Who should be involved in the master planning process?

Who should be involved in the master planning process?

Church structure and practice have a great deal to do with who is involved in the process.  Sometimes denominational guidelines dictate the participants.  The ideal is to have approximately eight to twelve people who represent the diversity of the congregation, along with the specific areas of ministry that are core to the church.  The participants may be staff members, influencers in the church, people who have the vision and a passion to see the vision carried out.  The participants do not necessarily need any type of design, building or finance experience, although it can sometimes be helpful, as long as their experience has not created a narrow view that prevents them from looking at things from a fresh perspective.  Sometimes, participants who have some type of exposure to the industry can be a major road block.

Sometimes a church may want to conduct separate interviews for differing ministries of the church and possibly interview multiple church members.  This can be helpful, especially if the leadership does not have a good feel for where their people are and what they are thinking or if they are not well represented by one of the team members.  However, these separate interviews should never take the place of the collaborative process that takes place as the team discusses all areas of the church within the context of the overall vision of the church.  This collaborative process helps to get everyone on the same page with a common vision and common priorities, rather than competing priorities and hurt feelings.

A church is rarely able to address all the facility issues and ministry needs at one time.  Priorities must be established and some needs must be delayed until later phases of growth.  If the team works together to establish those priorities and the church is well represented within the team, the church has a team of advocates that can promote unity and support within the various ministries and segments of people.  This is absolutely crucial to the success and support of both current and future projects.  If this unified vision is not established, winners and losers are created and turf battles ensue.  A wonderful opportunity to create unity and excitement and a common vision is lost.

If the team does a good job of considering all aspects of the church’s ministry and develops a comprehensive game plan that addresses all needs and issues in either current or future phases,  people will buy into the vision and get excited about seeing the vision carried out over time.  When properly handled, the master planning process can be one of the single most important events in the life of the church.  The leadership can become committed to carrying out a common vision and have the tools to communicate and to lead the congregation toward that same vision.

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