Incremental Visioning: The Key to Church Planning Success
In today’s rapidly changing world, long-term planning can feel like throwing darts in a windstorm. That’s why incremental visioning is critical for pastors committed to making a real and lasting impact. Start with a three-year vision. Yes, in this day and age, three years counts as long-term planning. This vision should encompass the big picture of where your church wants to go, who it wants to reach, and how it wants to be known.
Next, drill it down to a one-year vision. This is what I like to call a SMART Vision … a vision that’s God-sized, or in Growing Church Network lingo, a Big Mouse Vision (a nod to If You’ve Got to Herd Cats, You’ll Need a Big Mouse). Once your one-year vision is in place, break it down even further into quarterly goals, essential monthly goals, weekly commitments, and daily plans. Creating these bite-sized steps is the secret sauce to actually reaching your long-term vision. It’s not enough to dream big—you’ve got to take actionable steps to make those dreams a reality.
Three Must-Do Priorities for 2025
When it comes to connecting with the unchurched in 2025, here are three priorities every pastor needs to focus on:
1. Focus on Building Real Relationships
The unchurched don’t want to be projects; they want to be known. In a world that’s increasingly digital and isolated, personal relationships stand out. Churches must equip their members to build genuine connections with their neighbors, coworkers, and even the parents on the sidelines at Saturday’s soccer game.
2. Embrace a New Kind of Church Hospitality
Gone are the days of thinking hospitality is just greeters at the door. Today, hospitality starts online and extends into every corner of your church. Is your website inviting? Is your church easy to find on Google Maps? Are your restrooms clean? And most importantly, does every visitor feel like they’ve been truly seen and valued? Hospitality is holistic, and in 2025, it’ll make or break a church’s ability to grow.
3. Pastor, Get Out Of Your Office
Churches that stay inside their walls are choosing irrelevance. It’s time to go where the unchurched are—whether that’s the local coffee shop, the farmer’s market, or the neighborhood block party. The church doesn’t exist for itself. It exists for those who haven’t yet met Jesus.
Of course, these three strategies only scratch the surface of creating an effective, faithful, and sustainable church growth plan. But it’s a start. By engaging in an incremental vision plan and focusing on these three strategies, you’ll have a good start for creating a different result than the one you had this year.
Start Your Church Planning: Get the Pastor’s 2025 Planning Guide
This year, make your church planning process intentional, visionary, and actionable. To help you get started, we’ve put together the Pastors 2025 Planning Guide—a resource designed to equip you to lead your church into a thriving future. It’s packed with practical tools, insights, and step-by-step strategies to create a vision that works for your context.
Download your free copy today.
The road ahead may be challenging, but with a solid plan and the power of the Holy Spirit, there’s no limit to what your church can accomplish in 2025. Let’s make this the year we truly connect with the unchurched and transform our communities for Christ.
