Environment,planning processes,and organizational performance of churches

Churches have rarely been the focus of research dealing with strategic management issues, although their impact on individuals, as well as on society as a whole, is equal to or greater than the impact of many business organizations. The study reported herein was designed to fill some of the information void. Data were obtained from a sample of 175 churches, and the relationships of church size and growth to perceptions of the environment and to planning processes were examined. The results indicated that perceptions of the environment, or more specifically the importance of certain environmental factors used in decision-making, were related to the level of planning sophistication. In addition, planning sophistication was found to be related to the size and growth of churches.