2 Tree of Life Christian Fellowship Strategic Planning September 23, 2007 Tree of Life Christian Fellowship —where hope grows!

3 What is Strategic Planning? Strategic planning is simply a process to determine: – Where TOLCF is going over the next year or more – How we are going to get there – How we will know if we got there or not

4 Why Do We Need a Strategic Plan? A strategic plan will help us to turn strategy into action by: – Clarifying who we are and what we do best – Outlining our goals and strategies for success – Balancing our priorities and allocation of resources – Measuring our progress

5 How Do We Create a Strategic Plan? The planning process involves: 1. Agreeing on who we are and what we are about 2. Determining what we do best 3. Using this information to clarify our goals and develop strategies for success 4. Setting up systems to track and evaluate our performance

6 The Planning Process: Who We Are and What We Are About Affirming our mission, vision, and values – Our mission statement defines why we exist and describes where we are going now – Our vision statement describes where we want to be in the future – Our core values reflect our culture and priorities

7 The Planning Process: Who We Are and What We Are About (Continued) Our mission – Tree of Life exists to celebrate Jesus, equip believers, and serve the world. Our vision – To provide a place where people can experience God’s love, discover their purpose, and fulfill their God-given destiny.

8 The Planning Process: Who We Are and What We Are About (Continued) Our core values 1. Biblically Based We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is the Christian’s sole authority for both faith and practice. We believe that relevant teaching based on scripture is a powerful mechanism for positive change in the lives of individuals. 2. Atmosphere of Acceptance We believe all people matter to God and ought to matter to the church. We want everyone to experience God’s grace and love. 3. Inspiring Worship We believe that God deserves our worship. We celebrate His goodness together with great music, attention to His Word and devotion to prayer.

9 The Planning Process: Who We Are and What We Are About (Continued) Our core values (continued) 4. Youth Ministry We believe ministry to children and teenagers should be given high priority. We are committed to making TOLCF a center for reaching, encouraging, and developing the youth of our area. 5. Discipleship We believe that full devotion to Christ and his cause is normal for every believer. We seek to guide and encourage that devotion with relevant teaching, exciting worship, meaningful fellowship and opportunities for service. 6. Equipping Leaders We believe enabling people to discover and develop their gifts is God’s strategy for changing the world.

10 The Planning Process: Determining What We Do Best Identify our core competencies – Core competencies are Things we do best Our areas of expertise Functions critical to our long term growth and success

11 The Planning Process: Determining What We Do Best (Continued) Our core competencies 1. Worship: atmosphere of acceptance, love, healing, and expectation 2. Counseling ministries: individual/family counseling and mentoring 3. Educational ministries: Sunday school, Bible study, educational services 4. Creative evangelism: music, guest speakers, family events, youth groups/events 5. Service: community events, food pantry, hospitality

12 The Planning Process: Determining What We Do Best (Continued) MISSION Worship MISSION Counseling Ministries Service Educational Ministries Creative Evangelism

13 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies Develop goals and strategies for achieving success – Goals Help translate our mission and vision into a logical set of strategies/objectives Integrate our core competencies Balanced to reflect three perspectives critical to church success : – spirituality – service – stewardship

14 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) The spirituality perspective (Spirit) – How can we improve our relationship with God? Perspective directs attention to the basis of all future success—the church's people Adequate investment in the spiritual well-being and education of our members is critical to our long-term success

15 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) The service perspective (Son) – How well are we serving the community? This perspective considers the church through the eyes of the community TOLCF must retain a careful focus on meeting the needs of God’s people

16 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) The stewardship perspective (Father) – Are we using the best internal processes to accomplish our mission? Perspective focuses attention on our management over the resources God has provided

17 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) Three key perspectives support church excellence: It is important to maintain balance among all three perspectives Church Excellence Service (Son, meeting needs) Stewardship (Father, administration) Spirituality (Spirit, growth)

18 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) Our strategic plan includes a broad goal for each perspective – Spirituality perspective —Grow a church body with the spiritual strength necessary to fulfill God’s purpose – Service perspective—Share God’s love through service to the community – Stewardship perspective—Build a God worthy reputation

19 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) Each goal has supporting strategic objectives – Objectives are measurable so that we can monitor our progress – Objectives are put into action through a set of initiatives Initiatives – Strategies to improve existing programs – New ideas/programs to help meet our goals

20 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) —Spirituality Perspective Goal: Grow a church body with the spiritual strength necessary to fulfill God’s purpose Objectives: 1.Promote continual learning 2.Support individual spiritual growth 3.Provide a worship atmosphere where God’s love, acceptance, and hope are evident

21 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) —Service Perspective Goal: Share God’s love through service to the community Objectives: 1.Build name recognition in the community. 2.Provide services that meet community needs. 3.Create an environment that welcomes and attracts newcomers.

22 The Planning Process: Clarifying Goals and Developing Strategies (Continued) —Stewardship Perspective Goal: Build a God worthy reputation Objectives: 1.Improve appearance and maintenance of church building. 2.Develop communication networks to promote information exchange. 3.Improve administrative processes to ensure focus on mission execution.

23 The Planning Process: Setting Up Systems to Measure Performance After establishing goals and strategies, we develop systems for collecting information about our progress – Critical measures are established for all programs/initiatives – Potential information sources include Member surveys Program participation data Church growth rates – Information is used to track progress, review success, make adjustments

24 Next Steps 1. Review/revise/approve strategic plan 2. Align human and budgetary resources with strategic plan 3. Prioritize initiatives 4. Organize improvement teams to address specific areas/initiatives 5. Formalize performance measures and create systems for data collection 6. Launch initiatives 7. Track progress/review success/make necessary adjustments