Read and Make Some Critique: The Book on Strategic Analysis (Book Review Sample)

Title: strategic planning
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Book critique
Summary of the book
Advanced strategic planning by Aubrey was published in 1999 for the first time. The book explains the importance of planning while undertaking church’s mission. The book offers a 9 step strategic and acting model, it uses diagrams to explain concepts, has useful thoughts to develop a ministry strategy and a section of spiritual formation. Among the key features of the book are diagrams that illustrate concepts, ideas to plan church growth and analysis of strategies to grow churches.
The nine phase Strategic planning model is flexible and adapts the community realities. Developing a strategy is important as it encourages community outreach.it is important if the church reaches out to the people through the gospel. The church should determine of a community and identify those who live there. Identify boundaries forms concentric circle that are flexible with the church being at the center. The second importance of strategy formulation is designing disciples making process. The strategy should have a simple, clear, and memorable pathway. To come up with such a strategy key steps are required that is embracing great commission and mission, identification of Biblical features of mature disciple, aligning the characteristics and ministries and finally evaluating performance of disciple-making strategy.
Strategic development has objectives and goals which are crucial to disciple making, community outreach, building a dream team, finances and setting. For the church to strategize authentically it needs consider factors such as, identity of the church, location and the time development will take place. Something may work from one location in a country and fail to work in another; therefore no church should mimic another.
People responsible for strategic development include senior pastor, the staff, governing board, and strategic leadership team. a strategic plan to be formulation follows four steps. One is to formulate development objectives, second is recruiting development teams and leaders. Third is to determining development deadlines, and finally develop strategy goals.
The ministry mission is important. The church is affected in a number of ways. Mission dictates the direction of the ministry- people would want to know the direction they are heading. The leaders demonstrate a sense of direction.
Defines the functions of the ministry- what matters to the ministry is defined. Mission offers the church biblical task. Determines the future of the ministry-The future is predicted through mission. People should learn press toward the anticipated future that is spelt out by the mission and vision. Provides guidelines for decision making-mission acts as a navigator for the church.it offers a framework for rational thinking, standardization and gives a criterion for decision making.
Inspires unity in the ministry- a carefully sought out mission brings unity. Members from different backgrounds are brought together and this encourages the ministry to carry out its agenda. Mission shapes the strategy- a mission that is dynamic tells the church which direction it will take. The strategy tells how while the mission tells what. Enhances effectiveness of the ministry-people understands church accomplishment this way they tend to become more effective. A church discovers that performance begins with a strong direction. Mission ensures the organization is enduring and as well facilitates its evaluation.
Critique
The book is important for today’s church that is being faced by a number of cults. It is helpful to the church. The church is made to focus on core mission, vision, values, purpose and strategy. Church leaders will be able to determine their distinct competencies. They will be able to evaluate why people attend their church and the type of image it has compared to other ministries in the region.
The book helps the ministry to discover their weakness and strength. The ministry is able to discover what it is not doing right, what is setting it back and how it will overcome this weaknesses.by knowing its limitation the church attempts to get qualified leaders, solve barriers amicably through direction and strategy audit. The Church discovers trends. The 21 century churches have trends such as contemporary music and worship. People will tend to enjoy a church that embraces contemporary music. People identify with such songs and this retains them in the church. In today’s church people have a different mode of dressing as opposed to the long Vail that did not expose any part of the skin, today casual dress have been adopted. The other emerging trends of the church are nondenominational, marketing techniques and practical preaching. This book helps the church discover such trends and change accordingly.
The church has adopted various new things. Members of the church have the freedom to make choices by implementing new and consistent ideas. The church no longer follows bureaucracy and excessive red tape while making of decision. Timely decision making has helped the church to overcome barriers such as heresy and cults. The church rapidly adapts to cha...