The vision of your church will always stay the same … usually it has something to do with reaching people and helping them grow in their faith. The strategy will mostly stay the same over the years because you build organizational momentum through consistently executing the same strategy. However, there are times when you need to shift and change the strategy … you need to head in a new direction to reach your vision as a church. How do you know when it’s time to change direction? Here are some times that I’ve seen the need to make a course correction in the way we “do church”:

• A Revelation // Leading in a church is fundamentally a spiritual enterprise. At our core we are called to listen to what the Father is telling us as we lead and act upon that. There are times when we believe that God is calling us change direction and so we should! Some of the most fruitful times in my ministry career have come out of this sort of course correction. Listen closely … then act.
• Team Change // Every time the make up of your team changes it’s an opportunity to think about whether your strategy should change as well. Every staff member and key volunteer leader in you church uniquely contributes to the ability to execute your strategy and so when the people change you need to think about a potential change. Did the team member contribute in a way that needs to be covered for? Does this opening create space to move the organization in a new way?
• It’s Time to Double Down // When things are going right with a department in your church … and you believe that if you direct more resources to that area you will see even more impact … change the strategy to make it happen! As leaders we are constantly making resource allocation decisions and sometimes we need to adjust to make sure that those areas making the most impact get the most resources.
• Your Team Has Gone Stale // Have you ever come to a place where your team has gone from being “in the groove” to “stuck in a rut”? Has the repetitive nature of our work moved your team into a place where they seem to be reacting in routine manner rather than with the passion and energy they once did?  This is a perfect time to make a strategy change. It will force your team to look at your ministry in a new like and shake things up!
• More Alibis Than Action // Related to the last point … are there more excuses about why things aren’t getting done than action with your team? Does it seem like the team is more worried about internal politics and covering up than fulfilling the vision of your church? Shake up the strategy to move the team to place where they are focusing on your desired outcome.
• Technology or Systems Shift // The technology and systems we use does impact the way we think about church leadership. In the early days of the multisite church movement we were responding to the fact that video projectors where falling in cost and so that allowed us to even think about video venues. Keep on the look out for technology improvements that could impact the way you accomplish the vision!