Last week, we received a trial request for OGSM software from a church. At first, I was surprised – why would a church need a business strategy tool? But then it hit me: churches, like any other organization, face unique challenges that require careful planning and goal-setting.
For instance, a church may have a mission to spread their beliefs and reach out to people in their local community. To achieve this mission, the church needs to set specific objectives, develop strategies, and track progress towards achieving its goals. This is where the OGSM model comes in handy.
The OGSM model provides a framework for organizations to set clear objectives, define measurable goals, develop effective strategies, and monitor progress towards achieving desired outcomes. Let’s take a closer look at how a church could use the OGSM model to achieve its goals:
For example, imagine a church that wants to attract more visitors, foster a stronger sense of community among its members, improve its facilities, enhance the quality of its spiritual services, and strengthen relationships with the local community. How can it use the OGSM model to achieve these goals? In this article we want to show you how.
What do you want to achieve
The first step is to define the overall objective of the church, which should be aligned with its mission and vision. For example, the objective could be to “grow the church’s presence and impact in the local community.”
What are the underlying goals
Once the objective is clear, the next step is to set specific and measurable goals that will help achieve the objective. Based on the example objective above, the following goals could be set:
Once the objective is clear, the next step is to set specific and measurable goals that will help achieve the objective. Based on the example objective above, some goals could include:
- Increase the number of new visitors to the church: The church can set a specific target for the number of new visitors it wants to attract each week or month. It can use marketing and outreach strategies to achieve this goal, such as social media campaigns, word-of-mouth referrals, or community events.
- Foster a stronger sense of community among current church members: The church can develop programs and activities that encourage interaction and engagement among members, such as small group meetings, social events, or volunteer opportunities.
- Improve the church’s facilities: The church can identify areas that need improvement, such as the worship space, parking lot, or restrooms, and set a timeline and budget for upgrades or renovations.
- Enhance the quality and variety of spiritual services offered by the church: The church can evaluate its current services and programs and identify areas for improvement or expansion, such as music, preaching, or outreach ministries.
- Strengthen interaction and collaboration with the local community: The church can identify key community partners and develop joint programs or initiatives that benefit both the church and the community.
Defining the strategies
Once the goals are set, the next step is to develop strategies that will help achieve them. Based on the goals above, here are some potential strategies:
- Marketing: Improve communication strategies to attract a wider audience, both online and offline, through channels like social media, website, flyers, and local events.
- Customer: Create stronger connections with current church members through regular outreach programs, social events, and support groups.
- Systems: Improve church facilities to enhance the worship experience and create a welcoming environment for visitors and members.
- Product: Enhance the quality and variety of spiritual services offered by the church, such as sermons, worship music, and prayer sessions. Implement new programs or initiatives to cater to the diverse needs of the congregation and provide opportunities for spiritual growth.
- Partners: Strengthen interaction and collaboration with the local community, including local businesses, schools, and organizations. This may involve joint events, charity drives, and community projects to foster positive relationships and enhance the church’s presence in the local community.
Measuring the progress
Finally, it’s important to define measures that will help track progress towards achieving the goals. For example, the church could track the number of new visitors, attendance at community activities, feedback from church members, completion of facility upgrades, and establishment of partnerships with local organizations.
Lagging measures are the outcomes that the church wants to see, such as increased attendance, greater community involvement, or improved facilities. These outcomes are important, but they are not directly controllable. In other words, the church cannot directly control how many people show up or how much they enjoy the services. Instead, the church must focus on the leading measures or indicator measures that will help achieve those outcomes.
Indicator or leading measures are the actions that the church can take to influence the lagging measures. These measures are things that the church can control, such as its marketing strategies, its outreach programs, and the quality of its spiritual services. By focusing on these leading measures, the church can create a plan to achieve the desired outcomes.
Measuring progress through leading indicators can also help the church make adjustments to its strategies and tactics along the way. If a particular outreach program is not generating the desired results, for example, the church can use that information to make changes to its approach or try something new.
In addition to tracking progress towards goals, the OGSM model can also help churches align their efforts and resources towards a common purpose. By clearly defining objectives and goals, and by developing strategies that support them, the church can ensure that everyone is working towards the same end. This can help improve communication, reduce duplication of effort, and create a more cohesive and effective organization overall.
The OGSM model is worth the try!
The OGSM model is a powerful strategic planning tool that can help churches and NGOs become more focused, efficient, and impactful in achieving their mission and goals. While implementing OGSM requires effort and commitment from the organization’s leadership and members, the benefits can be significant.
For churches, using OGSM can improve their ability to reach new audiences, engage with existing members, and positively impact their communities. It enables them to become more strategic and intentional in their efforts to achieve their mission and vision while remaining true to their values and beliefs.
NGOs can also benefit greatly from using OGSM as a strategic planning tool. By defining objectives, setting specific and measurable goals, developing effective strategies, and tracking progress, NGOs can become more focused, efficient, and impactful in their work to create positive change in the world.
In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world, having a strategic planning tool like OGSM can be a game-changer for any organization. By taking the time to define clear objectives, set specific goals, develop effective strategies, and track progress through leading indicators, organizations can become more agile, responsive, and successful in achieving their mission and vision.
Do you want to see how an OGSM made for a church would look like? click here
If you want us to make you an OGSM according to your needs, click here. If you want to see our video for NGO’s on YouTube, click here.