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“You keep using that word: vision. We don’t even understand what that means.”
I was working with a search team from a church that had just lost their fourth pastor in seven years. I had asked them to pretend that I was a candidate and allow me to ask the kind of questions I would ask if I were actually interviewing for the position.
Here is my question that prompted the above response: What is your church’s vision for ministering to your community?
Experience, observation and conversations with my colleagues tell me that lack of vision clarity is not limited to isolated small churches. Churches of all sizes, non-profit organizations, and even businesses suffer from blurred vision.
Sometimes vision is blurred because it just hasn’t been clarified yet. More often, it is a result of something else being substituted for a legitimate and compelling vision.
1. Nostalgia. If only we could get back to the way things were before …. Those were the days … I remember when …
If you were to ask these leaders about their “vision,” they would share memories. Not only do they focus backward, they actually romanticize the past and often remember the “good old days” being better than they were.
Let’s be clear. We shouldn’t ignore the past. We can be informed by it and inspired by it, but it should be a springboard into what’s next.
2. Imitation. At my previous church we … I read a blog post about … The speaker at the conference talked about …
These leaders have missed the reality that every church or organization has a unique opportunity to be amazing within their context. Instead of capitalizing on what makes them special, they try to borrow vision from others who appear to be successful—usually in a completely different context. In the case of certain denominational churches, they sometimes build their vision around a denominational model, rather than an understanding of their community.
Learning through observing others is a good practice. Learning how to contextualize that learning is essential.
3. Plug ’N Play. Here’s a book that will teach you how to … We are starting a study course that will help us … Just follow these six easy steps …
These leaders take imitation a step further. They don’t just borrow vision from others; they borrow methodology. If we will do what they did, we expect that we will achieve the same results they achieved. Plug ’N Play. Copy and paste.
There is a book or an online course for almost anything you can imagine. Great opportunities for learning abound. But don’t trust any resource that promises success without work or apart from context.
4. Maintenance.We are just trying to hang in there until … We have to keep our supporters happy … If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it …
Some leaders have maintenance as their “vision.” They may be either satisfied with coasting or fearful of rocking the boat. Either option is a choice for slow death. The only variable is the speed at which death arrives.
Some things need to be regularly maintained. Facilities and relationships immediately come to mind. However, maintenance without a vision of where we are going together is not sustainable.
5. Fantasy. We are going to change the world … If you build it they will come …
I know a pastor of a 125-year-old church in a town of fewer than 500 residents who told his congregation that God gave him a “vision” to build a 1000-seat sanctuary. Fortunately, he left the church before they invested in that “vision.”
There is a difference between a compelling and inspiring vision and a grandiose fantasy.
These five substitutes will prevent a compelling vision of what our community might look like if we maximized our unique resources and passion around what we do best.
Photo source: istock
 | Dr. Gerry Lewis serves as Executive Director of the Harvest Baptist Association in Decatur, Texas. He is also Founder and CEO of YLM Resources, which includes Next Step Coach-Sulting and Life Matters Publications. He is also an author of four books, including Why Bible Study Doesn't Work. He and his wife live in Azle, Texas and have two grown children and three (so far) grandchildren. His weekly Life Matters blog and Your Church Matters podcast can be found at drgerrylewis.com. Learn More » |
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