From Tactical Leadership to Principled Strategy

The staff member was new and passionate. She knew her job, and she was eager to do it. She challenged the young student to host a meeting in her “target area” dorm and assigned the tasks, which included creating an invitation, passing it out to everyone in the dorm, buying snacks, and reserving the room. The student diligently did everything she was asked to do. The evening of the meeting, not one person showed up. 

The staff woman was undeterred. “We will try it again next month!” The student was stunned and confused. Why do it again if it didn’t work this time? Should we not stop and evaluate why no one came before we go to the trouble of doing this again? And why did the staff woman assign her a target area where she did not live or know anyone? Maybe if she knew some of the people who lived here, she would know how to invite them, and they would respond better to the invitation. 

I bet you have been in a similar situation. I know I have. Our purpose is not to implement tactics. It is to help fulfill the Great Commission by winning, building, and sending in the power of the Holy Spirit, and helping the body of Christ do evangelism and discipleship. Our values are faith, growth, and fruitfulness. So why do we continue to do things that do not help us make progress in our purpose or live out our values? We have mistaken tactics for our mission. 

If your strategic plan is not getting you closer to your goals, you do not need to keep doing the same things over and over again with more effort. That sounds a lot like depending on the flesh rather than walking by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. I am not saying that every plan you make as you walk in the Spirit will be successful. I am saying that if your plans are not producing fruit, do not keep repeating them, thinking that they will eventually work. Prayerfully evaluate. Learn more about the people you are trying to reach or disciple. Ask God for that wisdom that He has promised to give you. Then, try something new. You might tweak your original plan a little and try it again. Or, you might just scrap it altogether for something radically different.

As leaders, you have our Leadership Model, which means that you are a Direction Setter. This means that the direction is not static. It will need to change based on the missional gap you are trying to reach and the realities of your context. You are also a Change Agent. That means that change is part of your job—not for the sake of change but for the sake of the mission Jesus has entrusted to you. You are tasked with stewarding resources towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission. 

What tactics are you keeping in your plan that need to be abandoned because they are not producing fruit? What new approaches could you try this month, prayerfully asking that God would use your steps of faith to help you make great progress in the mission? It might mean that some of your comfortable, favorite plans need to be put aside. It also might mean that you try a lot of things before you find strategies that work. That is okay! Effective leaders are not leaders who always have the right answers. They are leaders who trust God to lead them even when the right answers are unknown. 

Tom is a DS leader in East Asia who is living out these principles. In his article, he gives us a wonderful example of adaptive leadership. Keep reading!

Together with you,
Cheryl

In the fast-paced world of digital ministry, it is easy to become a master of tactics. We celebrate the metrics that are right in front of us: a viral video, a surge in followers, a high-traffic article. This is the realm of the tactical leader, who focuses on doing things right—optimizing posts, mastering algorithms, and producing content that captures immediate attention. This work is essential. But to create lasting impact, leadership must evolve from focusing on tactical outputs to embracing a principled strategy. It is the shift from asking "How do we get more views?" to asking "How do we strategically serve our audience to see lives transformed?"

This journey from tactical execution to strategic vision is not just a theoretical exercise; it is the very blueprint of our ministry model, anchored in a clear and compelling purpose.

The Good Tree: Rooted in a God-Given Purpose

A strategy is not a distant star to be followed, but a living organism to be nurtured. For our DS team, the guiding image for our strategy is the biblical metaphor of a good tree. As Jesus taught, "Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit" (Matthew 7:17). This living principle shapes our entire approach. A healthy, well-rooted strategy doesn't just produce occasional results; it creates a stable, life-giving ecosystem that consistently bears the fruit of multiplied disciples.

The Roots: Vision, Mission, and Values

A tree's stability comes from its roots. For our DS team, the roots are its Vision (to see lives renewed), its Mission (to reach, connect, build), and its core Values. These principles anchor the ministry deep in fertile ground, especially the value of being "rooted in truth." Like the tree described in Jeremiah 17:8, a ministry rooted in God’s truth "does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." This solid foundation provides the stability needed to weather the unpredictable storms of the digital world.

The Trunk and Branches: The Strategic Framework

From these deep roots grows a strong trunk and a network of branches—the strategic framework itself. The mission to "reach, connect, and build" is the structure that gives shape to the ministry. It is the visible process through which the nourishment from the roots is channeled outward to produce life.

The Fruit: A Harvest of Disciples

The ultimate purpose of a good tree is to bear good fruit. For our DS team, the fruit is not merely metrics, but transformed lives and the multiplication of disciples. Their value of "fruitful impact" is a direct reflection of this biblical mandate. The strategy is designed to do more than attract an audience; it is designed to cultivate a harvest. When the roots are deep in truth and the strategic framework is healthy, the fruit of "life growth" will naturally follow.

From Principles to Practice: An Integrated Ecosystem

A tactical leader manages channels. A strategic leader, guided by the image of a healthy tree, cultivates an ecosystem. Our DS team has a core formula:

(New Media Reach + Connection + Community) x Technical Tools = Digital Discipleship

That formula is the direct outworking of our mission. It is the architecture of an ecosystem where each component is designed to strengthen the others.

Reach (planting seeds): The first step, New Media Reach, is the tactical frontline where seeds are scattered. By 2024, our creative content had been viewed over 54 million times. The tactical output (a view or a follow) serves the strategic first step of planting seeds of trust and "faith value."

Connect (nurturing sprouts): The journey flows into Connection through online counseling and events. This is where the ministry begins to water the seeds, moving from a broad audience to individual people. Our success here, with nearly 60,000 people attending events, demonstrates a commitment to nurturing new sprouts of faith.

Build (Cultivating Growth): The final step is Community, involving partnerships with local churches. This is where the value of Fruitful Impact is most clear. By connecting over 560 people to a local church, we ensure that the young plants are cultivated in the rich soil of a supportive community, enabling them to grow into strong trees themselves.

Conclusion: The Purpose of a Principled Strategy

The journey from tactical leadership to principled strategy is a journey of maturity. Tactics are about the tools in our hands; strategy is about the life flowing through the tree, guided by a God-given purpose.

Our DS team provides a powerful case study in this evolution. By harnessing creative content (the tactics) within a robust framework defined by our vision and values (the roots), we are building a ministry designed for enduring impact. Our work is a living example of our slogan, "Rooted Deep, Bearing Fruit Above." A principled strategy ensures the roots grow deep, allowing the ministry to bear a harvest of disciples long into the future and reminding us that "what we do is not just a project, but participation in God’s plan."