Where we are at in the process of Strategic Planning Values Discovery Mission Development Vision Development Strategy Development Like the

Discovering our Vision

Where we are at:

Where we are at in the process of Strategic Planning Values Discovery Mission Development Vision Development Strategy Development

Like the ministry core values and mission, vision is essential to the organization.

Unlike values and mission, the vision is more subject to change. It is dynamic, not static.

Overtime the vision must be renewed, adapted, and adjusted to the cultural context in which the congregation lives.

Clarifying what a vision is

The vision gives us a picture of what the mission will look like as it is realized in the life of the community, it is a picture of where we are headed.

The MISSION states the direction and the VISION supplies a picture of it.

Sample Vision From The Bible Deuteronomy 8:7-10 (ESV)

7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8

a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

Clarifying what a vision is

It answers the FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS: What kind of church would we like to be? If we could have it our way, what would

we look like?

The ministry analysis uncovered “what is” – reality. The vision step probes “what could be” – envision.

Quotes

George Barna writes, “But when we asked these pastors, ‘can you articulate God’s vision for the ministry of your church?’ We found that roughly 90 percent of them could articulate a basic definition of ministry. But only 2 percent could articulate the vision for their church.”

Quotes

David Goetz writes, “In Leadership’s study, however, pastors indicated that conflicting visions for the church was their greatest source of tension and the top reason they were terminated or forced to resign.”

7 Reasons Why Vision is of the utmost importance

1. A Vision Provides Energy Not much happens without an inspiring,

compelling vision. Nehemiah had a vision from God to rebuild the

gates and walls of the city. Visions are exciting and they energize

people. Leaders are able to stop putting out fires

and start setting a few. A vision from God has the potential to turn a maintenance mentality into a ministry mentality.


2. A Vision Creates Cause

The right vision provides them with a cause giving them a sense of divine purpose. They are a part of something bigger than themselves.

Congregants no longer feel like a “pew warmer” but a vital part of a church that is having a powerful impact on a lost and dying world.


3. A Vision Fosters Risk Taking A shared vision fosters a congregation’s willingness to take

risks. When vision is cast, everyone knows what needs to be

done, but the question that is asked is “How will we do it?” Sometimes what we try doesn’t work, and that’s OK.

Sometimes the things we try for Christ does work and it’s great. Though most of what we try is experimental, it is not ambiguous. ▪ People are not asking for guarantees of success. They all know that

no guarantee exist, yet people are committed anyway. The risks are great, but so is the God we serve and the

vision he has given us. How else can we explain the early church and what God accomplished through them or those found in the Hall of fame in Heb. 11.


4. A Vision Legitimizes Leadership Bill Hybels writes: “vision is at the very core

of leadership. Take vision away from a leader and you cut out his or her heart.”

Like a navigator who may carry around a picture of their port of call in their wallet, so leaders carry in their mental wallet a picture of the church that could be.

The vision helps keep them FOCUSED


5. A Vision Energizes Leadership

Vision is energy that creates action. When people see the vision, they can feel it. Developing a vision and then living it

vigorously are essential elements of leadership.


6. A Vision Sustains Ministry Discouragement and disappointment often

lurk in the ministry hallways and boardrooms of the typical church. Spiritual warfare comes with the territory (Eph. 6:10-18). Many have risked their lives for the Savior and furtherance of the gospel.

Biblical, compelling vision has sustained Christians from the beginning of the church up to today.

All the trouble and grief we experience in this world while serving the Savior are trivial compared to the importance of what we are attempting for him.


7. A Vision Motivates Giving Truth is….It takes money to do ministry. (Leader’s

responsibility to raise the money). Vision motivates giving. Few contributors donate to

pay the light bill or salary. They donate to what they see the church/seminary accomplishing for Christ in the coming years, based on what he has accomplished in the past.

Bill Hybels writes: “When leaders who understand this take the time to paint pictures for people and to help them imagine the kingdom good that will result from their collective efforts, then people are free to release their resources joyfully. And generally, the grander the vision, the greater the giving.”

The Definition of a Vision

What a Vision is NOT Vision gets confused with purpose, goals,

objectives, mission and others. Mission and vision are similar in some ways:

they both are based on scriptures, focus on the future, are directional (tell people where the ministry is going) and are functional (address what the church is supposed to be doing).

10 Distinctions Between Mission & Vision

1. The mission is a statement of what the church is supposed to be doing, while the vision is a snapshot or picture of it.

2. The mission is used for planning where the church is going; the vision is used for communicating where the church is going.

3. A mission statement must be short enough to fit on a t-shirt. The vision statement, however, goes into detail and can range from a single paragraph to several pages in length.


4. The purpose of the mission is to inform all the ministry’s functions. The purpose of the vision is to inspire people to accomplish the ministry’s functions.

5. The mission involves knowing. It helps your people know where they are going. The vision involves seeing. It helps people see where they are going. If people cannot see a goal, it probably will not happen.


6. The mission comes from the head – it is more intellectual in origin. It supplies knowledge. The vision comes from the heart – it is more emotional in origin. It supplies passion.

7. Logically, the mission precedes the vision. In their development, the vision grows out of and develops detail around the mission, fleshing it out.

8. The mission has a broad, general focus, while the vision has a narrow focus. It singles out the details and specifics of the ministry community.


9. Mission development is a science – it can be taught. The vision, however, is an art – it is more caught. Either you catch it or you miss it altogether.

10. Finally, the mission is communicated visually; it is written down somewhere. The vision is communicated verbally. You hear it preached. An example in appendix G is Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” vision. Hearing him preach it has much greater impact than reading it off the page.

What A Vision Is (5 Distinctions)

1. It is Clear You can’t expect people to act on information they

do not understand. Vision Clarity is essential as is mission clarity.

People fear the future. They prefer to live in the present or even worse, the past. TO SUCCEED leaders must address that fear.

The most affective way to address the fear is vision clarity – to picture the future with such vivid terms that a congregation can see where it is headed.

Nehemiah in 2:18, the people’s response was, “Let’s rebuild”. This is because the vision was clear.

What A Vision Is

2. It is Compelling A good vision is compelling. It ignites passion that

moves people to action. It excites people and gives birth to focused ministry activity.

It’s challenging when people need to be challenged. 3. It is a Picture

Passion is a feeling word that plumbs the depths of our emotions. Vision is a seeing word that probes the imagination and creates visual images. Vision is a ministry snapshot.

Vision is a picture of 2, 5, 10, 20 years from now, the future you believe that God is going to create.

What A Vision Is

4. It is the Future of the Ministry

A picture of the preferred future of the church.

Outside of biblical prophecy, we cannot predict the future, we CAN create the future. That is the function of the vision.

The best way to create what you really want is by visualizing the outcome that you are trying to achieve.

Vision says, “the best days are ahead of us”.

What A Vision Is

5. It Can Be This is where people take ahold of the vision and

begin to breathe it. A critical sense of urgency along with a heavy dose of passion drive him in this quest to achieve the vision. It may keep him awake at night.

Three things have to happen:▪ The leader is convinced that God is in the vision, that God

himself has placed it in his heart. It is God’s doing. ▪ The leader believes that he is God’s person to see the vision

through. ▪ He is certain that the vision is the very best thing for people

– both lost and saved. Because the leader cares about people, he knows that they will be so much better off when everyone embraces and owns the vision.

The Development of the Vision

Leadership team is responsible for the vision development.

They should also craft the vision statement.

Vision development begins with a visionary pastor or leader or whoever is leading the planning team. And it is promoted by those who make up the team, especially the visionaries.

The Development of the Vision

Have any of you ever taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the Kiersey Temperament Sorter?

Those are tools that measure whether a person is sensing (S) or Intuitive (N) person. Sensing-type people are practical, hands-on realist. They

have a vision but have to perceive it through their 5 senses. They catch the vision by visiting a church where they can see, smell and touch the vision.

Intuitive-type people are abstract, imaginative, natural visionaries. They create a vision and carry it around in their head.

Handout - Do the vision style Audit

1. The Preparation

There are two steps. 1.) The Preparation Step and 2.) The Process Step.

1. The Preparation Step Envisioning Prayer, God open our eyes Thinking Big: Not let current realities constrict

dreaming Discovering Your Passion: what excites? Experiencing the dream: imagine there - what

see? Questioning the dream: clear? challenging?

Visual pic? Demonstrating Patience: may take 2 days to

months

2. The Process Step

Option. 1: Expanding the mission

The vision involves developing and adding details to the mission, fleshing it out by adding the church’s purpose, some core values, and later the ministry strategy.

KEEP ASKING: What does it look like? Divide them into groups of 2 to 4 people. Give them a copy

of the mission statement or have it written on a white board where all can see it. Ask each group to choose a recorder, give them 2, 4x6 in cards. Ask the groups to describe what they envision when their church begins to realize its mission. The recorder writes down the results. Each group will read aloud to everyone. When finished, they pass these cards to the pastor who incorporates them into the final statement.

2. The Process Step

Option 2: Build on your core values

Take the core values statement. Follow it up with a vision for that value

Provide copies of the core values statement and ask them to write on the back of the page what they see in 2, 5, 10, 20 years. After sharing some of their ideas, pass them in for the pastor to edit and collate their work into the final vision product.

2. The Process Step

Option 3: Modeling after another vision

God can use the wisdom of the ages (and years).

This approach challenges you to find a vision statement that grabs your attention. When you hear or see it, you take a second look. It will not let you go. It deeply inspires you.

(Appendix G – Samples of vision statements).

The Vision Product

A vision statement is the primary communication with the congregation. It records the thinking of the SLT. Should anyone try to launch a new vision, the

SLT’s work is on paper. Having a written statement encourages

ministries and leaders to discuss and come to agreement on their vision for the organization even before they write it for public scrutiny. (NOTE: it’s more than a statement. It is the way we think, about the community God is building.

The Test of The Vision

ASK THE TEAM: 1. Is it clear and compelling?2. Does it paint a picture of our future and

where we think God wants us to be in the years to come?

3. Is it a snapshot of the church’s future?4. Is it future-oriented or is it merely a picture

of the past? 5. Do we believe that this can be?6. Do we believe that it is really possible?7. Are we convinced that it must be?

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Where we are at in the process of Strategic Planning Values Discovery Mission Development Vision Development Strategy Development Like the