{"id":16337,"date":"2026-01-13T17:45:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T17:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=16337"},"modified":"2026-01-13T17:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T17:45:13","slug":"our-7-step-goal-setting-strategic-planning-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=16337","title":{"rendered":"Our 7-Step Goal-Setting Strategic Planning Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Setting goals can be difficult and even controversial.<\/p>\n

Most of us live busy lives, and it\u2019s easy to get caught up in that busyness and think, \u201cI just don\u2019t have time to set goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the reason people don\u2019t set goals is because goal-setting can seem like a big, overwhelming project.<\/p>\n

To be candid, setting goals is a big project, but it doesn\u2019t have to be overwhelming. <\/strong><\/p>\n

As with every big project, if you have a process that breaks it down into smaller steps which you can do over several weeks, it can make the whole process much easier, even fun. (Yes, fun! \ud83d\ude42)<\/p>\n

Take a walk with me\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Imagine you and I go on a hike together. Along the way, we come face to face with a 100 foot cliff.\u00a0 Now, I don\u2019t know about you, but I am not a rock climber, so there is no way I can go straight up the cliff to get to the top.<\/p>\n

But suppose I\u2019ve done this hike many times before and I know right around the corner is a series of switchbacks with a gradual incline. We can take these switchbacks and walk to the top of the cliff .\u00a0 What seemed at first like an overwhelming and even impossible task, turns out to be relatively easy when we know the easy path.<\/p>\n

If you are wondering about\u2026<\/p>\n

    \n
  • How to set goals for my church, ministry or business, or<\/li>\n
  • How to create a strategic plan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u2026 you have come to the right place!<\/p>\n

    In this article I\u2019m going to share with you, the step-by-step strategic planning process we use<\/strong> here at OurChurch.Com each year to set the 4 types of goals we discussed earlier.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s an inside look\u2026<\/p>\n

    7-Step Strategic Planning Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    1) Remember who we are, where we\u2019re going<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    We always start our strategic planning process with prayer.\u00a0 We follow that with reviewing our vision, mission and values.\u00a0 We read them out loud.<\/p>\n

    This reminds of where we a going (vision), what we will accomplish along the way (mission), and our approach to getting there (values).<\/p>\n

    2) Identify where we are now<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    For any journey to be successful, you have to know both your starting point and your destination.\u00a0 To evaluate where we are now, we do three things:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • A. Celebrate last year\u2019s successes.<\/strong> We keep a \u201cWins, Losses, and Stories\u201d Google doc, which we add to throughout the year.\u00a0 Before the meeting, I review it and note our biggest wins. Then together our leadership team reviews and celebrates the big wins.<\/li>\n
    • B. Evaluate last year\u2019s goals.<\/strong> The leader of each department does some prep to evaluate how well their department did with all 4 types of goals the previous year \u2013 objectives, projects, processes and numerical goals. Then\u00a0 they present and discuss their evaluations with the leadership team.<\/li>\n
    • C. SWOT Analysis.<\/strong> We list and discuss the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats for each department and our organization as a whole.\u00a0 This is helpful because it shows us the strengths we can build on, the weaknesses we can work on, the opportunities to consider pursuing, and the threats we may want to protect against.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      3) Determine objectives<\/strong><\/h4>\n

      The first type of goals we set are objectives.\u00a0 These are general goals like \u201cincrease the number of SEO clients we serve\u201d or \u201cimprove hosting support.\u201d\u00a0 A church\u2019s objectives might be to \u201creach out to more people in the community\u201d or \u201cimprove discipleship and spiritual growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

      We take 3 \u201csub-steps\u201d when setting objectives.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • A. List possible objectives.<\/strong> This is an idea-sharing, brainstorming session. There are no wrong answers, just get everything out there and onto a whiteboard.<\/li>\n
      • B. Pray and discuss.<\/strong> This is where we start to try to discern which objectives God is leading us towards and which are maybe not a good fit for this year, which are really important and which are less important. Usually, we end our first day of strategic planning at this point and give our leadership team a week or two think and pray on this.<\/li>\n
      • C. Decide and prioritize.<\/strong> This last step is the most difficult. It will vary depending on an organizations leadership and decision making structure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        We use a quazi-democratic process.\u00a0We have each person on the leadership team privately list their top 10 objectives. Then we each give 10 points to our #1 objective, 9 points to our #2 objective, down the line to 1 point for our #10 objective.\u00a0 We combine everyone\u2019s scores together and see what we have.<\/p>\n

        Where there is broad agreement, we feel affirmed. Where there is a significant disparity in rankings, we invite people to explain and even to lobby to increase or decrease the priority of an objective.\u00a0 Ultimately, we seek unanimous agreement on the prioritized list of objectives for the year.<\/p>\n

        4) Determine projects and processes<\/strong><\/h4>\n

        Objectives are the \u201cwhat\u201d of goal setting. Once we know what<\/em> we\u2019re going to do, the next step is to determine how<\/em> we are going to do it.\u00a0 This is where we figure out our project and process goals.<\/p>\n

        We use a very similar process for projects and processes as we do with objectives with one extra step.<\/p>\n

          \n
        • A. List possible projects and processes.<\/strong> We go one by one through the objectives and ask, \u201cWhat projects could we do or processes could we add\/change to help us reach this objective?\u201d This is an idea-sharing, brainstorming session. There are no right or wrong answers; we just get everything out there onto a whiteboard.<\/li>\n
        • B. Research possible projects and processes.<\/strong> One of the problems we ran into years ago when we first started doing strategic planning is we would try to prioritize projects but had questions about the cost or time they would require. We couldn\u2019t make an informed decision. As Jesus said in Luke 14:28, \u201c\u201dSuppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won\u2019t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?\u201d\u00a0 Now we have some discussion about the possible projects and processes, determine which need to be researched, who will research them, end that day\u2019s meeting and give everyone a week or two to do their research and create project plans.<\/li>\n
        • C. Pray and discuss possible projects and processes.<\/strong> In this step, we discuss the projects, project plans and research.\u00a0 We try to share the project plans and research ahead of this next meeting so we\u2019re not going in cold.\u00a0 That puts us in a better position to be able to decide on and prioritize projects in the same meeting they\u2019re discussed.<\/li>\n
        • Decide and prioritize.<\/strong> As with the objectives, this is the most difficult step and will vary depending on your organizational structure.\u00a0 We use the same process for prioritizing projects and processes as we do for objectives \u2013 vote, discuss, and make adjustments to gain consensus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          5) Schedule projects<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          Now that we\u2019ve determined the priorities of all the projects and processes, we put those projects and processes into a schedule.\u00a0 Usually I do this, putting together a proposed schedule for the rest of the leadership team to review and provide feedback before its finalized.\u00a0 The schedule is going to depend on who is doing the work, how many hours it\u2019s going to take, and how many hours a week they have to put towards strategic planning projects.\u00a0 This helps us set deadlines.<\/p>\n

          We also have to factor communications into our schedule.\u00a0 If we\u2019re launching a new or improved service, how are we going to communicate that and over what period of time?\u00a0 If we are trying to help our clients accomplish something, like increase the number of clients who receive the Best Church Websites Award, are we going to raise awareness by doing a blog series or theme month on that?<\/p>\n

          Churches have to consider similar things when scheduling.\u00a0 There\u2019s the availability of staff and volunteers, as well as factoring in seasons when people are more receptive to visiting a new church, starting a bible study, or volunteering to help those in need.<\/p>\n

          6) Set numerical goals<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          As I\u2019ve said before, setting numerical goals is a controversial subject within churches, because ultimately we believe the outcome is up to the Lord.\u00a0 Here at OurChurch.com, we believe our outcomes are dependent on God as well. However, we also set numerical goals to help us measure how well we are accomplishing our objectives.<\/p>\n

          Often, the first step towards setting a numerical goal is tracking. For example, most church leaders we talk to have no idea how many people found their church through an online search before visiting a Sunday gathering.<\/p>\n

          If you\u2019re in this situation, before you can set a numerical goal, you would need to start asking visitors how how they heard about your church (verbally at an information table or in writing through physical or electronic connection cards), and log that data each week in a spreadsheet.<\/p>\n

          7) Stay on track, make course corrections<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          One thing I can guarantee \u2013 if you set goals at the beginning of the year, put them in a folder, and don\u2019t take them out until the end of the year, you will NOT accomplish many of those goals.<\/p>\n

          We review our project schedule every week during staff meetings to make sure everyone knows the projects and processes they should be working on and when they are due.\u00a0 We also do a quarterly review of our strategic plan to see if we need to make any adjustment to the schedule.<\/p>\n

          So, there you have it! This is how we scale that 100 foot cliff of goal-setting.\u00a0 Not by trying to go straight up the rock face in one shot, but rather step-by-step, usually over 6 to 8 weeks.<\/p>\n

          Get Started!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          If you are reading this and thinking to yourself, \u201cIt\u2019s mid-January (or later) and we haven\u2019t even started talking about goals.\u00a0 Maybe we can try this next year,\u201d\u00a0 don\u2019t get put off by the calendar.\u00a0 It\u2019s better to put together goals and a plan that will guide you through the last 10 months of the year, than to do the rest of this year without goals and a plan.<\/p>\n

          Bottom line\u2026<\/p>\n

          It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. -Mabel Newcomber<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

          Click to share this image on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram <\/p>\n

          We can help you reach your outreach and communication goals<\/h4>\n

          Do your objectives this year include reaching more people or communicating more effectively? Are you considering projects or processes to help you accomplish those objectives? Then its time to gather more information by talking with a member of our team about\u00a0a new website, a DIY website builder or better search rankings.<\/p>\n

          Complete the consultation request form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a call.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Post a comment and discuss\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n
            \n
          • What\u2019s your biggest take-away from this article?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Continue reading\u2026 How to set and reach your goals in 2026!<\/p>\n

            Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

            An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like <\/span>ChurchLeaders.com<\/span>, <\/span>The JoyFM<\/span>, and his personal blog, <\/span>LiveIntentionally.org<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at <\/span>Journey Community Church<\/span> and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n