Aubrey Malphurs’ book Advanced Strategic Planning (already in its second edition) offers sound, practical advice to pastors seeking to chart out a strategic plan for healthy growth. As professor of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary, Malphurs has experience teaching pastors to think strategically, and this book serves as a textbook for students who want to avoid the plateaus and valleys of church life. Malphurs is also the president of a consulting organization that helps identify weaknesses in churches and pushes them to implement changes that might help them grow again.
There is much to be commended in Malphurs’ book. He recommends the adoption of mission and vision statements for churches. He helps churches discover their core values. He understands that churches will look different in varying contexts. He communicates the value of professionalism and excellence in ministry undertakings. He offers helpful instruction for evaluating the ministry, and he affirms the necessity of church discipline.
Malphurs’ book is very practical. Malphurs does not seek to back up every practice he condones with biblical support. He is clearly pragmatic at times in areas he believes the Bible does not specify a certain procedure. One exception is his advice to avoid putting older men and women on leadership teams or committees (which some could argue is contradictory to Paul’s vision of the younger learning from the older). But aside from that, Malphurs does offer good, helpful principles for thinking strategically in churches today.
I recommend that pastors take Malphurs’ book, glean insight from his experience, and begin moving their churches forward with a strong sense of God-given direction.
written by Trevin Wax © 2007 Kingdom People blog
