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Question 2: Strategy

How Do We Get It Done?

After a few meetings and several hours of discussion with Jeremy and his team, we arrived at a clear and simple mission statement that helped his church answer the question, “What do we do?” It was a painstaking process (as it usually is), but when we reached the statement that would drive the focus, staffing, resources, programs, and efforts of the church, there was a sense of both hope and celebration. They knew who they were and who they were not. They knew what they needed to say yes to and what they needed to say no to. The team realized it wasn’t just a vanilla-flavored statement that was going to be put on some banner and soon forgotten. This was something that would change the course of the church and become the catalyst that would give them consistent and sustainable growth. If we were building a house, this statement would be the foundation upon which everything else would be built. The team felt energized like they hadn’t been in years.

Now that the mission of this church had become clear, it was time to tackle the second of the seven unavoidable questions.

As we began the next session on developing a strategy for Jeremy and his team, I needed to stress the importance of answering question two: “How do we get it done?” I told them, “We have developed a clear mission statement, but that’s all it will be if we don’t put a strategy in place to carry out the mission. Creation without implementation always ends in frustration.” I wanted them to really understand, as I want you to understand, that the “how” question truly is one of the most important. Your mission will just be a handful of forgotten words if you don’t create a strategy that carries it out. I shared with them the following example that I believe paints a relevant picture of strategy.

In 1993, Steve Ells founded the fast-food restaurant Chipotle. Chipotle’s success has been nothing short of extraordinary. Most start-ups take years before turning a profit, but for Steve Ells it was almost immediate. It has become one of the fastest-growing chains in America, with an annual revenue of over $800 million. The mission statement behind Chipotle is simple: “Food with integrity.” There is a lot of explanation that goes behind that, but in short, they simply want to produce quality food that respects the animal, the grower, and the environment. But what fascinates me most about Steve Ells was a statement he made in a recent interview. He said, “It’s not our burritos that make us successful, it’s our systems.”1

Think about their system, at least from the customer’s perspective. You walk in to a Chipotle restaurant and most of the time you see a long line. Even if the line is long, though, you usually don’t have to worry because their system moves the line along quickly. You tell the first person what you want: bowl, burrito, salad, or taco. You then move down the line to a couple more people who will build your order. The last person asks if you would like a drink or chips, then they ring up the order and you are done. It is quick, it is clear, it is a system that can be duplicated, it is set up in a “step” process, and each person knows their role.

I asked Jeremy and his team, “Do you see where I am going with this? The Chipotle model can be an example of what a church strategy should look like. Think about it for a moment. Imagine a strategy in your church where you knew how to move people through their spiritual journey going from unchurched to fully devoted. A strategy where the steps were clear, where every staff person and leader knew their role, where people came in because of the invitation and investment in the culture you created, and you moved those people through a very clear and easy-to-understand process that helped them connect with Christ and your church.”

I could see the looks on their faces. Some looked a little confused and others looked like the light was coming on. I said to them, “This is what a strategy is. It’s an answer to how we fulfill our mission statement. There are clear systems all around us. Go to a drive-through at McDonald’s and there is a system they follow to move people through the line. Go to an amusement park and there is a system to move as many people as possible on and off the rides. Traffic signals are a system to move people through the roads as quickly as possible while creating as little chaos and confusion as possible.” I continued: “That is what a system does, it moves people through the journey and helps establish a practical plan to fulfill the mission God has given you.” When I think of strategy I often think of the psalmist David, who wrote, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8). It suggests this idea that people will first taste and then move on to something greater. It’s a process of moving people deeper into the things of God. That’s what a strategy does. It takes people from where they are and moves them to where God wants them to be.

As I finished sharing these thoughts, one of the team members chimed in and said, “So we need to think about how to better utilize our discipleship classes, Bible studies, outreach programs, men’s groups, women’s groups, and all the other things we do?” I replied, “No, you are still thinking in terms of programs. You need to think more in terms of processes.”

I went to the whiteboard and drew this to create clarity:

I told the team, “Notice that the programs support the process and the process supports the purpose. Programs are good and needed, but their main function is to support the process, then the process supports the purpose—the mission statement. A common mistake that churches make is that they have multiple programs but no process. This leaves most people in the church to figure out on their own how to grow in Christ and get connected to the church.”

One of the team members raised his hand just enough to get my attention and then said, “So, Chris, the strategy is really a map. It guides people to move from new attender to follower of Christ. Like a map, it should be easy to understand and lead you from point to point.”

I could tell they were starting to get it, so I said with excitement, “Yes, that’s exactly it. The strategy is a map. Your staff and leaders are moving people through the map. The map should be built on a few steps that people can easily identify. A good strategy should have four major characteristics: clarity, movement, alignment, and focus.”

I shared with the team that at South Hills we have always had a mission that focused on the unchurched. Our focus on the unchurched as a mission has directly affected our approach, style, staffing, and resources. But just because we are clear on the question, “What do we do?” doesn’t mean that we have answered the strategy question, “How do we get it done?” By way of example, let me show you briefly what our strategy looks like:

We are likening our church to a swimming pool. There is a shallow part, a middle part, and a deep end. We chose this word picture because it’s clear and simple. It moves from left to right. It has multiple reference points and it is easy to brand.

Shallow—Under this heading you could write “weekend services” and “Discover.” These two categories represent the shallow end of the pool for our discipleship process.

• Weekend services—We work hard to create an inviting culture so that people will bring their friends and family. But we also work hard to make sure that we live up to what we always say: “Any Sunday is the right Sunday to bring a friend.” We want our people to feel that way. We don’t want them to worry if it’s the right Sunday to bring someone. We want them to know that they can be proud of the music, message, children’s department, creative elements, and guest services and feel confident that their guests will love what they see, hear, and feel. We often say to our leaders and volunteers, “This Sunday is not just another Sunday. It might feel like just another Sunday to play guitar, pass out a bulletin, work in a children’s class, or whatever your role may be, but for someone this Sunday isn’t just another Sunday. This is the Sunday that someone finally got their husband, wife, son, daughter, friend, or co-worker to show up to church. Someone is waking up extra early on Sunday and praying for this person who finally committed to check out the service. We cannot let them down. We will put on a weekend service that they can be proud to bring their family or friend to. Again, this may be just another Sunday to you, but it’s not just another Sunday to someone else. This Sunday is the Sunday they believe will change it all. This Sunday is the Sunday they have been praying and hoping for and we cannot let them down.”
• Discover—This is our version of membership class. We actually don’t call it membership; we like the word ownership better. Membership is about rights; ownership is about responsibilities. We want the people of our church to feel a sense of ownership. Discover is a one-hour party where we discuss the history of the church, what we believe, and what our mission, values, and strategy are. We also introduce two primary next steps people can take: serving or joining a growth group. Please note that there is one major goal of Discover, and that is to get people to take the next step. The last fifteen minutes of Discover are all about taking the next step, and we see a very high percentage of people do just that.

  The part I don’t want you to miss about Discover is this: everyone knows what the first step is at South Hills. If you are new to the church, if you are already a believer, if you are a new believer, if you just moved into town . . . the answer is always the same. Your first step is Discover. In a typical church setting, you might ask someone, “I just started coming to the church. What is my first step?” Most likely their answer will be whatever is important to them: Bible study, men’s breakfast, women’s prayer group, or whatever program or event they are a part of and that they value. That is not an effective system. Everyone in your church needs to be pointing in the same direction and giving the same answer. That is what a strategy does. It gives a clear road map of the steps people need to take. “I’m new here, what do I do?” Answer: “Go to Discover.” It’s clear, easy to understand, and everyone knows the answer. Staff, leaders, and volunteers know that at Discover they will learn about the church and what we believe and will be challenged to take the next step of serving or growth groups.

So let’s recap the Shallow part of our strategy. Create an “invite and invest” culture so people bring their friends to the weekend services, and make sure those services are something they can be proud of. Then move people through the strategy of getting them to Discover. At Discover they will be pointed in the direction of the next part of the pool: the Middle.

Middle—Under this heading you can write the words “serving” and “growth groups.” This is the second part of our strategy. It’s important to note that although we would like each person to do both, we still count it a win if they at least do one of the two. The success comes in them taking the next step.

• Serving—In Ephesians 4 Paul writes about “equipping . . . the saints [to do] the work” (v. 12 NKJV). This is something we strongly believe in at South Hills. Through our Discover gathering, we try to point people to finding a role where they can serve. Some people will only serve once a month while others serve every week, but either way we want to see them begin to serve the Lord through a volunteer role. We put out a card at Discover listing all the opportunities and ways they can serve along with a portion for them to fill out their personal information. We collect the cards and follow up immediately. I have always found that a person is more likely to remain in your church if they get involved in some sort of serving capacity. In addition, statistics have shown that your church will grow two people for every one person that begins to serve. The “why” behind this is that when a person begins to serve, their sense of ownership and belonging increases and it results in their pursuit of their friends and family to come and experience what they have experienced.
• Growth groups—This is another option given at Discover as a next step. It is not presented as more important than other options. Whatever that step may be for them we are just happy they took it. Our growth groups are designed to be affinity-based. You might feel comfortable having a small-group gathering at a home or you might feel better if it was held in a coffee shop. You might also like to bike ride on Saturday mornings or ride motorcycles, so you get together with a few people who enjoy that as well, have a short little devotion and prayer, and then enjoy your activity for the day. We provide these through our church, and each group has two primary goals: spiritual and relational growth. If that is happening, that is a growth group to us. People might feel comfortable taking this as their next step, but again, we are okay either way. We just want to keep people moving forward.

Please note: Observe how easily this flows and the clarity it provides. Come to church, go to Discover, take the next step of serving or growth groups. It’s not messy. It provides clarity, movement, alignment, and focus. We are not bombarding newcomers with tons of programs and events for them to be a part of. There is one first step: Discover. There are two major options for the next step: serving and growth groups. It’s a clear system and like I always say, “If you work the system, the system works.” This brings us to the third portion of the strategy, and that is the deep end of the pool.

Deep—Under this heading you could write two phrases: “spiritual growth” and “leadership development.” These two represent the deep end of the pool for us.

• Spiritual growth—We want to make sure that people have the opportunity to experience God’s presence in bigger and fuller ways. Our weekend services are specifically designed to be bilingual (for the churched and the unchurched); that limits what happens there. However, we will create times throughout the year when people can come and experience extended times of prayer, worship, and study of God’s Word. This might happen periodically through worship nights or other activities. Recently, for example, one of our campuses took six Wednesday nights in a row to have extended worship and prayer. The attendance for this was huge. The point is that we know what our weekend services are designed for and they fit perfectly into our mission, but we also know that we want to provide other avenues for people to go to the deep end of the pool. We are not just interested in building crowds; we want to build disciples. We believe both are important. We work hard to build the crowd on the weekends, filled with those who call our church their home but also filled with people who are wanting to check things out in an environment that is safe and accepting. We also work just as hard to move people into the deep end of the pool so that their journeys with God continue to grow and strengthen. One is not more important to us than the other.
• Leadership development—This is the other portion of the deep end for us. We strive to build a leadership culture. We want our staff, leaders, and volunteers to have an appetite for personal leadership development. For us this is part of each person becoming everything God intended for them to be. Our staff is constantly reading books and learning. We spend time each month coaching our campus pastors and helping to bring out their fullest potential. But one of the most effective ways we produce leaders among our volunteers is through apprenticing. This is a culture we continually strive to build in our church. My friend Dave Ferguson wrote a book about this called Exponential. I highly suggest you pick it up. He is the one who has helped us in this area. Each of our staff and leaders have an apprentice they are working with, someone they are investing in on a regular basis to build up that apprentice’s personal leadership and train them to do their job. They usually meet at least twice a month and the apprenticing process will typically last anywhere from six to twelve months. Youth, children, tech, lighting, sound, guest services, worship, music directors, growth groups, teaching pastors . . . everyone is developing someone to do what they do. Dave Ferguson breaks down the apprenticing process like this:

I do, you watch, we talk

I do, you help, we talk

You do, I help, we talk

You do, I watch, we talk

You go and do this for someone else

It is based on 2 Timothy 2:2. There isn’t room in this book to cover this topic completely, but just understand that it is about leadership development, creating a culture of raising up other leaders. Your church will never go further than the leaders, so if you create a culture of leadership, your church has a greater chance of going further.

This is our strategy: Shallow—Middle—Deep. We do not think our strategy is perfect. But it works for us. We like it because it is simple, clear, and easy to understand. It moves from left to right and has very distinctive steps. Remember that Shallow—Middle—Deep is the strategy (process) and the programs support the process and the process supports the purpose (mission). It all flows together and has a clear purpose in each step.

I encourage you to create your own strategy, something that answers the question, “How do we get it done?” How do we, in a systematic way, carry out our mission? Think in terms of processes, not programs. Think of three to five stages that you can move people through. Programs can be placed under your strategy, just like programs are placed under our strategy of Shallow—Middle—Deep.

We have now answered the first two questions I ask everyone: “What do we do? How do we get it done?” Now it’s time to move to the third unavoidable question every leader must answer.