My first twelve years of ministry in the church where I now serve were characterized by undramatic but significant growth. The budget had quadrupled. More than one hundred and twenty-five persons had joined the Body. A full-time Associate Minister had been added to the staff. And our Director of Music position had expanded from eight to twenty hours per week. Generally speaking, it was an era of unbridled optimism. "Onward and Upward" was our figurative hymn of choice. Growth was a given. How sweet it was! Until we discovered that in the midst of these "good times" a major problem had somehow gone unnoticed! While climbing the ladder of statistical "success" we had failed to recognize a very important fact -- our increase had come primarily by default, not design. Bad news! Why? Because, as one of my elder parishioners once remarked, "David, the balloon doesn't always go up!"

How right he was! In fact, in 1989 our financial balloon began to deflate. Almost overnight the "Onward and Upward" melody went flat and a pessimistic song called "Hold On for Dear Life" became our principal hymn. Like Sherman's devastating "march to the sea," the dreaded enemy called Recession had begun its destructive advance across our economic landscape. In alarming numbers parishioners' jobs were being lost, or salaries frozen. The result? Offerings shrank. And along with this shrinkage came a shift in the mindset of the congregation, from one of expansion to one of survival. Growth and prosperity were no longer a given. Belt-tightening became our modus operandi and attention-to-immediate-concern-only became our basic philosophy of ministry. In that summer of 1989, as we looked ahead to our pledge season, the color of our collective mood was blue. It was not surprising, therefore, that when my Trustee said, "We need a long-range plan," his words fell on discouraged ears.

Discouraged yes, but not deaf! Each one of us who heard his comment, not only heard it, but also resonated with its truth. The message was clear and succinct. We had to do something we had never done before, something we had never felt the need to do...we had to farm the future, i.e., we needed to engage in long-range planning. If growth were to continue, it would now have to come via an intentional, long-term strategy.

The rest of the Trustee meeting on that warm summer evening proved thrilling. Moving away from the "dollars and cents" discussion that had dominated the earlier conversation, we began to look between the lines of our ministry. We started thinking carefully about who we are as a church, what real needs prevailed in our community, and how we thought God was calling our congregation to minister to those needs. And we began to plan ahead, several years ahead, carefully considering the options open to us. By the time the meeting was over, the atmosphere was electric with excitement. For the first time in anyone's memory we were making a deliberate attempt to shape our church's tomorrow, allowing our dreams to serve as the conduit through which God's vision for our future could flow.

Over the next several months the Trustees met with increasing frequency. So great was their excitement that every meeting became a "high." Ideas flowed freely. Soon a Three-Year Plan took shape, along with a strategy for enlisting the support of the larger congregation. And much to our delight, as that strategy played itself out, "optimism" made a comeback. Even though we still faced difficult economic times, the "balloon" was again headed upward. Only this time it was different. This time its ascent was regulated by responsible planning, not ungoverned whim.

The Trustees had hit on something big. They and the larger congregation knew it, but they knew something else as well. While their long-range planning work had reignited the flames of fervor, long-range planning was not their strong suit, nor was it a part of their bylaw job description. "We need a permanent Long-Range Planning Committee!" quickly became the collective cry. And so, after consultation with our church Moderator, the switch was thrown, and the process of making such a committee a permanent part of our church infrastructure, began to unfold.

From start to finish that proccss took approximately one year. . . bureaucratic changes are often like that. Church votes. . . bylaw revisions. . . more church votes! A tortoise-like pace. Thank God for a wise Moderator. Not wanting the process to lose momentum, he appointed a temporary Long-Range Planning Task Force. Their mandate? Keep the long-range planning ball rolling until the transformation to a permanent committee was complete.

They did their job, and for three years now our standing Long-Range Planning Committee has been hard at work in its appointed task. Through the entire process we have learned some valuable lessons about what it takes to make such a committee function well.

Lesson 1: The first order order of business for a Long-Range Planning Committee is the formulation of a "mission statement" for the church.

Most churches do not have a clearly defined mission statement. And yet the existence of such a statement is pivotal if a congregation is going to move, with deliberateness, into the future. A mission statement illuminates, in a general sense, the "why" of the church's work. As such it provides the LRPC with an all-important mandate and motive for its labors.

Lesson 2: After a "mission statement" has been prepared the LRPC needs to cultivate a clear sense of "vision."

As I mentioned, the "mission statement" provides the mandate and the motive for a church's ministry. . . the "why" of it all. As such it tends to be somewhat conceptual in nature. The vision statement," on the other hand, is the "mission" of the church incarnate. It talks in exact terms about who it is that the church is trying to reach as they fulfill their mission, and what it is that they want to accomplish in the way of specific ministry. Not long ago a well-known preacher wrote, "If you aim at nothing you are sure to hit it." He's right! The LRPC, along with the pastor, needs to discern the "something" that God wants them to hit. This "something" is the church's vision. Bringing it into clear focus is a must if the LRPC is to do its planning work in an efficient and productive manner.

Lesson 3: The men and women selected to serve on the LRPC must be spiritually mature and emotionally secure.

Spiritual maturity is needed because the long-range planning process requires sensitivity to the subtle voice of the Holy Spirit. As he did with Elijah on Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:12), God most often reveals his will to us, not in dramatic announcements, but in a "gentle whisper" to the soul. At least, that has been our experience. Recognition of the Spirit's voice, therefore, as distinct from the self-seeking voice of our own wants, desires, hopes, and ambitions, is a matter of critical importance. If LRPC members do not believe in, or are not sensitized to, the Spirit's quiet counsel, chances are they will fail to discern God's blueprints for their congregation.

Emotional security is also needed because the continuous theme of long-range planning is change. Like potholes on a super highway, people who are wed to the status quo pose a major hazard to a church, as it journeys into the future. They simply don't have the inner security necessary to be visionaries, men and women who can put flesh and bones on the vision of the church, in the form of change-oriented plans.

Lesson 4: The Long-Range Planning Committee must meet frequently.

Our committee learned this lesson the hard way. At the outset we met monthly. It didn't work. Continuity was lost. "So where were we?" was the opening query at virtually every meeting. Unreasonable amounts of time and energy then had to be expended trying to jumpstart the discussion by recapitulating the conclusions of the previous session. In addition, the spark of excitement that originally accompanied those conclusions had been snuffed out by the passage of time. Two weeks should be the maximum interval between meetings.

Lesson 5: The Committee needs the participatory support of the pastor(s).

We had confirmed for us what we suspected from the beginning. . . that it does little or no good for the laity to develop long-range plans if the pastor(s) does not lend his or her leadership support to the realization of those plans. Sailing long-range plans out into the open sea of congregational opinion, without the backing of the pastor, is like operating a ship without a helmsman. In his book, The Power of Vision, (Regal Books, 1992, pp. 32-33), George Barna highlights the importance of this:
Pastors who actively seek to fulfill God's vision for their ministry are a treasure for the church.. Their churches will accomplish something unique, meaningful and special because the Holy Spirit has enabled them to capture an image of the future and to chart a course of action to reach that goal.

Lesson 6: The LRPC needs to maintain open and regular communication with other committees in the church, since those committees will be called upon to do much of the practical work of long-range plan implementation.

How can this communication be cultivated? In one of at least three ways. First, one LRPC member could be designated as the "communication representative." The charge? Make the rounds of other committee meetings each month, providing guidance and direction as each attempts to integrate its work into the church's long-range vision.

Second, communication could be facilitated through the use of "advisory forums." Once every quarter, all the other standing committees in the church could be invited to meet with the Long-Range Planning Committee. Plans could be shared. Feedback given. New ideas generated. And existing ideas refined.

Our church employed a third model. We determined that the LRPC should be made up of one member from each of the other committees in the church, plus one member at large. Each member serves as the communication liaison with the particular committee he or she represents. Has this model worked? So far, it has. After each LRPC meeting the representatives report back to their respective standing committees. Strategies are then developed that help transform the plans of the LRPC into tangible reality.

Lesson 7: There needs to be a regular turnover in LRPC membership.

Fresh ideas and new perspectives are key ingredients to the success of long-range planning. These ingredients are most likely to be present if there is an annual turnover of a minority portion of the committee. In fact, our experience suggests that no one should serve on the LRPC for more than three consecutive years. Even if the person is very competent? Yes. Stagnation and predictability are the archenemies of forward thinking. These enemies are most likely to inflict damage if they gain access to the planning process through committee members whose reservoir of creativity is near empty. "Prescribed turnover" goes a long way toward reducing this risk.

Lesson 8: The leader of the LRPC should be a man or woman who is comfortable with leading by facilitating.

Most committee meetings tend to function best when the "chair" prepares an agenda, and then moves faithfully through the prescribed itinerary of concerns. We learned that the LRPC does not function well under this leadership style. "Let's talk and see where the Spirit leads us" has been the leader's most effective opening comment. The outcome? Lively and fruitful discussions. A prescribed agenda usually makes for greater productivity in a committee meeting, but in a setting where innovative thinking is highly prized, this methodology tends to be more of a barrier than a blessing.

Case in point. When our church's financial balloon began to deflate several years ago, it became apparent to everyone concerned that our Associate Ministry position would have to be eliminated. At the time we were between Associates, so the painful process of termination was avoided. However, for the next year and a half the recovery of this position was the preoccupying concern of the LRPC. "How can we regain an Associate Ministry?" was the question that surfaced over and over again. In effect, it became the prescribed agenda for every meeting. Frustration! Why? Because no matter how hard we tried, no matter how diligently we planned, no matter how long we discussed, we were unable to ram this agenda down the throat of realization. Finally, after more than a year of futile striving, the suggestion surfaced that we let go of this agenda for a while. "Let's just talk and see what happens." Bingo! Suddenly we were back in touch with a wide-open future. A series of freed-up meetings ensued. And within a few short weeks a new direction emerged. Instead of a full-time Associate Minister whose principal focus is on Christian Education, why not a half-time Director of Christian Education Mlnistries? Eminentiy affordable, yet still beneficial. Excitement! Planning! Churchwide approval! Search! Success! The lettering on the Associate's office door now reads, "Director of Christian Education Ministries," and the church is thrilled with its new venture. A venture that surfaced when the LRPC relaxed, set aside its one-track agenda, and let a facilitative process lead to a new paradigm for doing ministry.

Lesson 9: Every effort should be made to keep the work of the LRPC "verbally visible" in the Sunday worship service.

In the final analysis, if the plans of the LRPC are going to fly, they must be owned by the larger church body. For this to happen, the larger body must be kept informed. We discovered that one of the best formats for keeping them informed is the Sunday morning worship service; however, the raison d'etre behind verbal visibility in worship is more than just the sharing of information. The work of the LRPC needs to be viewed by the congregation as a corporate worship offering to the Lord, a reflection of their commitment to be faithful stewards of their resources, including the resource of the unexplored future. In our church, five minutes of worship time is allotted once every month to an LRPC representative. A thumbnail sketch of the latest thinking of the committee is presented, and an invitation is extended for post-worship conversation. In addition, the LRPC is frequently mentioned during the pastoral prayer.

Lesson 10: The LRPC needs to recognize and accept that not all of their plans are the right ones.

Seeing needs and growing frustrated with their lack of resolution sometimes led our LRPC to formulate plans that were born not of the Spirit's counsel, but of their own impatient desire. A Sarah and Hagar (Gen 16) scenario! Rather than wait on God for wisdom, clarity, and direction, at times we plunged headlong in the direction of a particular ministry, only to discover at a later date that we were not on the same page with the Lord. "First Baptist to Begin a Divorce Recovery Ministry!" That was the billing in all of our intrachurch news releases. Sounded like a great idea. And it was. After all, the need is there. In our community, as in most, divorce is epidemic. Virtually nothing is being done by our local churches to help those who are feeling overwhelmed by its fury. So why not do something about it? Reasonable question, nobly motivated. However, we discovered that it is not in God's current plans for our church to be his player in this arena. The leadership has not developed. congregational backing has not emerged. And community interest has not materialized. How do you figure it? The LRPC eventually figured it this way. God's ways are not our ways. It seemed sensible to Paul that he and his companions head into Bithynia with the gospel (Acts 16:7). After all, the need was there. But the Spirit, for reasons of his own, simply said, "No."

This year, two large and colorful banners adorn the front of our sanctuary. The one on the left heralds our three-year theme. The one on the right, our first-year focus. In concert, they shout to all who worship, "God has a vision for this church's future!" An exciting and captivating proclamation. As one new member recently expressed it, "I decided to join this church because I was inspired by its sense of direction. Time is precious to me, and I want to serve the Lord where I believe my efforts will count for something." For us, it was a thrilling declaration. And a harbinger of an abundant harvest.