Is Strategic Planning Like Taking Cod Liver Oil? A Request for Insight!

            I’m going to think out loud here, about strategic planning at my church, Lawrence Park Community Church (LPCC) in Toronto.

            I’ve been pushing for strategic planning for a few months. But I’m apprehensive. I’ve been part of enough strategic planning exercises to know that they can easily generate lots of cynicism about top-down planning. I also know that you can’t count on supporters and stakeholders to somehow lead you to the Promised Land. I’ve seen lots of strategic plans barely limp along or fail.

            But at LPCC it is time. In this post I’ll offer some thoughts on why it’s time, but also some on why strategic planning is going to be tough. I’d love to hear from others who have gone through the process and met with some success with it in the years following—or not.

            Why is it the time right? Well, for starters, there is no strategic plan in place. This isn’t all bad. LPCC knows what it is about, mostly. We are a liberal congregation that invites reflection rather than insists on answers. The community here is really warm—especially for those who have been long-time members. The renovated sanctuary—though simple—is almost breathtaking, too. The classically oriented music program, including a choir with professional leads, is excellent.

            But—and this is critical—not having a strategic plan also means that we keep doing whatever we’re doing without reflecting much on it. That includes the programs that don’t work. We are also not thinking about how the world, the neighbourhood, and its own membership are all changing.

           The world has pressing long-term crises on its hands. Climate change, religious fundamentalism round the world, reliance on military solutions, population growth and poverty. Fixing these problems is like quitting smoking. You know its a good idea, but the promised benefits of quitting are so far in the future that it’s hard to get motivated to try.

           Today’s world problems are like that. If the church wants to be spiritually relevant, it can’t go with the lackadaisical flow our culture has adopted to solving these issues. But if the church does focus on mobilizing spiritual resources to deal with such world issues, it also risks alienating membership that is more interested in comfortable pews than activism.

           The Neighbourhood. In the sixty years since the church was built its neighbourhood has become quite exclusive. Mercedes and BMWs are everywhere. Nannies, private schools and school uniforms, mansions, exclusive health and fitness and golf clubs—they’re all part of the scene too. Not all members of LPCC live in the neighbourhood anymore. But many do. I am not one to condemn people for having money or being upwardly mobile. But I do realize, more and more, that—as with every other demographic—it takes a lot of wisdom and insight to speak meaningfully to this niche. What’s our strategy?

           Our membership is aging. Sunday morning is the wrong time for many youth to do church stuff. Sunday morning is generally taken by hockey and other sports. For slightly older teens or college students, late Saturday nights make Sunday morning church difficult. Younger people are doubly suspicious of all institutions. Young families are over-scheduled, under-resourced, and used to not going to church ever since they started college. Traffic is a killer.

           LPCC has some strengths. Attendance is stable and slowly growing. The leadership ran a successful stewardship campaign last year. We have some expert leaders with corporate and NGO experience who can help us with the strategic process—if they have time. Members are very committed to the church, and a core of them are willing to work endlessly for the church.

           But we have weaknesses too. It’s hard to find volunteers for a whole host of good, understandable reasons. The membership is quite happy to leave most church matters in the hands of paid, professional staff. Ownership of strategic and leadership matters is left to fewer and fewer members. Our classically oriented music program appeals to a smaller and smaller societal niche. Contemporary Christian Music, an obvious alternative, will never, ever fly, including not with me. 

           It is also increasingly hard for us to get heard in the neighbourhood. Where once LPCC was one of the key uniting institutions in our twenty block area, it no longer is. The future of LPCC, while always being rooted in this neighbourhood, is going to have to embrace a larger geographic area, and perhaps the large hospital and (French-speaking) campus across the street.

           And at the heart of the complicated process we’re about to begin, there is this nagging core question too. What are we ultimately about? What is our “good news?” Our current tagline, while catchy, also seems on balance a bit negative: “united, unlimited, unorthodox.” And what does that mean, anyway? So LPCC needs a core mission to rally round, one that responds to the deepest felt needs of our society, and one that is congruent with our liberal Christian theology.

           So, as I said, I’ve been thinking out loud. Who will tell me, and our church, what to do and what not to do at this critical moment? I’d love some good advice!

Ten Commandments for Worship Leaders

            A few months ago I was asked by some aspiring worship leaders what it takes to stand up before a congregation and, well, “lead.” They wanted some advice from an old pro—me. So, after thinking about it for a little while, I came up with Ten Commandments for worship leaders—the people who greet the congregation, or pray, or introduce songs, or make announcements. It is an idiosyncratic list, based as much on my personal issues as universal truths. The list is not comprehensive. But based on the many years I've been a travelling pastor who sat in the pew for much of the service, before I preached, I thought I’d share this list of of advice I think people need to hear with my readers.

ONE: Thou shalt never use the word “just,” in worship, and especially in prayer. Worship is not “just.” It is actually a lot. Worship is special. Maybe even divine. Using the word “just,” as in “we’re just here to praise God,” or “we just love each other,” sounds uneducated, sloppy, dumb, and unprepared. Perhaps the fault here is that I'm an old English teacher. On the other hand, I've often noticed that the quality of worship leadership runs inverse to the frequency with which the word "just," gets used.

TWO: Thou shalt own your space, and smile about it. Worship leaders that slouch onto the dais, who don’t look the audience in the eye, and who frown seem insecure. Audiences catch on to such insecurity, and it unsettles them. So shoulders back, head up, and walk as if you know where you’re going!

THREE: Thou shalt not be trite, use clichés, or unnecessary God talk when leading a worship service. You know what I mean. The worship leader who insists, between every song, that “this is so meaningful to me. It is such a beautiful song. God loves it when we praise him. We’re being a missional, transformational church for him,” and on and on. Words in a worship service should be purposeful, intentional, and important.

FOUR: Thou shalt remember not everyone in attendance wants to praise God at this moment. Many come to church seeking comfort for sorrows, or encouragement amid anxiety, or meaning amid the chaos of their own lives. Include songs of lament for these people. Remember, there are more Psalms of lament than any other kind. A singular focus on praise and thanksgiving excludes far too many people.

FIVE: Thou shalt offer a clear lead-in with a clear cue to start the congregation singing. Pianos and organs and choirs are great for offering these singing cues. It can be done with guitars or violins—but it is much harder. Practice makes perfect.

SIX: Thou shalt sing new tunes through, especially with the help of a choir or a soloist, once or twice before you ask the congregation to join in.

SEVEN: Thou shalt keep a reign on your emotions. Naturally, worship leaders will always be wrestling with a range of emotions and feelings as they stand before the congregation. Perhaps there was an argument with a spouse before church. Perhaps a loved one is in the hospital. Maybe you just received a big promotion at work. As worship leader, however, you must not let such emotions run away with your leadership. Remember, you are there for everyone, not merely yourself. So, think slow. Speak with assurance and purpose. Know what you are going to say. Exhibit a range of emotions that resonate with the actual content of what you have to say to the audience.

EIGHT: Thou shalt especially beware of drums overpowering all singing, and instruments drowning out the voice of song leaders. In churches with praise bands, this happens all the time. I tend to think of it as an ego issue—some musicians just have to make a statement. But that is wrong—church musicians are supposed to help people sing. They are not there to be centre stage.

NINE: Thou shalt write out your prayers. I’m thinking back to numbers one and three, above. We put inordinate emphasis on the need for unrehearsed, spontaneous prayer. I’m not sure why. Surely the work that goes into crafting prayer is good work, spiritually beneficial, and a thoughtful way of being sure that you will pray for what really ought to be prayed about. If you want to memorize your prayer, or reduce it to notes, fine. But prayer is not the right moment for sloppiness.

TEN: Thou shalt remember that aesthetic excellence is excellent. Beauty is holy. God loves a lovely song played well. Not many of us can go to churches whose soaring arches remind us of the vaults of heaven and the mysteries of God’s love. But all of us ought to go to churches where even the simplest song does the same.

In summary, worship leadership is undertaken for the benefit of the audience, and especially their desire to worship. So lead with that goal in mind.