If we consider the size of the project, the materials needed, the people who will do the work and the timeline along with unexpected opposition, correct and effective project management is needed to accomplish a task that seems impossible to do. The temporary nature of projects indicates that a project has a definite beginning and end.
Some projects will produce products or services, big or small. Some can be done by a small group of people, some require a whole nation to do. Some require a short amount of time, some need to be done as soon as possible because of threats to national security. Today, a project of this importance will require the government to look for the best people for the job, with the best materials and strategies in the shortest time possible as threats arise.
Project Management Institute, Inc. This sparks a lot of tension to government officials as well as to ordinary citizens, even those who live far from the disputed borders. This is similar to what Nehemiah faced. With walls destroyed from previous wars, gates opened from previous conquests, the need of the Jews for protection from neighboring kingdoms is of utmost importance. The feeling of lack of security is still present as they just got back from their land from exile.
Nehemiah was faced with leading the project of establishing the defenses of his motherland. But nonetheless, he succeeded in leading the people into rebuilding their defenses and their identities again as a nation, well defended from any attack any kingdom or barbarians can plan to do. The lessons a music student has learned within the past semester or the past five years is culminated in a music recital. In a music recital, a music student performs works that he or she has studied, combining all the techniques he has learned from his teacher, as well as his own interpretation on the piece of music which all depends on his personality and experience.
For example, one piece of music might mean more to one musician and might not mean much to the other. All of these reflect on how he or she performs the piece of music in a recital. So now, it is a culmination not only of what he has learned in music school but also his personal life which might include how he was brought up and experiences earlier in life. To further discover Nehemiah as he embarks on the culmination of his task in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, we should look at the circumstances and experiences he had earlier in life leading to his project.
Nehemiah was a post-exilic figure very crucial in the re-establishment of Jewish customs, practice, and culture. They did not have any land of their own in Babylon and Persia, and prophets, for them, were a thing of the past. Inter-Varsity Press, , His introduction in the account will also be the introduction of the problem of the Jewish exiles to Nehemiah.
Later on, we find the Hanani continues the work of Nehemiah as he was in charge of the administration of the city. But his account tells us of his recognition of God. Nehemiah was not merely religious, but well-acquainted with the Lord, going to Him in prayer and fasting as his first response to the depressing news from the homeland.
His prayer is far from arrogant — he makes no demands. He is cupbearer to the king. Being born in a prosperous kingdom and having a job serving royalty gives us a glimpse of his background. Eerdmans Publishing Company , It is true he was a servant; probably a bondman, but so were all his people; and he dwelt in a royal palace, and seems to have been a favorite with the king. In chapter one of Nehemiah we read nothing of this project, but the need for a project. Nehemiah does not disclose any solution for the problem yet. Nehemiah was grief-stricken over this news.
He fasted and mourned for days. Ironside, Notes on the Book of Nehemiah. College Press, , Ne 1: When Nehemiah arrived, he settled for three days and then toured Jerusalem by night to inspect the city and appraise the conditions. We see how thorough a planner Nehemiah is at this point.
He surveyed the damage and thoroughly assessed the method of approach that he will do. As Raymond Brown said: First, he identified with them. When someone identifies with a group of people, things get personal. Anyone can come in and attack them from the inside. Nehemiah sparked hope as he presented them with a solution that no one else thought of. Third, Nehemiah became personal with his followers. And this is what Nehemiah did. That is why he is supported by his followers because he has a heart that is set not only to accomplish the task, but also to inspire his followers to accomplish the task with him.
Response to Tests Surely the greatest test Nehemiah faced was completing the project and managing the people. But like in every big work we do for the Lord, Nehemiah was faced with opposition and unexpected circumstances. Right from the start, the opposition from Sanballat and Tobiah is to be noticed. Their fear of the Jewish nation might have brought about this opposition. Along with Geshem, the three of them are the strongest voices to bring down the morale and courage of Nehemiah.
In chapter four, we read that after harsh statements from the opposition, Nehemiah just prayed: Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders. In addition, this leadership style influenced the probability of exceeding the proposed budget.
In addition to being an administrative, and spiritual leader, Nehemiah exhibited seven essential traits of successful leaders: Subordinate leadership is known as leading from a middle management level. Middle managers usually lead effectively through influencing their superiors. Elmer Towns reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of subordinate leadership: The strengths of this organization style are: The weaknesses of subordinate leadership are: An increase in the probability of the pastor resignation was evident.
Spiritual leadership focuses on leading people into a deeper relationship with God. Towns mentions 6 challenges and five strengths for spiritual leadership. The strengths of spiritual leadership are: The results of the survey showed that spiritual leadership was successful in completing the project and did not indicate the potential of exceeding the proposed budget. Biblical Models for Leadership describes servant leadership as leading people through shepherding.
The leader is described as one that identifies the needs of others and minister to them. The book explains, The weaknesses of servant leadership are: The strengths of servant leaders are: Servant leadership experience success in completing the church building project and did not cause division or members to leave. The leader defines the tasks and develops effective strategies to accomplish the vision.
Towns illuminates problems that visionary leaders face: Visionary leaders have the tendency to take on tasks beyond their capability; the propensity to dream dreams that seem impossible; the tendency to work in a resistant culture; to potential to stand alone in optimism; the tendency to attract a following of uncontrolled dreamers; the tendency to see answers before others understand the problem; and the potential to be slightly ahead of their time.
The strengths of this leadership model are: It was the most common leadership style represented in the church building project survey. For more information on division in the church and leadership style see tables 6 and 7. The forth question cross tabulated the design and construction approach with division in the church. Based on the chi-square statistics, the relationship between the design and construction approach and the division in the church is insignificant. So whether a project causes division in the church, or members to leave is independent of the design and construction approach.
For division in the church and construction approaches see table 8. Design-Build approach was the most represented construction approach in the research. The architect is the designer and contractor or construction manager. The subcontractors are the builders. A spin-off arrangement of this method involves the architect and builder working for a third-party developer who holds the contract to complete the facility.
Fee budgets are then negotiated with the best qualified team. In the traditional method, the architect is selected. Then design and contract documents are produced and released for either public or private selected bidding by independent contractors. Construction is awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. Division in the Church Which design and construction approach did the church use for the building project? In addition to division, church leaders experienced problems with community support.
Lack of Community Support for Church Project The leaders lacking community support in the research cited the following problems: Of the pastors surveyed, visionary and administrative leadership styles were the top two and spiritual came in fourth after pragmatic. More serious problems were illuminated in the research as it related to community support. Twenty-two percent of the projects had problems with the local or state government, i. Twenty specific building code problems are expressed in table 9: One variance was needed for the height of the building and the other for parking.
Eventually, the project was granted both variances. The State Fire Inspector required suppression systems. Changes made passing inspections difficult. On the eve of the building's grand opening, it was decided that sprinklers would be needed after all. When construction commenced, the city was embroiled in a major controversy with the United States Navy.
A meeting was held with the city council and the head of the city's planning department. After the meeting, the project progressed smoothly. The forth question relates to pastor resignation. Pastor Resignation Which design and construction approach did the church use for the building project? Brad Oaster said the average tenure of a Senior Pastor following a building program is only 18 months without professional guidance and direction.
Doug Turner shared valuable insight on pastor resignations, "Pastoral turnover is nothing new. Here are some reasons: It took one skill set to lead the people out of bondage, but a wholly different one to lead the new generation to possess the land. Doug Turner gave three startling testimonies of pastor resignations following a building project. Plans were assembled; the funding for church facilities was obtained, and the project progressed at a normal pace.
The contractor declared bankruptcy. Unfortunately for the church, no new contractor could be found to complete the work within the required budget. The church still meets every Sunday, but attendance is less than half of what it was a few years ago. The offering plate is still passed, but finances are down, and the church is having a difficult time simply paying its bills. Rather than see the situation thru , the pastor decided he could no longer cope with the stress of the situation and left to lead another church. Too many cost overruns sent the total building cost far beyond the contract price.
To finish the project, the church had to sell some property. The pastor — who had ordered all the changes — simply lost all ability to influence the membership and was no longer respected as an effective leader. The final example concludes with a successful church construction project losing its pastor. Turner conveys, At the other end of the spectrum, a southern church recently lost its pastor after a successful church construction program. Just a few years ago, this church was meeting in a school and eagerly anticipating buying land and building a new church.
The land was purchased; funds were raised, plans were put into place, and construction began. For 18 months, members met together, prayed together, sacrificed finances and time together, and watched with eager anticipation as their new church home was erected. There was a great celebration when they met for the first time in their new building. A few months later, however, the pastor resigned and accepted a position in sales. What happened this time?
Sometimes church members do not understand the physical and emotional toll a building project can take on their leader. This pastor had continued to perform all his duties, but also took on additional responsibilities surrounding the building project. In the end, it was just too much; he was personally exhausted and lost all desire to go forward to lead the church and meet new challenges. First, he suggests, "Settle your church financing issues. A well-timed campaign can be instrumental in getting the church united for the project.
Pastors who lead by consensus survive much longer as leaders than those who dictate. Remember, cost overruns are the number-one reason for failure to complete building projects. If you could start the church building project process over, what areas would you desire to learn more about. Pastors participating in the research shared seventeen personal lessons learned from their church building projects that are expressed in Table Having the right builder is critical. They saved us money. My building project was easy because it was God given vision and God led.
My staff and team followed my lead as I followed the Lord's leadership. The building project caused division and members to leave because a key Associate Pastor sought to undermine the project at a critical juncture. The other 4 Associate Pastors were fully supportive. We have not had many second thoughts or regrets. We probably should have used a higher-grade paint, though. Do not stress out over what you cannot control. If you have truly been led by God to build then understand it is not your building - it is God's.
This is my fourth building project, and my last. Building projects need to be thought out well in advance. We were able to learn from the mistakes of another church and used the information to avoid the same obstacles. We allowed a small handful of naysayers to control the entire congregation. Really study and evaluate the process and project before entering into the project. He led through administrative leadership and program management. Nehemiah was strategic in his process. He prayed, researched conditions, and seized the window of opportunity. Once he understood the conditions of the project, Nehemiah shared his vision.
He proposed a specific project, identified resources and secured dedicated workers. During the project; he answered critics, assigned specific responsibilities, handled distractions, and was met with resistance. Once the project was completed, he turned the finished project over to responsible leaders. Towns in Biblical Models for Leadership, four principles of project management are presented in Nehemiah's story: The process of rebuilding Jerusalem's wall over 2, years ago can be beneficial for church building projects today.
Research has established the need for a strategic approach in completing church building projects.
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Each construction project had at least half of the ten steps of the ministry blueprint for building in common as shown in figure 6. The document assists in deciding what the ministry intends to accomplish within a predetermined and specific time while staying within a proposed budget. This document serves as a needs assessment and is a comprehensive report outlining the current situation as contrasted with the ideal or desired future condition. The SMP includes the ministry's purpose, vision, mission, core values, objectives, strategies, goals, and programs. A ministry's purpose is the reason the ministry exists.
Purpose and mission are often used interchangeably, but there are distinct differences. Purpose and mission are often used interchangeably, but there are two distinct differences. The purpose addresses why the ministry exist while the mission addresses what they are supposed to be doing. The purpose of the church is doxological in that it honors God while the mission is practical. In The Power of Vision, George Barna clarifies the definition of a church's mission, "A mission statement is a broad, general statement about whom you wish to reach and what the church hopes to accomplish.
It is highly likely that many churches share the same mission and could even use the same wording of that mission. Mission is the action plan for achieving the vision. A ministry's mission defines the leadership's vision of the congregation's purpose. Malphurs share nine ways a mission affects the church: Barna explained his perspective, Vision for ministry is a reflection of what God wants to accomplish through the ministry to build His kingdom.
Rather than rely upon the abilities of humans to concoct a view of, and to plan for, the future, God conveys HIs view of that future to a leader. The future of the Church and of the people whom God has placed on this earth is simply too important to Him to allow people to learn on their own innate abilities and talents to develop half-baked schemes for reaching the world.
Regal, , Baker Books, , Mission is a general, yet informative statement concerning ministry objectives; it is philosophic. Vision is specific and detailed information concerning the direction of ministry. It is unique and strategic. An effective strategic ministry plan SMP moves from drafting the ministry's vision to writing core values. Core values are values that govern the operation of the church. A professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, Aubrey Malphurs is a nationally recognized expert on leadership.
He offers a strategic perspective on core values, "Core values describe who you are--your identity. They are the precise building blocks DNA of your ministry and explain why you do what you do. Core values form the basis for the ministry's mission and vision.
In addition, they build the church's core ideology. In navigational terminology, core values serve as a GPS Global Positioning System that guides the navigator to the ship. Ministry objectives are the common areas in which energy is directed. Ministry objectives help to fulfill the purpose and specifies how the mission will be met.
The intent is to provide a specific result, within a given timeframe, with identified resources. Ministry objectives should be utilized as necessary tools that underlie all planning and strategies. Strategies are guidelines by which objectives are achieved. It is a process or plan that produces the ministry's desired future by way of goals.
Programs are activities which set out the implementation plans for key strategies. The SMP must be prepared while considering the ministry's two, five, and ten-year growth plan and projection. Once growth is projected, a site for the project must be selected. See appendix C Step 2: Site Selection Site selection may be time consuming and require prayer, thought, and planning.
A decision must be made when considering relocating a ministry. Two questions to ask are: An overall budget should be set for land allocation. Some things to think about while considering land acquisition: This list is not exhaustive, but twelve considerations should be the focus of the ministry's quest for land. The goal of these factors is to assist in choosing a site that will benefit the church and ministry well. Of the twelve factors, one through three Pertain to cost, while factors four through seven affect the ministry's growth.
Purchasing and developing land can be complicated. To protect the church's resources, leaders and committees should seek professional assistance. Robert Foreman specializes in the design of church and school facilities. He warns churches to carefully consider site selection, After selection of the architect, the contractor and the construction delivery method, one of the next big decisions will often involve property acquisition.
It is risky for a church to purchase land before hiring an architect. There are three situations creating the need for a new property. One is when a newly formed church is ready to move out of temporary facilities and purchase land for their first building. The second is when a church has decided to relocate or build a second campus. The third is when an established church needs to build an addition but requires additional adjacent property to accommodate the expansion.
In each situation, the church must carefully consider many factors as it begins the process of finding and purchasing a piece of property. Using these recommendations as a guide, the church should develop its own site selection criteria. Each church's site selection criteria will depend on their particular situation. Master Plan A well-conceived master plan anticipates the need of the church to expand its facilities and maximize the use of space as the church grows with a combination of art and science.
The art of crafting a vision for the ministry and the science of developing the plan it into a functional development is the purpose. A master plan should be developed with the help of a church construction consultant, an architect, or both. The benefits are significant, and a master plan will help the church utilize the most in an efficient manner.
Since God desires the church body to grow, the master plan should be designed anticipating growth and facilities should be planned accordingly. This step should be completed before a building is planned, or site developed. The master plan is a clear picture of the location of all buildings, parking areas, recreational areas, landscaping, and sport facilities. Cavuoto is a civil engineer, licensed design professional, and writer for Enrichment Journal.
He views church master planning as an all-consuming and ongoing task that helps fulfill the church's vision. It requires revisiting the plans on a regimented basis. In addition, master planning church facilities requires faith, goals, dreams, integrity, and leadership. He shares the importance of planning and design: Its goals are to provide guidelines for immediate and future development, which can satisfy short- and long-range needs in a feasible way. Typically, activities include facilities programming requirements, design studies, data collection, inventories, schedules, budget cost programming, design alternatives, energy studies, drawings, and reports, which include site and facility layout plans.
Financial planning is an important element here. Design includes the basic services normally performed for the development of the actual design documents for construction of the new facility. The services are usually conducted in two distinct and sequential phases: Architecture The design of a church facility requires specialized expertise that only an architect has. It is imperative to hire a professional that is experienced in designing churches. Daniels outline the benefits of the architect and design team working together, The collaboration of the project team is vital to the success of a church building project.
When you have the owner, architects, engineers, and construction professionals working together, it results in: Become familiar with what each phase include. Cavuoto outlines the trends and elements of planning and designing a new church: The trend in new designs is simple and efficient: The new high-tech amenities are a mainstay with total handicap accessibility. The image the new church facility portrays to the community is all-important and must continue to create excitement in wanting people to come back for more—to be an enhancement, not a detriment to the membership and the community.
Hence the planning and design should attack these issues and develop cost-effective solutions. The first element is affordability. He writes, Careful planning looks at affordability by dealing with statistics, financial planning, and forecasts in addition to dealing with the physical space planning and the given physical needs. It is aimed at solving typical problems, with emphasis on certain elements that depend on the specific church. Once this agrees, the church should submit this in writing as part of the contract for design. Cavuoto notes, "Talk to other churches in similar situations, ask about their operations, costs, the good and bad experiences, 9 Bradley Oaster, Fueling Vision Mustang: Tate Publishing, , The design and size of the facility are predicated on future growth and affordability.
Cavuoto weighs in, How large to design the facility to accommodate future growth is a key item. Size is related directly to affordability. It is one of the most difficult items to define. Growth should be defined in short-range, intermediate-range, and long-range time frames. Certainly, update these on a continual basis.
While year periods are targeted for the long range, a year intermediate period is a reasonable target and a 5-year forecast for short term. Cavuoto gives insight on national building codes, By law the national building codes require that the new church facilities public facilities be designed for earthquakes if the new facility site is located in an active region. Cost for this compliance depends upon the magnitude of the seismic requirements for a given region.
Generally, this adds from 5 to 15 percent to the construction cost and design fees. This requirement should be confirmed up front in the planning. Capital and Stewardship Campaign Assembling a capital campaign committee to be responsible for overseeing the entire campaign may be helpful. There are six potential sources of funding the construction project, grants from foundations, corporations, government agencies and religious philanthropies, individual donations, and the ministry's capital campaign. Six phases must be implemented when considering the six sources of funding: Raising money for the project is wise as the more money a church can raise, the less it will have to borrow.
Effectively casting the ministry's vision is a vital foundation for raising funds. In Advance Strategic Planning, he shares, "It takes money to do ministry, and it is the leader's responsibility to raise that money. The problem is that the congregation looks to the leaders to raise the necessary finances for the ministry to function as God intended.
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What most leaders have discovered is that it is the vision that motivates giving. Few contributors donate pay the light bill or salaries. They donate to what they see being accomplished for Christ in coming years, as well as the past.
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Communication is essential during, before, and after capital campaigns. The leader must be clear, concise, compelling, and the message must be consistent. The result is excitement, understanding, and unity. Just as Nehemiah completed the walls of Jerusalem with a strong prayer life, prayer is an indispensable part of a capital campaign. Prayer is the catalyst by which the Holy Spirit moves in the lives of people exhorting them to make the appropriate faith response. It is by faith that money is donated for the ministry's vision. Leading a capital campaign requires leadership by example.
Pastors, church staff, and capital campaign team members must model stewardship principles. David was a perfect example in 1 Chronicles The more involvement, the more success the capital campaign will face. Involvement produces ownership in the members.
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When members embrace ownership in the vision, it produces responsibility. Responsibility spurs financial support and increases the success of the capital campaign. Charlie Daniels of Churches by Daniel shares what he thinks is the most important aspect of fund raising, Fund raising is more than just money.
When it is approached correctly, it creates a partnership between those being ministered to and the ministry that servers them. It is as much a spiritual journey and growth opportunity for your people as it is a means of raising the finances to build the Kingdom. One of the most important aspects of fund raising is the follow up and follow through.
This is what makes a program truly successful. A well planned follow up process ensures that people remain committed to the vision. Your congregation will learn how to successfully provide for their church family and use what God has entrusted to them for His Kingdom. Members should not feel or be rushed into a giving decision. Donor development takes time and patience should be exercised. Finally, an appeal must be made to potential large major donors. Extraordinary givers in the church should be encouraged to share the vision with others.
Finance Solutions Churches have been having difficulty acquiring construction loans as a result of the U. The actual costs of church building projects depend on the size and the complexity of the design.
Cavuoto provides a glimpse of construction estimation, For initial planning, facilities cost apportionment can be estimated as follows: Site-work cost is usually 10 to 20 percent of the facilities cost, excluding landscaping. Landscaping can be added after construction but should be factored into the planning and designing process. Seating can be added later after facility construction but must be considered in the planning and designing stage.
Contractor overhead and profit costs are approximately 15 percent of construction cost. The surge in church foreclosures represents a new wave of distressed property seizures triggered by the financial crash, analysts say, with many banks no longer willing to grant struggling religious organizations forbearance. Church financing options may include traditional banks, bond companies, cash programs using capital stewardship, denominational financing, church development fund, and funds from private Christian investors and investment companies.
Sound System and Acoustics Church sound systems require professional design by a sophisticated sound company. The perfect acoustic layout and design is essential for a new sanctuary. An acoustic consultant should be hired to help design the church's acoustic and sound system. A superb acoustic consultant will be experienced in acoustics and sound. The system should be designed according to the specifications of the sanctuary or space.
Acoustics play a significant role in design and layout of the sanctuary. Vance Breshears is an experienced system consultant and designer with decades of experience. He shares the importance of designing acoustics and sound in the design and development phase of the building project, Most churches planning to build a new worship center will hire a professional architect to work on the programming and design phases of the project.
Prior to this, they interview several architects, using specific qualifications criteria, to select the one they want to work with. Once the architect is chosen, the process begins. Often, however, the same problems that existed in those rooms are also copied into the new plans. Some time later, after the schematic design and design development is complete and the project is well into the facility design phase, the architect discovers he needs to know what type of finishes the room requires; for example, if acoustic panels will be used.
It is at this point in the design process, when these types of questions start to arise, that most churches decide to hire an acoustical consultant. Lighting and Multi-Media When creating an atmosphere for worship, preaching or teaching, house lights, theatrical lighting systems, dimming systems, and mood lighting are essential elements. Today's high tech churches utilize multi-media and lighting during services. The use of overhead projection screens or rear projection is typical in today's sanctuaries.
This state of the art technology displays sermon outlines, announcements, video clips. In order to achieve maximum versatility, developing appropriate lighting is essential. The ministry should seek professional expertise. They share the importance of planning multimedia and lighting during the design phase of the building, Make sure that your architect and systems designer work together from the beginning of the planning process.
This is crucial to the success of the project. The room design, shape, and materials, will directly affect all multimedia performances. Placement of lights, projectors, screens, speakers, mixing consoles, and acoustical treatment materials must not be an afterthought. Construction A licensed contractor and church builder may be two different things.
If done properly, the construction process can be exceptionally pleasant and rewarding experience. The church must first determine the right builder and the right construction approach. In particular, competitive bid approach design-bid- build leads to a higher percentage of in-completed construction Get to know the cost factors, advantages, and risk associated with each type of construction approach. Furnishing The first decision the ministry will have to make is choosing what pieces of existing furnishings are worth keeping and what to throw away, donate, or sell.
Furnishings not only apply to chairs, pews, computers, and desks, but technology meets the criteria also. From projectors, to computers to security systems, all need to be included in the furnishing budget. Researching these areas ahead of time will prove to be beneficial. It is intriguing to see how a book that is thousands of years old can provide modern and practical advice on building. The book of Nehemiah not only gives advice, but stresses prayer as the key. While the ten steps discussed may be useful in starting the church building journey, success will be hindered without of prayer.
It is crucial for all involved to pray for God's continued guidance during and after the church construction project. Nehemiah prayed for favor, and he got favor. He presented the vision to the people, and they supported it and worked together to achieve it. Nehemiah was faced with opposition, but he confronted it, encouraged the people, and continued to pray. When praying about the vision and project, a few specific items should be included in the petition. Pray for willing leaders, God's desire for the ministry, the architect and builder, the congregation and unity, integrity in the ministry's business dealings, safety of the workers, and edification of Christ throughout the process.
Leaders, workers, and volunteers serving on the building committee will make a commitment for one, two, three, or more years. Assigning the right leaders and workers is imperative. They should be committed and willing to work as a body and a team. Prayer will be required to maintain a mind to work. There are many facets to ministries just as there is a plethora of different buildings and spaces. Pray that God continue to mold the ministry into what He desires during the project and upon completion.
The architect and builder will be involved in the church project from beginning to end. They will require prayer and so will the congregation. Pray that the building committee can communicate the vision effectively and maintain unity in the body. A Christ-like attitude must emanate from planning to complete the project. Pray for integrity in the ministry's business dealings and for wisdom to show the love of Christ in everything done.
God will get the glory, honor, and praise out of what can be an extraordinarily difficult situation. Construction projects and sites can be a dangerous place. Praying for the safety of workers, volunteers, and the congregation is extremely crucial. Finally, when construction starts, the ministry's light continues to shine. There is a magnificent Great Commission opportunity with so many workers assembled for six months to a year.
Pray for salvation of the workers who are unsaved and also pray for the unchurched. The church building process can be difficult, scary, cause division, and chaos. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. God has given many distinct principles throughout the Bible to show that He expects leaders to plan. It is clear that leaders are not to trust their own plans and strategies, but should be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Only the plans that seek the heart of God and His direction will succeed. Mark Marshall echoes the same sentiment in asking, Is there biblical support for the concept of strategic planning? Is it something we have taken from the secular business model and applied to churches?
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Does God honor the process of strategic planning? By principle and example, God's Word establishes strategic planning as one of the ways He works in and through His people. There are a number of leaders in Scripture who thought and acted strategically. Yes, strategic planning is found in Scripture. The book of Proverbs share practical principles regarding strategy and planning. Marshall mentioned five helpful scriptures that are clear regarding strategy and planning: A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps; 2 Proverbs Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed; 3 Proverbs Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed; 4 Proverbs In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps; 5 Proverbs Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.
Marshall outlined Jesus' strategy, "His strategy included some public teaching and miracle working. Ultimately, His strategy took Him all the way to the cross, the grave, and the resurrection. Jesus Christ knew the plan to provide redemption for all of mankind long before leaving heaven to carry it through. He views Moses as strategic in sending spies to Canaan. David was strategic as a child.
In 1 Chronicles, He chose main cities with the greatest influence. Nehemiah was strategic in his leadership while rebuilding Jerusalem's walls. God expects leaders to develop plans. As a result, He provided numerous examples and principles. God was clear that leaders are not to trust their own plans and strategies and ignore the direction of the Holy Spirit.
It is imperative to seek the heart of God and His guidance. Presupposing that biblical models of leadership are at the helm of the church building project, the first step involved in presenting essential elements for success is a quantitative and empirical study of the book of Nehemiah. The theory is leading through spiritual project management and administration, enhances, promotes and increases the probability of success. The first steps identified are characteristics and actions that convey the intrinsic dynamics and elements necessary for success in building.
He captured the hearts of God's people to complete a task that God called them to do. He inspired them to take on the monumental task of rebuilding Jerusalem's wall in six ways: These elements delineate the actions of Nehemiah throughout his building assignment. They comprise of a God given blueprint to success. The preparation process for building consists of six steps: The strategic leadership team's goal is to lead the church through the construction process. Key leaders should be recruited including the senior pastor, church leadership board members, and staff.
The leaders should get as much support for the project from this group as possible. Communication with the congregation is essential. Research showed that The leader must communicate with the congregation throughout the strategic envisioning process. Encouraging the strategic leadership team to help communicate the vision and updates will further enhance the leader's efforts. Embracing a biblical theological model of leadership for the project is critical. Nehemiah's model is ideal, and in addition, the Old and New Testaments provide other examples. Jethro in Exodus chapter 18, Issachar in 1 Chronicles Strategic thinking and actions are a must.
In addition to strategic thinking and actions, a ministry analysis may be helpful to start. A ministry analysis is useful in the planning process. The goal is to determine the ministry's strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. Establishing a spiritual foundation at the onset will undergird the planning process.
Once these steps are complete, the process of strategic thinking and acting can begin. An abundance of information on strategic planning can be found in secular and corporate publications. Leaders should be cautious in applying worldly principles to God given vision. Nehemiah led in a way that Jesus modeled in which much can be gleaned. Lee Walker has a similar opinion, "A leader can be defined as one who influences followers.
The ultimate example of powerful, effective, and valuable leadership is Jesus. Ford develops his theme by examining Jesus, the leader, as son, strategist, seer, servant, shepherd maker, spokesperson, struggler, and sustainer. Thus, leaders must be identified with Jesus and with their followers as he was.
Turn to Scriptures for Direction Phoenix: Virgo Publishing, , 2, accessed December 3, , http: Jerusalem's walls were rebuilt as a result of Nehemiah's strategic actions. In Malphurs' words, "Strategic planning is considered an envisioning process. It is structured navigation toward a ministry's mission and vision. The plan not only outline plans for the future, but it navigates a ministry to experience that future now. The ultimate goal is producing a unique ministry model. Vision Elements of the Project John Naisbitt supports the theory that strategic planning goes hand in hand with vision.
He was clear in saying, "Strategic planning is worthless--unless there is first a strategic vision. Leaders communicate the vision through vision casting. Casting a vision entails more than adopting verses of Scripture as a vision statement, but strategically, a vision must be embedded into the mission of the church in every way possible. Mission Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona is a perfect example. Lead Pastor Mark Connelly passionately shares, 29 Ibid. Adsit, Passport to Success: As we have celebrated that vision and poured our resources into it, it gets our true focus, energy and resource.
Everything revolves around it. Everything we do bleeds the vision, and I do not think you move from vision to movement without doing that. There is a classic axiom, "If it is a mist in the pulpit, it is a fog in the pew". If the leader is unclear on the vision and does not communicate it clearly to the congregation, then those being led will be even more unclear. The complexity of church building projects requires strategic leadership. Casting the ministry's vision is a vital part of the building process, but leaders should expect resistance.
He says, Vision is a picture held in your mind's eye of the way things could or should be in the days ahead. Vision connotes a vision that uniquely belongs to you. Eventually, you will have to paint that mental portrait for others if you wish the vision to materialize in your church. Just as you have used your imagination to create this view of the future, you will have to lead others to catch the same vision so that they, too, might share in its implementation and impact.
Thus, having a clear picture in mind is essential.
A fuzzy perspective is not vision. The benefit of vision casting is sharing the possibilities of the church with the members, but some things should be considered: Barna notes that, "God provides vision to His called, gifted leaders for the purpose of strategically directing the resources of the church. Grasping, casting, and indefatigably pursuing God's vision are the central, defining characteristics of God's leaders. It is the commitment to that vision and our capacity to bring it to fruition that dictates the shape of the church and the depth of influence that the church has on the world.
He expounds, "Great leadership lies at the heart of every successful ministry, and vision is at the heart of great leadership. Many churches struggle either because they are headed by people who are not leaders or they have otherwise-capable leaders who do not possess God's vision for their ministry" Vision is not purpose, mission, goals, or objectives.
Vision defines the mission, communicates the plan, inspires the purpose, narrows the focus and comes from the heart. Vision is a compelling and clear picture of the future of the ministry. Vision must be communicated from the heart to a visual picture. It must be written. God placed His vision in Nehemiah's heart in Nehemiah 1: The book of Nehemiah showed three effective principles: Effective organization in mobilizing workers is vital, but it must be thought out carefully.
Plans, ideas, and responsibilities, must result in manifestations of action. Warren Weirsbe described some people in the church as constructionalists in that they help to get the job done. Destructionalists are busy tearing things down. Every church experiences both. The third category is obstructionalists who create problems for the people who are working and accomplishing the ministry's goals.
It is necessary to recognize that constructionalists, destructionalists, and obstructionalists will all co-exist in the church. The key is strategically managing them all together to achieve the God given vision. Three things caused division in Nehemiah's camp and threatened to stop the work. The three distinct attempts were through mockery, force, and conspiracy. While it was obvious that the construction was proceeding according to Nehemiah's strategic plan and on schedule, the enemy continued to attack with each time becoming more intense.
Nehemiah's answer to the opposition was four-fold: Nehemiah's first defense was prayer. In the face of the enemy's attacks, Nehemiah's response was classic. His splendid example of personal prayer life became contagious. The people caught Nehemiah's passion for prayer and were moved to join in intercession. Nehemiah and the people prayed and continued to work, but felt the need to employ another way to spoil the opposition.
Seume compared Nehemiah's approach to Paul and Jesus. Jesus anticipated the opposition His disciples would face when He said, 'Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation' Matthew Getz provides a detailed outline of Nehemiah's problems and his responses in table Walls broken and gates burned 1: Grief and prayer 1: False accusations of the workers 2.
Confidence that God would give 2: Ridicule of the workers 4: Plot to attack the workers 4: Prayer and action posting of a guard, 4: Physical exhaustion and threat of 5. Positioning of the people by families murder 4: Economic crisis and greed 5: Plot to assassinate or at least harm 7. Refusal to cooperate 6: Slander against Nehemiah 6: Plot to discredit Nehemiah 6: Tobiah moved into a temple Neglect of temple tithes and Moody Press, , Violation of the Sabbath by business His view is that a church's full redemptive potential will never be reached without a river of financial resources.
The Pastor or leader is primarily responsible for fund raising and stewardship. Pragmatic leaders could benefit from Malphurs' suggestion, Though the pastor has full responsibility for funds management, that does not imply that he has to handle it all himself. He would be most wise to get some help in this area, especially when it comes to crunching numbers. There is little enjoyment in that. The larger churches may have a business administrator or manager or sin some rare cases a pastor of finances who with an accountant or two will manage the funds and report to the pastor.
Smaller churches can usually find volunteer help from laypeople who work with finances for a living. Plus the pastor may recruit a finance team or committee to aid him in funds management. Zuck, Nehemiah in the Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, Ed. Victor Books, , — A Capital campaign is a form of fund raising used as provision for church building projects. Campaigns are unique in their components, timetables, and goals. There are similar components: Once the needs are identified, financial goals are defined, a timetable is established, the capital campaign team is identified, and a public plan for recognition for donors is established, the capital campaign can be established.
Four possible strategies of capital campaign management and stewardship are: This type of campaign promotes building together; 3 developing a strategy that focuses on sacrificial giving, prayer, and discipleship. This type of campaign focuses on the ministry's future; and 4 establishing a self-driven campaign for smaller ministries with less than This type of campaign is strategically established according to the needs of the specific ministry. Developing a strategic ministry plan will facilitate the formation of the capital campaign's four strategies.
Developing a Strategic Ministry Plan Strategic planning is extremely vital in church building projects. A plan serves as a blueprint to lead the project step by step. Once the ministry's purpose, vision, mission, core values, objectives, strategies, and goals are established, the ministry is ready to seek programs activities which set out the implementation plans for key strategies. They took an in-depth look at the growth of 1, Protestant pastors following a building project. The research found 42 1 Corinthians 6: Regular ministry growth was documented as a result of facility expansion.
It remains that buildings will not reach people, people reach people. Audrey Barrick agrees with the researcher's view that strategic planning is essential. Bill Couchenour also suggests that the DNA of the ministry should be established before planning a building project. Leaders should answer three questions: The vision is a visual picture of the desired future. A ministry's mission is the result or action of the purpose and vision. Core values are values that govern the church's operation. The general areas in which efforts are directed are the ministry's objectives.
Strategies are guidelines by which the ministry's objectives are achieved. Goals are specific and time based accomplishments that are achieved as a result of implementing strategies in pursuit of ministry objectives. Finally, programs are activities which set out the implementation plans for the ministry's key strategies.
See appendix B for a step-by-step template. First, the document identifies guiding principles and policies for short and long-range planning for physical development of the church building project. Finally, the document outlines the master plan and clarifies land use to facilitate an intimate community experience. The McKnight group believes that the church's master plan communicates the vision, The process of master planning gets at the heart of what you want your church to be.
The church should see well beyond the here and now and design for the future. The building committee's conversations should revolve around the placement and relationship of future ministry components, and how the needs of today will impact the needs of tomorrow. Planning should involve understanding and anticipating building codes, and exploring ways to lower future construction costs. A master plan can be developed with the help of a church building consultant and a licensed architect. The purpose is to plan for the various phases of facility development of the ministry.
The ultimate goal is to efficiently utilize the ministry's land and facilities and possibly reduce costs for future building.