[Below is Part 1 of a three-part series.]

Poetry is not strategy.

Congregations and their leaders spend many hours (and dollars) crafting mission and vision statements so they can articulate in clear, pithy, memorable ways who they are and where they want to go.

I call these kinds of statements “the poetry of the congregation” because – if crafted well – they sound good and make people feel good while also communicating critical clarity about the identity and purpose of the congregation.

Here are some examples of the poetry congregations are using:

Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known
Gather, Grow, Go
Love God, Love People, Make Disciples
Reach Up, Reach In, Reach Out
Share the Love of Christ with Our Neighbors and the Nations

I know of several congregations who have spent a year (or more) in meetings and tens of thousands of dollars on consultants to craft their poetry. Was it a waste of resources? Not at all. In fact, it was absolutely necessary. People and their leaders need the clarity. They need to be able to communicate in memorable, pithy ways who they are and where they are going.

However, as necessary as the poetry is, it is not sufficient for moving the congregation forward into the envisioned future. Why? Because while “the poetry” is important, it isn’t a strategy.

Strategy is the plan of action. Beyond knowing who they are and where they are going, people need to know HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE? What’s the pathway? What’s the process? What are the day-by-day practices and action-steps people can take so that they are able to actually live in the reality of what the poetry describes and promises?

In other words, “What do we need to DO?”

For example, one congregation’s poetry might read: “We are a congregation of disciples who make disciples who make disciples.” Great! This statement is clear, biblical, and inspiring. But, what do I need to do to participate in that? Now that I am inspired to be a disciple who makes disciples, what do I do and who will help me start to do it?

The problem is, most congregational leaders don’t have an answer for that. They crafted the poetry but never constructed the strategy. They have inspiring poetry to use on their website and in their publications, but no clear process for helping their people step into the reality of what the poetry inspires.

There is an exercise I do with leaders to help them recognize this blind spot. I give them a large piece of paper and ask them to write down the congregation’s mission and vision statements (their poetry). I then say, “If a person walked up to you after worship one Sunday and said, ‘I want to live out this congregation’s mission. What do I do now?’ What would you tell them?” I then ask them to draw a flow chart illustrating their strategy for helping the person to start living out the reality their poetry inspires.

You know what happens most of the time? They realize they don’t have a strategy to illustrate. They have a strategy for becoming members of the congregation. They have a strategy for assimilation into the programs of the congregation. They even have a strategy for getting offering envelopes into the homes of the congregation. But they don’t have a strategy for helping people to live out what their poetry says is the most important outcome of the congregation.

In fact, during this exercise leaders often chuckle and say, “Well, no one ever asks that question.” And I say to them, “Why is that? Could it be because no one actually expects anyone to do anything with your poetry… except be inspired by it?”

Your people need the poetry. But to live in the reality of what the poetry describes and promises they also need the strategy.

What’s yours?

In the next couple posts, we will look at what is needed to construct a practical strategy that works.

Discussion questions to process with congregational leaders:

In the gospels, what is the main thing Jesus tells His followers to do? Are we doing it?
What is our congregation’s mission and/or vision statements? (In other words, what is the poetry we use?)
Do we have a simple strategy to follow so that people are able to actually live in the reality of what our poetry describes and promises? What is it?
If a person walked up to one of us after worship and asked, “I want to live out this congregation’s mission. What do I do now?” What would we tell them?
Can we draw a flow chart illustrating the strategy such a person can follow to start living out the reality our poetry inspires?