Mission and Vision Approaches

At our bishop's convocation on Oct. 18, 2011 we touched on the importance of a congregation, campus ministry, etc. having approaches or strategies for moving into the future.  (I plan to post the document from the convo on this same synod group site.)

The four steps that I outlined might be considered a middle way, or a way that fits our time of rapid change.  There could be an even less involved approach that simply adds a bit of mission "color" to existing events (for a congregation fund-raiser to which the larger community is invited, a more intentional effort is planned for interacting with community members who attend, for example).

Others might want to go the more involved route and continue with a detailed strategic plan for the next three to five years.  As much as some people feel these plans don't fit our time of rapid change, many institutions (think Pacific Lutheran University) still use them very effectively.

What are your thoughts or experiences regarding the importance of having approaches or strategies to move toward a desired future? 

Thanks for joining the discussion!