Vision for the Church

MYTH #6  Real vision protects the church from risk.

REALITY #6  Risk is a natural and unavoidable outgrowth of vision.

The myth that real vision protects the church from risk is a comforting thought but is absolutely antithetical to the true nature of vision.  Even God’s vision for ministry places the church at risk.  Because vision relates to change in the creation of the future, risk is a natural and unavoidable outgrowth of vision.  However, when a church operates on the basis of God’s vision for ministry, it can be assured that HE will not put it in a position of unwarranted risk.  The visionary leader is one who is a change agent.  In the process of pushing the church forward, the leader insists on aggressive effort; remaining stationary is tantamount to losing ground. Without risk, no progress can be made.

MYTH #7  The goal of vision for church ministry is numerical growth.

REALITY# 7 The absolute goal of vision for ministry is to glorify God.

While many people believe that numerical growth is the ultimate goal of vision, such expansion is an artifact of the process, not its focal point.  The absolute goal of vision for ministry is to glorify God.  It is more important to have a church of committed followers of Christ than to have a church swelled with numbers of “social Christians,” “nominal Christians” or Christians who demonstrate no evidence of growth in their relationship with God.  If the vision is truly from God, it is one that will bush the church forward toward ends that satisfy HIM rather than to meet standards that result in hosannas form the world.

MYTH # 8  As long as the senior pastor has a sense of vision, it doesn’t matter whether the people really know or understand it.  The force of the vision will sweep them along, regardless.

REALITY # 8  Vision has no force, power or impact unless it spreads from the visionary to the visionless.

A mark of a great leader is the ability not only to capture the vision, but also to articulate it and to cause people to fully embrace it.  Because vision concerns action, it is imperative that the vision be cast in such a way that people understand and can respond to it.  Vision is not to be jealously guarded, a perspective to be protected.  For the vision to have impact, it must be a shared vision.

In closing you can see that the trip is going to be dangerous, but our God will be there the whole way.  There is nothing to fear with him on our side.  He wants us to “walk by faith”.  Remember what Jesus said to peter after he sank in to the water…”ye of little faith”.  Jesus wanted him to make it, as he does us.  Our vision must be for the glory of God the Father and not to the glory of those around us or even in the pew beside us..

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