Advice for Religious Entrepreneurs
Strategic Planning for a Religious Organization Startup
Religious organizations that fail to create a strategic plan put themselves at a big disadvantage in what is an increasingly competitive market for congregants.
As the leader of a new religious organization, your goal right now is probably just to get the doors open and have a handful of people walk through them on your first day.
But as your organization grows, it can quickly spin out of control, especially if you don't have a strategic plan.
Uncontrolled growth can be almost as deadly as no growth at all. Strategic planning is designed to chart a course for growth and manage it when it occurs.
A common format for strategic planning is the SWOT method in which the organization's leaders identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the organization.
For best results, you should consider bringing in an external facilitator to guide your religious startup through the strategic planning process.
A strategic planning consultant or facilitator will enable you and your leadership team to participate more fully in the planning process and identify your personal blind spots.
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