{"id":402,"date":"2008-04-04T01:01:02","date_gmt":"2008-04-04T01:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/04\/what-can-we-do-to-make-room-for-the-holy-spirit-in-strategic-planning-and-goal-setting-section-b.html"},"modified":"2008-04-04T01:01:02","modified_gmt":"2008-04-04T01:01:02","slug":"what-can-we-do-to-make-room-for-the-holy-spirit-in-strategic-planning-and-goal-setting-section-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/04\/what-can-we-do-to-make-room-for-the-holy-spirit-in-strategic-planning-and-goal-setting-section-b.html","title":{"rendered":"What Can We Do to Make Room for the Holy Spirit in Strategic Planning and Goal Setting: Section B"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 3 of series: Planning and Goals: Is There Room for the Holy Spirit?
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nLast month I began a blog series entitled Planning and Goals: Is There Room for the Holy Spirit?<\/a><\/span><\/em> I didn’t have time to finish the series before Holy Week, however, so I left some loose ends dangling. Now it’s time to finish the series.
\nWhat can we do to make room for the Holy Spirit in strategic planning and goal setting? So far I’ve suggested three actions or attitudes:<\/p>\n

1. Acknowledge the sovereignty of God.
\n2. Listen for the “bass note” of biblical theology.
\n3. Respect the ways God has led in the past.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Today I’ll add one more item to the list.
\n4. Recognize that God’s new wine requires new wineskins.<\/strong>
\nPoint #3 was “Respect the ways God has led in the past.” Of course there are times when respect for the past slouches over into idolatry, when planning for the future is bound by the traditions from the past. Thus respect for God’s leading in the past needs to be balanced by an openness to the new thing God wishes to do in the future.
\nI’ll admit that this isn’t easy, not at all. Most of us lean either toward hanging on to the old wineskins or rushing forward too quickly to the new. Perhaps its more accurate to say that we want the old in some ways (where we are comfortable) and the new in others ways (where we want change).
\nIt’s hard to live in the tension between respect for the old and openness to the new, but there’s no way for Christian leaders to avoid this tension. It’s an essential aspect of our leadership.
\nSo how can we know when new wineskins are required? For one thing, we need to distinguish between the wine (the essential) and the skins (the inessential). For example, if we want to communicate the good news of Christ effectively, we need to use the language of the world in which we live, a world that is always changing and is doing so more and more rapidly. At the same time, we mustn’t give up the fundamental good news. These days, the Christian gospel is controversial because of it’s unpopular notion of Christ as the only Savior. But if Christians give up this notion, they have essentially given up Christian faith. We need to find effective ways to explain to people what it means for Jesus to be the Savior. But heaven help us if we no longer believe that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.
\nBeyond distinguishing between the wine and the skins, we need to be involved in prayerful, theologically-informed conversation among wise people so that we might be able to see which skins are in need of replacing. Some of these sages can come from within an organization. But existing leaders can easily become entrenched, thus lacking perspective to see their own old wineskins. Outside reflection from wise friends can help us see who we are with fresh vision.
\nAnother way to discern whether your organization needs new wineskins is to evaluate your effectiveness. Are you fulfilling your fundamental purpose(s)? Are you growing in your missional effectiveness, or shrinking? If the trends are moving in a positive direction, your main wineskins may be functioning well. If you’re heading negative direction, however, chances are you need new wineskins. (Photo: A church in Bodie, California)
\nI think, for example, of hundreds of Presbyterian churches throughout our country that were thriving in the 1950s and 1960s. Many had several thousand members, extensive campuses, and attractive programs. Today, most of these churches are much, much smaller. Quite a few have closed their doors, or are seriously considering this option. Why? Because they stopped connecting with the people around them. Because they didn’t change with their culture and environment. Many urban churches, for example, used to be filled with Anglo families, most of whom lived nearby. But then the Anglos moved out to the suburbs and ethnic minorities moved in. The churches continued doing business as usual, failing to communicate in the language(s) of their neighbors, or to worship in an idiom that made sense to them. The churches clung desperately to their old wineskins as their memberships dwindled and their physical plants deteriorated. Unfortunately, their leaders either didn’t see the handwriting on the wall, or saw it and failed to act. They were too enamored with the old wineskins, or perhaps too afraid of what church members would say if they dared to tamper with the old skins.
\nIt’s risky to be open to change. It can feel scary and uncertain. But it’s also risky for an organization to resist change. Too often beloved old wineskins end up being used as a burial shroud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 3 of series: Planning and Goals: Is There Room for the Holy Spirit? Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series Last month I began a blog series entitled Planning and Goals: Is There Room for the Holy Spirit? I didn’t have time to finish the series before Holy Week, however, so I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-planning-goals-the-spirit"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Can We Do to Make Room for the Holy Spirit in Strategic Planning and Goal Setting: Section B - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}