A while back I received a copy of the book Church Unique from another Community pastor. I put it on the shelf for a few weeks, then got back to it. I really like the way that this book challenges my leadership mind. I enjoy critical thinking and strategizing new methods, but this book is one that is making me evaluate that process. Not that strategic thinking is inherently bad or wrong, but sometimes leaders can bog organizational productivity through the many aspects and responsibilities of “traditional”strategic thinking.

This book is not about a new church model (i.e. - purpose driven programming, seeker-sensitive worship services, or a how-to of new ministry methodology), but it is about capturing your church’s/ministry’s UNIQUE culture and cultivating movement with strong vision. I am finding this book to be challenging and inspiring, as I take on my new role as Jr. High Director.

Here are some insights from the first two chapters…

7 “Thinkholes” where vibrant thinking gets sucked beneath the surface to suffocate and disappear from view:

·      Ministry Treadmills - when the busyness of ministry creates aprogressively irreversible hurriedness in the leader’s life.

·      Competency Trap - the success experienced by the leader,over time, becomes a liability. the leader begins to rely on what worked in the past, instead of developing new habits based on the church’s/ministry’sculture.

·      Needs-based Slippery Slope - leaders constantly try to meet people’s needs and expectations within the church/ministry. the vision of this leader is reduced to making people happy.

·      Cultural Whirlpools - 1. BuzzChurch - a church/ministry that defines its DNA around innovation itself. the resulting vision is the need to be constantly cutting-edge. 2. StuckChurch - the changes inculture outpace the leader’s energy and discipline for new learning. these churches/ministries define vision in terms of glorifying and propagating the past.

·      The Conference Maze - leaders rely solely on training events to instill direction and vision for their church.

·      Denominational Rut - {my definition - large religious structures become stuck in maintaining what the denomination stands for (or has been for years) that it chooses to define all churches in denomination(regardless of size, location, leadership, etc.)}.

3 Fallacies of Classic StrategicPlanning

·      The Vision Shredder - classic strategic planning assumes thatmore information produces clearer direction, but too much information actually shreds the big picture into so many pieces that the vision is hopelessly lost.More information equals less clarity.

·      The Silo Builder - classic strategic planning can create the fallacy of accountability where multiple goals develop for each ministry area. The expectation is that staff and volunteers will experience better coordination with clearer responsibilities. The truth is, more goals typically create a silos within the organization - every ministry leader has his interpretation of the goals, and his own strategy for how to put it in place.

·      Leadership Blinders - the assumption is that the near future will resemble the recent past. Change now happens so fast that the planning processes of old are out-of-date.

Ø     Navigating on a land surface (roads or trails) is drastically different than navigating on a liquid surface. Liquid surfaces necessitates ceaseless observation and adaptation to the surrounding environment. Cultural shifts can determine the leader’s preparation for the future. Planning requires predictability, whereas preparation equips leaders to be flexible to seize opportunities.

 These are just a few of things I have been challenged to learn and incorporate into my leadership. As stated in chapter 2, it is preparation that is forcing me to “pray, learn, and discern what God is doing - all aspects of understanding God’s unique vision” for our ministry.

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