How to tackle the process of strategic discernment

James Bruyn Nov. 23, 2021

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A friend of mine recently shared with me how he found the practice of strategic planning every September to be a draining experience. Many of you are familiar with the process including all the paperwork and presentations you must put together describing the goals and accomplishments for the coming year and justifying next year's budget.

I suggested to him, that in fact, strategic planning could be a life-giving experience if we see it as an opportunity for a life-transforming encounter with God. God speaks to us through His Word, through our research and the people we consult with as we develop a strategic plan. In a nutshell, hearing God's voice while we develop our strategic plan is strategic discernment.

Strategic planning could be compared to the base model of a subcompact car, which will functionally get us to our destination. Whereas strategic discernment could be compared to a Rolls Royce or a Bentley which will get us to our destination in style.

The limits of strategic planning are the capacity of our knowledge, understanding, and wisdom to project into the future. The limitations of strategic discernment are established by the extent we want to hear God's heart and our willingness to trust in His promises.

Strategic discernment begins in God's presence where we exercise the best practices of strategic planning and spiritual discernment. Strategic discernment continues with God in the presence of our coworkers, customers and suppliers.

The presentation of the strategic plan with God around the board room table is not the climax of strategic discernment. The strategic discernment process ends in God's presence celebrating with thanksgiving what God is about to accomplish to advance His Kingdom and His will on earth as it is in heaven through our organization or department. The end product of strategic discernment is not just a strategic plan but changed lives.

Through the process of strategic discernment, we catch a glimpse of what God wants to do first in our own life and then through the department, company or ministry that we are leading.

9 questions for strategic discernment

When you are going through the strategic discernment exercise on your own or with your team, here are nine questions you could ask. You will notice these are very similar to the questions you would ask in a traditional strategic planning exercise, with the addition of reflecting our Christian worldview.

1. What has God equipped us for?
2. Who are our employees, customers, stakeholders, suppliers, partners that God has entrusted to us?
3. What factors are critical to our success?
4. What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats God has blessed us with? (SWOT)
5. What Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Spiritual (PESTS) trends may affect the environment? What are sinful, hopeful, grace-filled or redemptive responses?
6. What are our values and principles to guide decisions?
7. What is God's perspective? Where do beauty and suffering fit in?
8. What boundaries has God established that we should stay within?
9. What is your priority? What do you want? (John 1:38) (Don't use church language) – What's going to bring you joy or pleasure?

Most of you who are reading this already have a strategic planning template you are familiar with. What changes could you make to your template to reflect your faith in God?

9 practices of strategic discernment

In God's presence, here are nine practices that are unique to strategic discernment.

1. Wisely stewarding the skills and processes we use for strategic planning by acknowledging that they are a gift from God.
2. Humbly acknowledging that strategic planning is not enough and that we need God's wisdom.
3. Listening to God's voice of wisdom that calls out at the city gates (Proverbs 1:8-4). God's voice of wisdom can be heard through the people we work with, our customers, our suppliers, market research and from the Bible. One of the great joys of strategic discernment is having the time to hear God speak to us.
4. Relying on the power of the Holy Spirit and not just our own strength—for the Holy Spirit is present and active in every workplace.
5. In faith believing that God is advancing his Kingdom through the work that our organization or department does in some mysterious way beyond our comprehension.
6. Trusting in a God of abundance who has provided more than sufficient resources (people, finances, customers, suppliers, wisdom) to accomplish next year's goals.
7. Confessing the mistakes we have made in the past and accepting God's grace and forgiveness.
8. Asking God to deliver us from the rabbit trails (aka temptations) that will distract us from pressing on towards the goal.
9. Recognizing that work and organizations are a spiritual battle ground and asking God to deliver us from the evil one.

7 metrics of strategic discernment

While strategic plans are often measured numerically, strategic discernment is measured by Kingdom values. The more we practice strategic discernment with God, the more equipped we are to listen and lead as Christ's ambassadors.

Seven metrics of strategic discernment are:

1. How is God's name being glorified?
2. How is God's incredible power that raised Jesus from the dead being demonstrated?
3. How is the fruit of the Spirit being manifested in meetings, emails, relationships with customers and suppliers?
4. How is hope or fear is being manifested in our organization?
5. How much joy are you, your coworkers, your customers and suppliers experiencing?
6. How much rest are you and your team getting?
7. As Christ's ambassador in your workplace, how are people seeing Christ?

Ultimately, a shift in focus from strategic planning to strategic discernment is opening yourself and your organization to the possibility of a life-changing encounter with the living God who created the universe, who loves us, who died for us and who fills us with hope.

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James Bruyn is a bi-vocational visionary leader, writer and speaker who enjoys helping individuals integrate their faith in God with their daily life. He leads a ministry to Christians in the marketplace in Calgary, provides leadership coaching, and consults for the rail industry. He writes a weekly devotional and also has a devotional book, 31 Days with God at Work (Marketplace 2018). Learn More »

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