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Strategy - a biblical perspective |
Strategy is a well developed element of business and military thinking. Military strategy refers to the high level decisions relating to the objectives and approach taken to achieve them. Business strategy relates to choices made about a company's positioning in the marketplace which will define it's distinctiveness to its competitors and hence its competitiveness. Many Christian leaders may feel uncomfortable about applying either of these definitions directly. For this website, we prefer to take a view of Christian strategy as "vision choices", making the higher level choices that a leader or leadership team make to achieve the vision they believe God is setting before them. Before embarking on a view of how we make strategic decisions, it may be worth pausing to ask the question "is strategic thinking biblical?" Here we look at a range of pointers. 1. Strategic thinkers have a signficant part to play : The men of Issachar in 1 Chronicles (1 Chron 12:32) had a place in David's army on account of being men "who understood the times and knew what Israel should do". Issachar contributes just 200 men out of a total force of 336,000, yet these men made a unique contribution. . All of the others are described as "brave warriors", "armed for battle", "experienced soldiers" or "armed with every type of weapon", yet it is clear that the men of Issachar bring knowledge and insight that more than makes up for their lack of fighting force. 2. Biblical leaders who were in tune with God were given clear strategies as to how they would achieve the goal that was set before them. Many of these required unconventional choices. Gideon was instructed by God to restrict his numerical forces severely and to seek to cause the enemy to panic and flee, undoubtedly reducing the death toll amongst his troops. Joshua was given precise instructions as to how he should take the city of Jericho. Paul chose to follow God in appealing to stand trial in Rome before Caesar, when he could have been set free. 3. For
the Christian leader, prayer not only gives us God's perspective on what our vision should
be, but also on how we should reach it : the decisions and choices necessary for reaching it. Luke records
Jesus giving the Great Commission to the apostles in Acts 1 v 8 telling them that
they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth. In this case there is no clearly articulated strategy - the disciples are scattered
from Jerusalem as a result of persecution, and then guided by God stage by stage. (eg Acts
8v26, 13v4) For Jonah, the strategy is clearly outlined, and Jonah is so uncomfortable at
the prospect of being used by God in this way that he heads in the opposite direction with
well known consequences. |
| Pause
for Thought : Reflect on how God guides Joseph, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Elijah,
Peter and Paul. Think about the balance of overall direction, and step-by-step
guidance. Christian leaders will need to trust God as they walk towards the vision,
yet be willing to make bold, and possibly unconventional choices as they perceive God is
leading them. For God is in charge : "I know the plans I have for you," declares
the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future." (Jeremiah 29:11) |
| 4. Yet this does not
mean that Christian leaders should not carry out a strategic analysis of a situation. Luke records Jesus teaching "Suppose one of
you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he
has enough money to complete it. " (Luke 14:28). 5. The bible gives us the principles to determine the strategy. We may or may not be given specific guidance as to how we should approach the vision; we may or may not receive this guidance at the strategic or at the tactical level. However, just as Jesus taught the disciples to think and act according to the principles of the Kingdom, so we too can develop our understanding of the principles of the Kingdom, and their application to the mission and ministry of our organizations. Daniel was elevated to high position in the court of Nebuchadnezzar because of his knowledge of God, and served Darius as one of three administrators. Daniel 6:3 indicates that Daniel had exceptional qualities as an administrator. |
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