Vision Check Pt. 3

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Not all vision statements are made alike.  Some are better than others.  Something someone taught me years ago (and I can’t remember who or else I would give them the credit!) is that all great vision statements have three characteristics.  Although there is some subjectivity in evaluating a vision statement, I think these three qualities transcend all preferences.

YOUR VISION STATEMENT SHOULD BE…CLEAR

A strong vision statement should answer the following questions:

  • What kind of disciple are you trying to make?
  • What does success look like for your church or ministry?
  • What will your church or region look like when everything is working properly?
  • Are there Scripture verses that support it?

 

A clear vision statement should…

  • Use simple language.  Regardless of demographic or spiritual condition, individuals inside and outside your church should be able to grasp what the Lord has called you to do.  An unredeemed 8th grader should be able to get it.
  • Be cross cultural.  You shouldn’t have to be a member of the church for 10 years or know “christianese” in order to understand where your ministry is headed.
  • Be short enough to memorize.  If it is, you can use it on promotional pieces like coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc.

 

YOUR VISION STATEMENT SHOULD BE…COMPELLING

Dynamic visions statements GRIP your heart and answer the following questions:

  • What need or niche in the community has the Lord called us to meet? (see 1Cor. 12:14-26)
  • Why is our mission important?
  • Why are God’s help and all hands on deck needed in order to fulfill it?

 

A compelling vision statement should…

  • Use gripping and colorful vocabulary.  For example, instead of “making a difference” try “impact”.  Instead of “growing” try “changing lives”.  I often use a thesaurus to come up with better words than I can think of on my own.
  • Have an outward focus.  A compelling vision statement should have a “pinch” of the Great Commission in it (Matt. 28:18-20).  It should be “other-focused”.  A self-focused vision statement can contribute to such problems in a church as members not inviting unbelievers, hoarding their relationships and refusing to serve sacrificially.  I think this is because the Lord seems to have wired into most people an innate desire to make a difference in the world.
  • Stir the emotions and move the heart.  A solid vision statement will basically convey: “Yah! Let’s go take THAT mountain for Jesus! THAT mountain is worth sacrificing for!”

 

YOUR VISION STATEMENT SHOULD BE….COMMUNICATED

I once heard Bill Hybels say that “vision leaks”.  Just as the people of Israel would forget God’s faithfulness and their calling to a promised land, in the same way church members forget vision. Your vision needs to be communicated regularly for two reasons: people forget and newcomers are always joining the church (that is…if your church is healthy).

 

Here are some ways you can repeatedly communicate vision:

  • Preach on it using Scripture to support it
  • Sprinkle part of your vision into sermons throughout the year
  • Market it through all communication mediums possible (worship folder, mailings, website, pens, coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc.)
  • Talk about it in every meeting you attend
  • Incorporate it into your membership class
  • Push it out into the church thru your small groups or Sunday School classes
  • Pray through it a lot

 

DISCUSSION QUESTION: Do you have a favorite vision statement? Where did you see it? How did it inspire you?


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Vision Check Pt. 1

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A few years ago, USA Today reported on an interesting case of blurred vision in Arizona.  Over the course of a few weeks, about 30 endangered brown pelicans had injured themselves by crashing onto various sidewalks and roads throughout the state.

Apparently, the heat-induced shimmer that comes off of pavement during hot summer days was causing the rare birds to confuse the concrete with lakes and creeks.  However, instead of finding fish their blurred vision was leading them towards severe injury and in some cases even death.

Obviously, flying with blurred vision is dangerous.  So is leading.

In all my years in ministry, I have observed that churches, organizations and leaders who are making a significant impact share at least one thing in common: a compelling vision.

 THE NEED FOR A VISION

Having a vision for your team, church or organization provides several benefits.  Vision…

  • Fortifies convictions
  • Clarifies direction
  • Reveals WHO should be on the team
  • Distinguishes essentials from non-essentials
  • Promotes unity
  • Determines where resources should be invested
  • Instills urgency in your work
  • Inspires people to give, sacrifice, work and take action

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VISION

What is vision?

In his book, Visioneering, Andy Stanley provides one of the best definitions I have heard on vision:

“Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be.”

Even the authors of Scripture mentioned how important it was to have a vision from the Lord as to what He would have us do.

One of the wisest men that ever lived, King Solomon, once wrote:

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint…

(Prov. 29:18, ESV)

 The Apostle Paul knew the benefits of having a vision or goal to strive towards:

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

(Phil. 3:13-14; ESV)

In my next few posts, I’ll explain the dangers of leading without vision and some steps you can take to develop a unifying vision for the people that you are leading.  In the meantime, I want to encourage you to ask the Lord to give you a vision for your life, ministry or company….because leading with a vision is much better than crashing like a pelican.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: What difference have you seen vision make in an organization? 

 

 

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Vision Check Pt. 2

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One of the best quotes that I have ever heard on vision comes from Southern Baptist author and Professor, Dr. T.B. Maston.  He once said:

“The Christians who have turned the world upside down have been men and women with a vision in their hearts and the Bible in their hands.”

In once sentence, Maston captures a key principle in spiritual leadership that I hope I never forget: a compelling vision combined with the power of God’s Word can leave an indelible mark on the world.

A BIBLICAL BASIS FOR VISION

One of the most popular Scripture verses on vision comes from King Solomon in Proverbs:

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,

but blessed is he who keeps the law.

(Prov. 29:18, ESV)

There’s a lot we can glean from this verse on the importance of vision, especially the dangers of leading without it.  When Solomon wrote the phrase “the people cast off restraint” he chose a Hebrew word that means “to let go” or “to let alone”.  A more literal translation of this Hebrew word would be “the people are let loose”. The New Living Translation renders it they “run wild”.  Just imagine how children would behave in a home with no rules, a football game with no boundaries or mustang with no bridle to give it direction.

There are dual applications that I take from this phrase in the verse:

  1. The absence of strong, biblical teaching causes sin to abound.
  2. The absence of leadership, direction and vision causes chaos to spread in a group of people.

SYMPTOMS THAT INDICATE A LACK OF VISION

When a church lacks a clear, compelling and communicated vision the following characteristics tend to be present in the culture:

  • Diminished influence for the core leaders
  • Increased gossip, slander and quarreling
  • Too many opinions on what SHOULD be happening
  • Selfishness
  • Complacency
  • Inward focus or self-protecting mindset

Chaos in a church doesn’t always manifest itself in violent rioting.  Sometimes it shows up as apathetic disorganization.

ONE THING I AM SURE OF

When a church DOES have a clear, compelling and communicated vision there is an undercurrent in the culture that makes the following statement: “We don’t have time to gossip, bicker, complain, be selfish or commit any other sin because God has given us an urgent mission that we must accomplish.”

Helen Keller once said one of the most convicting things I have heard about vision.  She was once asked: “What’s worse: being blind or being deaf?” She replied, “To have sight but no vision.”

DISCUSSION QUESTION: Have you ever served in a church that had no vision?  What was it like?


 

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