Transformational Strategy By Ed McDowell

Strategy Aligning with a Commitment to Christ

One of the key issues in strategy development for organizations with a clear commitment to Christ. It becomes an alignment (or misalignment) between the transforming lives of the individuals who govern, lead, and serve.

To illustrate the point, I am the CEO of Warm Beach Camp Ministries. We are currently focused on the following strategic direction: 

To connect 1 million people with Christ by partnering with leaders and engaging the communities we serve with transformational experiences. 

This strategic direction only has an impact to the degree our lives in Christ are being challenged and focused on the same direction. 

It Is Personal

Strategic direction becomes very personal. Consider the following:

• Do I care that people do not know Christ? 
• Do I want to be part of a community of people willing to share Christ with others? 
• Is God giving me a greater heart for people who need Christ in their lives? 
• What intentional effort am I willing to give in my own life to see family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, campers, and guests connect with Christ? 
• Am I seeking and growing in my own relationship with Christ? 

Community Matters

Strategic direction is a matter of community. Do we, as a governing and serving community, pray for people to come to know Christ? 

• Is our conversation organized around how our efforts will help draw people to Christ? 
• Are we celebrating the connections with Christ we come to know?

Culture and Behavior 

Strategic direction describes the organizational culture and behavior: 

• Is our communication reflecting our conviction?
• Do our budgets support the resources needed to pursue the opportunity? 
• Do we hire and engage people who align with our core strategy?
• Do the metrics for sharing highlight both stories and statistics? 
• Are we inviting donors and volunteers to live and give generously to the effort?
• Do we have a team of intercessors praying for this? 

The Heart of Ministry

The heart of the ministry will only be as compelled by the organizational strategy as the transformation of our lives at a personal and community level. If so, this will shape the organizational culture. The efforts will thrive when the people who make up the ministry are alive and vibrant in their pursuit of the same things of God. 

The opposite is also true. A strategy disconnected from vibrant personal and community alignment in Christ will flounder and struggle. 

A Strategic Guarantee 

 If the strategy is a vision/initiative of God, he will fulfill it according to his will. God is that way. 

Consider Abraham. God made a covenant promise with him. When Abraham and Sarah tried to “intervene and help” the fulfillment of God’s promise, it created a complicated situation. God drew near, dealt with the complexities, and moved forward with His covenant promise. 

Consider Jonah. God had a vision/initiative to bring the Ninevites to repentance. His strategy was to send Jonah. Jonah wanted no part of it and went in the opposite direction. God was not deterred. Jonah had a life-changing experience. He ended up going to Nineveh, and the people repented to God in droves. 

God is not dependent on us to do his will. He invites us to share in it. He won’t hesitate to use unique experiences around to bring us around to his way of seeing things. Even when we make a mess of things, he will continue forward while tending to the mess we created. 

Key Considerations

Does the ministry’s strategy reflect in its organizational culture?

Do people personally commit and connect to this?

Is the community of staff, board, volunteers, and doors continually working on alignment around the strategy? 

Is there an intercessors’ team set up to help underwrite the work in prayer?

Final Word

Jesus gave the disciples a clear mission and strategy. It embodied their lives. It was transformational. The church was raised, and people are being saved and growing in Christ every day because of it. 

Having a clear mission and strategy is a best practice. However, if it doesn’t burn within our own souls, it will lack the transformational impact God invites us to be part of. 

Ed McDowell is the CEO of Warm Beach Camp Ministries. He also coaches and consults on board leadership and development, bringing fresh perspectives to complex situations. Ed authorizes a devotional series titled A Well-Planted Faith in an Uprooted Culture. His writing and speaking aim to challenge people to let God’s Word inform their lives. Ed and his wife, Bev, live on Camano Island, Washington, where they live out their mission statement: “To give our lives away for the cause of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible.”