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After the Vision Statement, What Next?
Your church has agreed on a vision statement, maybe even core values. Now what?
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—adapted from Change Your Church by Alan Nelson and Gene Appel (Word/Willow Creek Association, 2000) Identify the New RealitiesRandel Everett Columbia Baptist Church For a long time, the vision of our church has been "Every member a minister." But now we're thinking of changing it to "Every member a missionary" because the church can't be just a haven from an evil world. We've got to be a boot camp equipping people to go into the world and make disciples. The world we live in right now is much nearer A.D. 55 than 1955. It's not a Christian world. There is hostility to the gospel in many ways. And so we're training people to live for Jesus in whatever environment they're in—not expecting secular people to come to church to hear the gospel. I don't even use the words "Christian" or "Christianity" much anymore. I almost always use the word "Christ-follower" because many people around here see "Christianity" as wrapped up in capitalism and a certain polity. A Muslim neighbor is not offended by Jesus, but he is offended by Christianity and certainly offended by Baptists. And so we've got to unwrap Jesus, present him as the Christ of Scripture, and then challenge people to be Christ-followers. Today, a church's vision is not a destination or a location—it's a journey. "Come, let's follow Jesus" is invitation. If we ever think we've solved the riddle of what that means, then we've stopped growing. It's a fascinating time to lead a church. We don't have to solve every problem, but we do need to keep people moving toward Jesus. Constant Review Is the GlueBeecher Hicks Metropolitan Baptist Church How does one implement a vision statement? My father is 87 years old and has been preaching for 65 years. His answer: "Constant review is the student's glue." Repetition and review hold it all together. Whatever the vision is, restate it over and over again, so that people understand what you're trying to do. It needs to be broad and bold. That's what Habakkuk was leading to when he talked about writing the vision, and writing so large that even a man running a race would be able to read it. And that's not an easy thing. A vision will be most successfully cast through preaching. In other words, it needs to be set in a biblical context in order for people to receive it as the vision from God. It is through the preaching event that the vision is best cast. Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal. Summer 2000, Vol. XXI, No. 3, Page 50 |             |
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