First Person HOLY FOCUS
As a reminder to myself and hopefully a helpful word to my friends—Focus. Focus. Focus. Unfocused busyness is the enemy. by the Rev. Adrienne Hymes
M
y professional training in the fields of public relations and marketing have given me a “natural” way of functioning using the framework of strategic planning. The basic structure of a strategic plan is four-fold: Objectives, strategies, tactics and the timeline. I am quite aware that some business language and ways of being may be off-putting for some, and indeed, may not serve the church well. However, in the ministry of church planting to which God has called me requires me to function strategically, and to draw upon my existing skill set. I am convinced that basic knowledge of, and ongoing training in, strategic planning is essential to the development of a congregation’s Spirit-led, focused movement rooted in Christ. Focused movement results from a well-written strategic plan. The focus reflects the planning and the movement reflects the necessity to embrace nimbleness. Certainly, there are endless things to distract a congregation, a ministry or an individual from focusing on reaching milestones and achieving intended outcomes. The reality of church size, human and financial resources, and myriad other considerations, dictate what can be done at a certain time in the life of the congregation. The gift of the strategic plan with a clear objective is that there is built-in focus: anything that does not align with the strategic plan, while it may be very good and very important, cannot be engaged at a certain time or ever. Stay focused. Unfocused busyness is the enemy. It has been my experience that churches generally live in the soup of tactics—started functioning in tactics—at the end of the strategic planning. Without realizing it, this functioning in tactics soup leaves little room for evaluating whether or not those activities actually align with the objective, and whether or not the “roadmap” of the strategies directly lead to the destination of the objective. The busyness of tactics can become dangerous quicksand, pulling people into a false sense of productivity. Sure, there’s a lot being done, but is anything really getting done? In this whirlwind of “busy”, a church risks becoming a spiritual spa, a country club gathering or a place to distract from going deeper into the spiritual life of the faith 6
community and even one’s own spiritual life. The focus of kingdom-building becomes weighed down in a neverending “to do” list of distractions which can suffocate a faith community—a joy for the enemy. Strategic planning is a disciplined way of thinking and functioning, and it demands accountability. As I write this piece, I am reminded to be focused. I reflect upon this huge challenge for a priest of a startup congregation serving in myriad roles which change daily. Some images that have popped up are strategic planner, architect, construction worker, air traffic controller (watch out for those powerful Holy Spirit winds—turn off the engine and ride the wave), the bearer of the holy “No,” (say that again) and the bearer of the holy “Yes.” I am the relationship sommelier (the blessing of the fine wine of human relationships) and the connector, and the...the list goes on. At this critical time in the life of the church plant in Wesley Chapel, the applied discipline of strategic planning dictates that while there are many opportunities and invitations to serve, I cannot engage them right now, or ever, if they are extracurricular to the building up of God’s kingdom, with God’s help and the servants He has sent, in Wesley Chapel. Is your congregation drowning in tactics soup? Are you caught in the quicksand of unfocused busyness? Don’t let the enemy distract you and keep you from your focus on building up God’s kingdom. Focus on Christ. Focus on the holy leading of the Spirit. Focus. Focus. Focus. Unfocused busyness is the enemy.
HOW TO: FOCUS YOUR FOCUS OBJECTIVE | WHERE ARE WE GOING? STRATEGIES | HOW WILL WE MOVE TO GET THERE? TACTICS | WHAT THINGS NEED TO BE DONE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE STRATEGIES AND THE OBJECTIVE? TIMELINE | WHEN ARE THE INTENDED DATES OF ACHIEVEMENT? A STRATEGIC PLAN WITHOUT A TIMELINE IS THE EPITOME OF UNFOCUSED BUSYNESS.
