Strategic Mission: Go the Flow

Thinking Strategic Mission process not program

As we come to the end of this series of posts on strategic mission, I hope you are starting to see possibilities for your neck of the woods.

I hope you are starting to realise that there is no one thing that you can do, but by thinking strategically and looking for what God is already doing, you might see how the pieces fit together.

Because there is no one program that addresses all the questions of strategic mission, we need to think in terms of process..

How can we work to build synergy in mission?

Mark Twain said:

Synergy is the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously.

One of the most difficult hurdles to strategic mission is making that synergy really work.

As God looks at the world he sees his church, and I don’t think is as concerned with what brand we belong to or what organisation we support as we are.  To be truly effective in mission we need to find ways to get past our man made barriers.

To be truly strategic means to have the questions and goals clear, and then to be able to stand back and see the different bits and how they might work together as a whole.

Some churches might have some strengths and others, others. The same thing is true for Christian organisations and individuals.

So often the most important question might be “How do we build bridges between what God is already doing”? This will involve working hard to build trust and communication, and is where having Prayer as the starting point is critical.

Usually though, there will be clear gaps as you engage the questions of strategic mission, and in those gaps there is room for you to be creative as you find solutions with God for your unique setting.

There is no one “right” answer, however the questions will remain constant.

I have included below a link to a PDF document that shows two examples of how different programs might fit together into a model of strategic mission.

Click here for Examples of Strategic Mission Flow charts

One of the flow charts is an example of how different programs could flow together synergistically for mission with children, the other is for single mothers.

These are just examples but show how the different questions of strategic mission can be addressed in a synergistic process.

Tomorrow I will have a booklet for you to download if you are interested in exploring the questions of strategic mission further.