. Long-range planning allows an organization to
seek out the will of God about what it should do and be.
Long-range planning can help insure an adequate,
comprehensive, and balanced program. It involves an
evaluation of the present programs and practices and
encourages changes that make for greater effectiveness. It
looks at programs, staff, and buildings that will be needed
in the future. Long-range planning seeks to anticipate
community changes. It requires a study of the community
needs, and then a reexamination of the church’s objectives
to see if they are still adequate. Long-range planning will
lessen conflicts and tensions. It anticipates future
problems and allows a church to begin solving them before
they become acute.
