The Ministry Playbook: Strategic Planning for Effective Churches [Paperback]

Henry Klopp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Pastors and church leaders wage daily battle with the tyranny of the urgent as they are bombarded by the needs of others. They must also tirelessly engage the culture to demonstrate why the church is relevant. In light of these challenges, churches, like successful businesses, need intentional game plans for staying on focus and producing meaningful fruit. Henry Klopp offers a book that is the product of fourteen years of training church leaders to embrace strategic planning. The Ministry Playbook offers a step-by-step outline that can be used by any church in developing its own unique game plan. It provides biblical evidence of strategic planning and discusses the barriers of apathy, resistance to change, and declining financial resources that face any ministry. The Ministry Playbook also helps pastors understand new challenges related to leading churches in a post-modern era when much of the culture is unchurched. Klopp's tools and methods are field tested, practical, and can be easily grasped by the strategic planning novice. His framework of strategic planning helps leaders to apply long-term vision and build foundations that ensure congregational health and vitality.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Create a game plan that will keep your church focused and effective! Henry Klopp has spent fourteen years training church leaders to incorporate strategic planning into their ministry endeavors. In The Ministry Playbook he offers methods and tools that even novice planners can easily embrace. You'll find insight into the challenges of leading a church in a largely unchurched culture, biblical examples of strategic planning, and how to overcome the barriers of apathy, resistance to change, and declining financial resources that face any ministry seeking to have a greater voice. "With Henry Klopp's help we were able to assess our situation, forge a mission statement, and put an end to a million-dollar debt. I thank God for Henry's help." John Piper, pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church (BGC), Minneapolis, Minnesota "Dr. Klopp's ministry to our congregation was instrumental in our turnaround. If you want to seize vision, change, and growth, then you will be blessed by his honesty, exhortation, and encouragement." Mark Slomka, pastor, Mount Soledad Presbyterian Church, La Jolla, California "Dr. Klopp provided our leadership with the direction to plan for our future that could not come from within ourselves. He has our highest respect and recommendation." John Yates, rector, The Falls Church (Episcopal), Falls Church, Virginia "Henry Klopp helped us move forward with God's unique plan for our church. Crafting and communicating vision is hard work. Dr. Klopp helped us walk through that process in a way that effectively engaged lay people." Bill Shereos, pastor, Hope Evangelical Church, Springfield, Illinois "When our 120-year-old church decided to restructure our ministry, we greatly benefited from the expertise and wisdom of Dr. Henry Klopp. He led us through a strategic planning process that was extremely helpful and crucial to the success of our relocation effort." Dr. Samuel Rima, Eagle Heights Church (CB), Omaha, Nebraska

About the Author

Henry Klopp is president of the International Graduate School of Ministry, a training institute for church leaders. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in the field of church growth and has done graduate work at both Fuller Theological Seminary and the California Graduate School of Theology. Klopp speaks at conferences across the country and resides in Bellevue, Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801091497
• ISBN-13: 978-0801091490
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,436,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-titled work!, April 6, 2003

By 

Steve Sjogren "Author-Serving Coach - Kindnes... (Tampa, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ministry Playbook: Strategic Planning for Effective Churches (Paperback)

Dr. Klopp is a man of great knowledge in the area of church development. He has helped the church I planted in Cincinnati over the years (Vineyard Community Church) in some tremendous ways. He came along at a strategic time in our development and helped us clarify who we were and where we were going as a church. He has clarified our thinking as only a sage coach can do. I have appreicated his work for years. Now that thinking has been condensed into book form for the masses to benefit from.

This book is well laid out. I found it helpful at many levels. In true Henry ("Lucky") Klopp fashion he combines inspiration with information. But mostly it is a book of strategy that will help a church get jump started on their way forward toward greater growth -- growth at all levels, inwardly and outwardly, emotionally and spiritually.

Thanks Henry ("Lucky") for the hard work of putting this togeher. It is a gift to the Church.