How to Execute a Strategic Plan at Your Church – Differentiation

POINT OF THE POST...

Have you ever heard or used the term "Points of Differentiation?" Differentiation is what makes you, you. Differentiation is essential to your brand, product mix, and market positioning. It's also part of your culture. When you are working on a strategic plan, determining your position and reality requires you defining your differentiation. You don't want to lose it when you plan for the future. The opposite, in fact - you want to leverage it! How do you define your points of differentiation? In this NEW POST, I give you 8 questions to get your started.

Have you ever heard or used the term “Points of Differentiation?”

A few years back, when I was a marketing major in college (say 27 years back!), this term stuck with me.

Differentiation is what makes you, you. Differentiation is essential to your brand, product mix, and market positioning. It’s also part of your culture.

When I launched my consulting and coaching company a year ago, I considered my personal differentiation. I have a lot of friends in the consulting business. I love what they do, and I didn’t want to replicate their offerings – at least not directly. When I considered my points of differentiation, I came up with a few things that make me and my business uniquely me:

  • I served as a senior pastor for over a decade. Most consultants were executive pastors or student pastors prior. My senior pastor experience is unique.
  • I spent a decade in the marketplace as a strategy consultant before ministry. Having executive marketplace and ministry experience is unique.
  • I preach and speak often. Most consultants are much better behind the curtain. I’m blessed with the ability to preach and speak and consult. Many of my church clients asked me to preach on Sunday and spend time strategizing with their team on Monday and Tuesday.
  • Similarly, by the grace of God, I spent more than a decade working directly with and for Andy Stanley. My skills as a leader and communicator are significantly refined from my time with him and this organization. 
  • My gifting is leadership and strategy. That’s somewhat unique in the church space.
  • I’ve led multiple versions of church, including supporting a church plant, revitalizing a church, leading a smaller church, leading a rapidly growing church, leading a church transition, leading a megachurch, and leading within a multisite church (North Point Ministries).
  • I have a college degree in marketing, an MBA, a graduate seminary degree, and a doctorate in ministry.

I say absolutely none of this to brag. There are people with much more impressive resumes. And I’m not the only person with similar education and experiences. But, this list is part of my unique offering. It’s part of my market differentiation. It’s part of what makes me, me.

Organizationally, What Makes You, You? 

The process of strategic planning is straightforward.

  1. Determine position and reality
  2. Develop a strategy
  3. Design the tactics 
  4. Measure the progress 

Determining our position and reality is a multifaceted conversation that begins with our mission and vision, moves to our culture and values, and then considers our points of differentiation. 

No church should attempt to develop a strategic plan for its future without first evaluating what makes them unique in their community. 

For churches, I am in no way suggesting that other churches are your competition. Far from it. But suppose every church in your community is identical in approach and style. In that case, there will inevitably be a significant portion of the community who will perpetually remain unreached by the local church. Every community needs unique churches that can best reach and grow the individual people in the community

That uniqueness is what makes each church different. It’s what makes them, them. And that uniqueness is what makes you, you. 

Your church has some points of differentiation, whether you recognize it or not. 

Determining Your Points of Differentiation

We are thinking about those things characteristics that distinguish you from other churches. Again, and I cannot say this enough, these other churches are NOT your competition. But they are suitable for differentiation comparison. You should never compete with another church. You should understand who you are as a church, though. Looking at other churches can help you better understand yourself. If possible, though, try to define who you are in isolation. 

Here are some questions to get you started: 

  1. What experience or expertise do your team and church bring to the community? 
  2. How would people in the community describe your church? What are you known for? 
  3. What internal strengths or external opportunities are unique to your church? 
  4. What is your origination story? What stories are legendary in your church? 
  5. Are you connected with a specific denomination? Is this positive or negative for your mission and vision? 
  6. How are your facilities (or lack thereof) a point of differentiation? Do your facilities provide any unique opportunities? 
  7. What type of person is your church best designed to serve? 
  8. Would you say your church is focused more on the community, the world, or somewhere in-between? 

Basically, what makes you, you? 

How can I help?

Most of my clients consider me their CSO (Chief Strategy Officer). I created Transformation Solutions to help ministry and marketplace leaders progress from innovation through implementation. I’m dedicating my time to helping leaders discover potential problems, design strategic solutions, and deliver the preferable future. That includes you.

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