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Does your ministry vision rob you of sleep? Quicken your pulse? Change your community and world? Why is vision so important for a pastor and a church?
Vision determines your direction and prioritizes your limited time and resources. Let’s explore what can make a vision so compelling that it will inspire and mobilize your church members.
It must be a CONVICTION
Your vision will only burn as bright as you do. When this passion comes from deep within you, people will sense it and follow it. A vision is something you not only see in your mind, but also burns in your heart.
Will Mancini once said, “An opinion is something you’ll argue about; a conviction is something you’ll die for.” People will not be more dedicated than you are to the vision. The outcome is a willingness to sacrifice. This sacrifice can be seen in time, energy, and financial resources. If this is not something you are willing to personally risk your reputation and resources on, it’s not worth pursuing. It’s merely an idea, not a vision.
Does your vision inspire you to the point of personal commitment? Southern Baptist pastors may use different vision statements, but they should all be variations of the Great Commission and Great Commandment.
"Vision serves as a ministry road map, giving both direction and efficiency."
It must be COURAGEOUS
You will draw courage from the convictions from which a compelling vision is born—especially when others try to steal your dream, or worse, ignore it.
My last church relocated to a 50-acre campus next to a university with 13,000 students while repurposing our former downtown five-acre campus into a regional ministry center. Most of our members immediately embraced that vision. Some only understood it after it had become a reality. The toughest ones were those who never saw the vision and either ignored or opposed it. Those are the ones I asked Jesus to give me extra courage and patience for.
1 Chronicles 28:20 says, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished.”
It must be CLEAR
Vision serves as a ministry road map, giving both direction and efficiency. I don’t know how many times I have started driving in the general direction of my destination before consulting a GPS. In ministry, it is best to get good ministry directions before you lead people somewhere new.
People can’t follow a vision they can’t clearly see. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Vance Havner once said, “If there is a mist in the pulpit, there is a fog in the pew.”
I have learned so much over the years about vision from Thom Rainer, Eric Geiger, and Mancini when I served with them at Lifeway. Much of what I write about here I learned from them, as well as from field testing these ideas for 30 years as a lead pastor.
My prayer is that you and your church will benefit from the collective experience of those of us who came before you so you can cast a compelling vision and fulfill it for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel.
