Grace Lutheran Church

Carol J. Cumber () and Paul Reed
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Carol J. Cumber: Department of Economics, South Dakota State University
Paul Reed: Sam Houston State University

No 199701, Case Study Abstracts from South Dakota State University, Department of Economics

Abstract: Grace Lutheran Church, formed in 1963, has enjoyed stable growth. It is financially healthy and has a close-knit church community. In an effort to pro-actively plan, a long-term planning committee of approximately 50 members was formed. They chose the publication and workbook, Twelve Keys to an Effective Church by Kennon L. Callahan to guide them. Constrained by a book written by a Methodist and not always a good "fit" for their Lutheran denomination, they are sometimes frustrated with the planning process. They are further constrained by the admonition of the book to focus exclusively on "strengths to exploit and objectives to develop." Discouragement of any mention of weakness, problems, shortcomings or threats hindered their discussion. The work of the planning committee centered on the twelve keys to an effective church, as identified in the book. Focusing on the positive, they were able to identify many things they are doing well, and are determined to build on these strengths. By downplaying the negative, however, they find themselves questioning whether focusing on their strengths alone is enough. (Contact author for a copy of the complete report.)

Keywords: Strategic Mgmt; Non for profit org (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1997-01
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