STRENGTHENING
CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Strategic Planning and Deployment
IN
THE LAST ISSUE of The Renewanation Review
magazine, we reviewed the critical role assessment
plays in routinely monitoring the health of your Christian
school. The natural next step resulting from thorough
assessment is the development and deployment of a
strategic plan. Unfortunately, strategic plans have become
synonymous with that binder on the shelf that must be
refreshed every year but has little significance or impact. As
a result, strategic planning has become viewed as simply a
waste of time. Nothing is further from the truth. Without
detailed planning, organizations often arrive at a destination
they never intended and struggle to make solid progress
toward a desired future. Who would consider heading out
on a journey without first charting out the best path to reach
your destination? Yet, we find many Christian schools that
are doing just that. With the right process employed, stra-
By Ron Gordon - Executive Vice
President & COO of Renewanation
tegic planning and deployment will be a powerful guiding
practice to strengthen your Christian school.
“The simple believe anything, but the prudent give
thought to their steps” Proverbs 14:15.
However, some have questioned whether strategic planning
is even biblical. They question whether this practice was
simply transferred from the business world to secularize
ministry. The Bible gives us multiple examples to support
that strategic planning is actually a biblical mandate. Old
Testament examples include Jethro’s coaching of Moses to
establish a delegation process to more effectively manage the
Israelites and Nehemiah’s strategy development and execu-
tion to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Perhaps, the clearest
example from scripture was from Jesus Christ Himself. He
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