Understanding the Value of Getting Perspective Before Planning

I have been in the ministry for over 25 years.  When I first started I thought very little of strategic planning.  My focus was more on ideas and activities.  While some good things happened, I missed many opportunities to influence my ministry in a direction that had a lasting impact on students.  It wasn't until I was in my mid 20s when I was introduced to a book by Doug Fields called, Purpose Driven Youth Ministry.  That book impacted the way I thought about youth ministry more than anything I can put my finger on.  As I got older, strategic planning became a rhythm for my ministries, yet I often made the mistake of planning without getting proper perspective.  It is one thing to know where I want to go, but it is another to know how to get there.  I need to know where I am first.  In our GPS world we just open up our maps app on our phone, type in the address we want to go to and the directions were given to us... with options.  I wish planning were that easy.  When you engage in strategic planning you have to take the time to identify where your current position is (point A).  We also have to identify where we are going (point B).  Once those two points are identified, then we can effectively plan what needs to happen in order for us to get from point A to point B.  So gaining perspective is critical.  This is even more crucial because we live in a world that is constantly changing, not to mention that we tend to drift from our mission too easily.  This is why I am a firm believer in doing the hard work to gain perspective before we plan.  Don't make the mistake of planning without first gaining perspective on the current health and reality of your ministry.  In the business world they do this all the time through what is called a SWOT.  This is a perspective tool used when planning for a specific initiative.  You gain perspective on your current strengths and weaknesses relative to what key deliverable you are shooting for.  You also gain perspective on opportunities the initiative will potentially open up and the threats that make it difficult for the initiative to be accomplished.  Only after this kind of information does the planning begin.  There are so many different constructs or tools that can be used to gain perspective, but bottomline... the better your perspective, the better your planning.  Blessings!