Leadership hack No. 2: Leaders will encourage multiple visions built around one mission

Bob Whitesel Oct. 18, 2023

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Over three decades ago, when I was trained in coaching churches by Fuller Theological Seminary, the prevailing thought was that a church should have one main mission and vision. But today our multidimensional, multicultural, and increasingly diverse congregations require that we unite around one mission, while allowing complementary visions to arise.

The "one vision" strategy did foster some growth, but it also often fostered churches that were focused solely on one ministry to one culture - in a changing community.

For example, most church leaders are familiar with churches that divided over the Sunday School vs. Small Group debate. Many growing churches in the 20th midcentury became known for their robust Sunday School programs. But towards the end of the century their younger members, wanting more informal experiences, asked for groups that could meet midweek in homes. The status quo felt this would detract from their well established Sunday School focus.

Not surprisingly during the turn of the last century, members wanting informal midweek groups were pushed out. Soon they started their own church in which small, mid-week home gatherings, often called Life Groups, was their vision.

But with the advent of a new century, culture began to shift again. Young Millennials realized that weeknights were less available for small group activities as their children grew. These parents began lobbying for adding "Life Groups" to Sunday mornings.

The key is that while a church should have one mission (more on that below), it should embrace as many visions as it has time, talents, treasures and call to address. For instance, the church example above, which focused on midweek small groups, became known in its community for offering midweek small groups. However, when Millennial members started asking for Sunday morning, small groups, church leaders sometimes chafed, because it reminded them of the "old" Sunday School vision. Yet once churches added "Life Groups" on Sunday mornings, they found that they were able to support their "mission of making learners" in both midweek and Sunday morning time-slots.

Lesson 2: Foresight leaders will encourage several organizational visions built around one mission.

A mission is a church's biblically based "reason for being" according to Barna, McIntosh, and Whitesel/Hunter. Also according to these authors a vision is a specific, envisioned, future outcome. But since churches are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-congregational, trying to focus on just one version won't get enough buy-in from most congregants.

Today what I call "micro-visions" create short-term wins, because they are quicker to attain and can be quickly embraced by different church subcultures. This does not mean a large number of visions. The average church today is only 65 attendees and might have just a couple of visions suitable for its size. A mega-church of several thousand, however, might have 6 to 8 visions representing different congregational cultures.

Hack #2: Look around and name the different subcultures in your church. Then bring together a focus group of each and ask them, "What could our church do to better minister to people like yourself?"

When analyzing the different subcultures in your church, begin my identifying the two or three largest subgroups. Then from their constituents pull together focus groups to help you ascertain how to better meet the needs of each subgroup. Today's multifaceted, multidimensional matrix of cultures requires such innovation.

For example, older, traditional members might envision a choir, Sunday school classes and reaching out to a senior living center nearby. The church's Millennials might have a vision for interactive sermons, online small groups and reaching out to homeless people in their communities.

Churches are realizing that they are increasingly multidimensional organizations embedded within changing cultures. And so to work together and for the future, they must embrace one biblical mission with more than one complementary vision.

For more in this series:

7 leadership hacks for the roaring 2020s: No. 1

This article is adapted and expanded by the author from an article that previously appeared on biblicalleadership.com

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Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More »

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