July 21, 2008 - Developing Vision for Your Ministry

Last week we learned that vision is a God-directed perception of the future, that when written and communicated, draws people toward its fulfillment. A vision statement is a written description of what your organization will look like, at some specified time in the future, if you fulfill your mission. My experience has been that a good vision statement lasts for about a decade. This underscores the important of doing this well. Your organization will live with the results for many years. Since a vision is, by nature and definition, a unique and individual organizational experience, let’s consider the implications of the definition further by analyzing three key phrases.

God-directed. Strategic documents, including a vision statement, must be developed in an atmosphere of prayer and an attitude of submission. A vision is more prayed down than worked up. A spiritually relevant vision statement is more than a summation of what our best efforts can accomplish or our best minds can envision. It is a statement, supernaturally directed, of what God wants to do through an organization. Developing vision, in a Christian organization, is more about seeking God’s plan and direction than about creating grandiose man-made plans.

Perception. A good vision statement is a general perception about the future, not a rigid roadmap for the future. For example, in my former church’s mission statement, we envisioned starting ten new churches. We did not say when, where, or how. We simply believed, and recorded our belief, that God wanted us to be a church-starting church that reproduced itself. A vision statement is not a long range plan. It does not contain goals, objectives, task assignments, or budget allocations. All those come later as your organization adjusts itself to move toward the vision.

Draws people. A vision statement is a compelling document. My its own merit, it must enthuse people and compel them to initiate action to fulfill the vision. “En theos” is the root from which “enthusiasm” comes. “En theos” means “in God.” A good vision statement, with God’s empowerment in its creation, will inspire people to devote themselves to its fulfillment.

My friend Gary Franklin is a good example of someone captured by a God-directed perception of the future that compelled him to action. At the first official meeting of our church plant in Oregon, the Franklin family came to investigate what we planned to do. It was my first time to meet them. We were in a crowded family room of a friend’s home and the Franklins sat on the front row, right in front of me as I spoke. As I shared my vision for the new church, Gary became more and more visibly agitated. I was afraid he was going to make some really negative comment, so when it came time for questions, I braced for the worst. 

Gary raised his hand, and when acknowledged blurted out, “Finally, a pastor with a vision!” He then sat back and smiled. He was captivated by what he heard and spent the next decade working to build the church. He made visits, helped set up the chairs, brewed the coffee, handed out bulletins, gave money, and did a thousand other things to help our church fulfill its vision. 

Vision inspires people. It’s worth the time invested to cast vision well.


Questions or comments? Please email those to jeffiorg@ggbts.edu

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