A Steward’s Relationship with God and a Strategic Plan
Today’s blog is the second in a series for steward leaders. The first blog, The Importance of Strategic Planning in All Areas of the Steward Leader’s Life, described a six-phase strategic planning process that is easy to follow, quickly adapted, and flexible in implementation. This blog uses that six-phase process to examine the importance of strategic planning in a steward’s relationship with God. Future blogs will cover the importance of strategic planning in a steward’s relationship with family, career, and ministry.
Steward leaders know that strategic planning is important in their professional lives and relationships with God. By applying the six-phase strategic planning process to their relationships with God, steward leaders can deepen their connection, enhance their spiritual growth, and more effectively discern and follow God’s call for their lives.
Before diving into the process, let me acknowledge that strategic planning can seem daunting, especially when wanting to deepen your relationship with God. Worrying about finding the time, maintaining focus, or knowing where to start is easy. These challenges are common and entirely manageable. This blog will show you how to break down the process into simple, actionable steps that can be integrated into a daily routine. Remember, the goal is progress and growth; it is not perfection. This process is designed to be flexible and adaptable to fit each steward leader’s unique journey.
Phase I: Purpose
The first step is to establish a clear purpose: what is the purpose of having a relationship with God? This will depend upon how long you have been “in Christ.” As a person grows in Christ, the purpose in their relationship with God will change. Of course, there will always be some common elements, such as knowing God and experiencing his love (John 17:3), living according to God’s will (Romans 12:2), bringing glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31), enjoying fellowship with God (James 4:8), becoming more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), and witnessing to others (Acts 1:8).
The way that I think about this is that to be in a relationship means that you have to spend time with that person. I like to think about the purpose of my relationship with God in a cyclical series of three: time with Christ (Mark 3:14), to become like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), to be for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). The purpose of time with Christ is to get to know God, what God wants, what God is like, what God expects, and what God does. My time with Christ is spent in two ways: Bible reading and prayer. Through what I learn, I become more like Christ through the transformation process. By becoming more like Christ, I can go out into the world to be for Christ. As the relationship grows, I want to spend more time with Christ, to become more like Christ, and to be for Christ. Depending upon where I am at in life, in leadership, in family, and ministry, it often helps to determine the current purpose in my spiritual strategic plan.
Phase II: SWOT Analysis
After determining the current purpose of our relationship with God, it is time to conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to this purpose. This analysis can be painful as it requires the steward leader to be completely honest, thoroughly examine the totality of who they are, the status of their relationship with God, and understand the growth required to achieve the purpose. The steward leader needs to identify the unique assets and capabilities that God has given them, which can be used to help achieve the current purpose of their relationship with God. The steward leader must also identify, which can be a painful experience, any weaknesses that pose potential risks to achieving the purpose of their relationship with God. In addition, sins need to be recognized and repented.
Opportunities are the factors the steward can capitalize on to achieve the purpose of their relationship with God. They may be books to read, sermons to listen to, or inventories to take. Finally, identifying threats helps the steward leader anticipate and mitigate challenges to achieving the purpose of their relationship with God.
Several months ago, I felt a deep need to re-evaluate the purpose of my relationship with God. Despite daily devotions and active involvement in ministry, I felt that my excitement to be “for Christ” was waning. I conducted a SWOT analysis better to understand the purpose of my relationship with God. My key strength is my commitment to a consistent daily time in the Bible. Every morning, I read 10 Chapters of the Bible, following Professor Grant Horner’s Bible Reading Plan. This practice daily teaches me about God. This knowledge equips me to navigate life’s challenges with a biblical perspective. Through a painful process of honest self-reflection, I identified two weaknesses.
First, I have difficulty maintaining focus during prayer. My mind tends to wander, and I find it challenging to be fully present with God. Second, I often struggle with patience, mainly when prayers are unanswered or when I am facing prolonged challenges. This impatience sometimes leads to frustration and doubt. This led me to determine that the purpose of my relationship with God has changed from being “For Christ” to spending “time with Christ”. I identified two opportunities for growth, committing to learning more about the spiritual discipline of prayer and determining where I am acting like an owner on my steward leader journey by retaking the KOR-B. The most significant threat I identified is my busy schedule, and I have resolved to schedule and protect the time to work on this relationship.
Phase III: Goals
Based on the insights gained from the SWOT analysis, the steward leader needs to create and write down specific spiritual goals to achieve the purpose of the relationship with God. These goals aim to propel the steward leader forward by leveraging the identified strengths and opportunities, capitalizing on advantages and favorable conditions. The spiritual goals should also address any weaknesses and counter threats, aiming to fortify against potential challenges toward achieving the relationship’s purpose. Writing out these goals is crucial because this step transforms the abstract insights of the SWOT analysis into actionable spiritual goals to guide our efforts and resources, allowing for an agreed-upon path to achieving success in our relationship with God.
Based on my SWOT analysis, I set these goals for myself:
- Schedule and commit to protecting the time to accomplish the following goals.
- Continue to read 10 chapters of the Bible every morning.
- Create a prayer list that fits my thinking style and commit to time praying through the least amount of time daily.
- Identify and read three sources regarding prayer practices and their implementation.
- Take the KOR-B assessment and analyze the results to see if there are any areas where I am acting like an owner rather than a steward.
Phase IV: Action Plan
For each spiritual goal, the steward leader needs to develop an action plan that outlines the steps necessary to achieve it. This involves determining actionable steps and setting a clear timeline for achievement. Each component of the action plan requires thoughtful consideration of our capabilities, capacities, and amount of time required to ensure the plans are ambitious and yet achievable. Goals that cannot be achieved are worthless. Developing an action plan for each goal ensures a structured approach to how much time a goal will take, prioritizing the necessary tasks, and allocating the required resources to achieve the spiritual goals.
To do this, I revised my goals into actionable items:
- Immediately schedule and commit to protecting the time to accomplish the following goals. Revise the schedule as necessary during the goal’s life.
- Continue to read ten chapters of the Bible every morning before beginning any other work for the day.
- Within seven days, I will create a system for listing prayer requests that can easily be updated based on my thinking style and schedule the time necessary to pray through the list immediately after reading my Bible.
- Identify and read 3 sources regarding prayer practices and their implementation.
- Within 14 days, schedule the time necessary to identify and read the first source regarding prayer practices and implementation. Then, for the next seven days, practice the prayer and implementation practices from the first source.
- Within 21 days, schedule the time necessary to identify and read a second source regarding prayer practices and implementation. Then, for the next seven days, practice the prayer and implementation practices from the second source.
- Within 28 days, schedule the time necessary to identify and read a third source regarding prayer practices and implementation. Then, for the next seven days, practice the prayer and implementation practices from the third source.
- Within 35 days, identify and commit to practicing the prayer practices that resonate within my soul.
- Within 60 days, I will take the KOR-B and analyze the results to see if there are any areas where I am acting as an owner rather than a steward.
Phase V: Implementation
The steward leader executes the action plans with disciplined implementation, active time management, and continuous engagement. This phase requires adaptability and responsiveness to the practical challenges of achieving the purpose of our relationship with God. Effective execution requires focus, dedication, and personal commitment. Implementation also involves regular reflection and prayer to seek God’s guidance. As the steward leader works on achieving the goals, they must remain open to the Holy Spirit’s leading, allowing Him to adjust their steps as needed.
In my journey, I found that some goals were more straightforward to implement than others. For instance, continuing my daily Bible reading and reading about prayer practices came naturally to me. Creating a prayer list was straightforward, and I quickly developed a system that suited my thinking style. However, dedicating focused time to actual prayer proved a significant challenge. Despite my best efforts, I often found my mind wandering, and I realized that I tended to prefer reading and studying about prayer rather than engaging in the act of praying itself. This insight was both humbling and revealing, showing me that while I could easily manage the logistical aspects of my goals, the deeper spiritual practice of focused prayer would require more intentional effort and discipline.
Phase VI: Monitor and Adapt
Finally, the steward leader must monitor and evaluate progress toward achieving the purpose of their relationship with God, making course corrections as needed, following the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Monitoring involves regularly reviewing the performance of the action plans in light of the goals. Evaluation goes further by analyzing the effectiveness of the action plans and identifying successes, challenges, and deviations from expected outcomes. This continuous loop of monitoring and evaluation is necessary to recognize the need to adapt the strategy to achieve success.
The process is indeed a journey, the successes align with my strengths and the challenges arise from my weaknesses and busy schedule. I have found that my commitment to Bible reading and learning about prayer practices can be beneficial and reinforce my strengths. However, the consistent challenge remains in my prayer life. I am asking God to help me learn to pray through my prayer list and spontaneously throughout the day as prayer items come to mind. This new approach of immediate, in-the-moment prayer teaches me to rely more on God’s presence. Despite these challenges, I continue to grow in my relationship with Christ by spending intentional time with Him daily, deepening my understanding and connection through this ongoing journey.
Conclusion
By following these six phases of strategic planning, a steward leader can deepen their relationship with God. Setting clear goals, creating action plans, developing a daily routine, and regularly evaluating progress helps steward leaders achieve the purpose of their relationship with God. As steward leaders, we are entrusted with the responsibility to manage our relationship with God with the same care and dedication we apply to other areas of our lives. We can discern and follow God’s will more effectively through strategic planning, ensuring that our lives align with His purposes and bring glory to His name.
What are you doing to achieve the purpose of your relationship with God?
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Dr. Al Hearne II is the superintendent of Redwood Christian Schools, the president of the Center for Steward Leader Studies, and an adjunct professor at Columbia International University. He holds a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Columbia International University.
