Please remember,
“Grace EFC”
– our LPD “Church of the Week.”
Thanks to Anna (Ben) Crumback at Sointula Community Church for producing the Church of the Week!
Are you a visionary leader? Do you have a vision for your life? For your church? Where does “vision” really come from, anyway?
Does my church really need a “vision?” Proverbs 29:18 states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” (KJV). Really the word “vision” is referring to revelation of God’s will, as the verse goes on to say, “… but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
We hear a lot about vision in churches. Pastors feel pressure to articulate vision. After all, isn’t that what effective pastors do today?
If we are honest, more often than we might like to admit, a church’s “vision” may really be something that is either following a trend or “downloaded” or compiled from other churches. A “vision” might simply be a goal or a project.
To me, Joshua 1 presents a picture of true vision. Moses has just dropped dead, just as the Children of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land. The majority report of the 12 spies was discouraging to say the least. The land looked wonderful and inviting, but the current occupants we big, mean-looking and sure to be less than welcoming. What to do?
God encouraged Joshua with the words, “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.” (Joshua 1:2). The “vision” (or revelation) was not that of either Moses or Joshua – they simply understood what God was intending and promised to do, and they aligned themselves with this – in faith! God’s promise was enough.
As a pastor, we may or may not consider ourselves to be a visionary leader. All the same, it falls to the pastor to have an understanding of what God is calling us to, and what He is calling us to do in obedience to get there. It need not be the pastor’s vision, but it is the pastor’s responsibility to see that there is one. It can be arrived at by the discernment of a leadership team. The pastor(s) must however, be committed to the vision, and align himself/herself with the task at hand.
Here are a couple of helpful articles for discerning what God is calling your church to:
Does God’s Vision only Flow Through Senior Pastors?
Seven Frustrating Symptoms of Doing Ministry Without Strategy
As we begin a new year, please take time to reflect on the year that has been, and prayerfully listen to what God is calling you and your church to in the year ahead! Remember – it is not your vision – it is simply having a conviction of what God is intending to do in and through your church.
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Discover the nuances of this present secular society and the implications for faith and church. Through this conference, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the underlying direction of this generation and how to impact this culture for Christ.
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Organized by ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western University
