How to Build a Vision for the Church
As a church grows, church ministries can outpace the plans of church leaders. To effectively manage such growth, leaders and members of a church must take time to build a church vision. Typically, a statement of vision simultaneously expresses a church's spiritual ideals while acquainting potential members with essential leadership principles of the church.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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Remain faithful to overriding values, such as honesty, respect and equality. Innovative visions are desirable for the church, but they should not merely be rooted in fads or passing desires. Rather, visions should be based on enduring foundational principles, whether they be conservative or liberal in character. Two examples of these include the principle of charity to others who are in need and the principle of forgiveness even in the wake of injustice.
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Establish priorities. Idealistic or amusing maxims are no substitutes for a solid church vision. A vision statement should address pressing matters that require attention from church leaders and members on a daily basis. Church visions that overemphasize the importance of political objectives at the expense of spiritual improvement may inspire members of the church to overlook their own hidden growth potential. For instance, slave-holding Christians of the last half of the 20th century manipulated Christian values to "legitimize oppressive social structures that kept blacks 'in their place'." By inadvertently prioritizing discord within a community, a church can prevent harmony from having a chance to occur.
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Keep it simple. Advertisers value the power of simplicity, because people respond favorably to campaigns that are driven by concise though memorable ideas. Church leaders should endeavor to create a church vision that is just as captivating as the slogan of a multimillion dollar advertising campaign. By avoiding unnecessary verbiage, leaders can actually relay the message of their vision more effectively.
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Avoid using vague terms. Often, people use blanket terms when speaking of religious matters. Terms such as "awesome", "blessed" or "powerful" are used in place of more specific terms such as "goal oriented", "effective" or "well funded". According to Rick Warren, the author of The Purpose Driven Church, "Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific (See Reference 2)." Seek to be as specific as possible when phrasing your church's vision statement. By doing so, you will communicate substantial ideas rather than hollow concepts.
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Value the power of agreement. The process of coining a church vision should not be an excuse for a single individual to speak on behalf of an entire congregation regarding the purpose of the church. Rather, when building a vision, numerous members of the church can take advantage of the opportunity to work together to reach a common goal. Thus, member participation in this process should be heartily encouraged.
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Familiarize others with the vision. A popular way to carry out this directive includes passing out printed literature, such as a brochure, that makes reference to the newly adopted church vision. Another way to teach others about the vision is to design and sell T-shirts upon which the vision statement is imprinted. The simplest method to promote a vision is through rote memorization. In the same way that children learn to speak the Pledge of Allegiance in a school's classroom, members of the church can be taught by church leaders to recite a church's vision in the church's sanctuary.
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Tips & Warnings
Anticipate growth for the vision of your church. Growth is a beneficial process, which serves to refine a vision. Instead of cowering in fear of growth, embrace it.
Be original when crafting your church's vision statement. Let the vision statements of other churches inspire you. Never forget to realize the worth and uniqueness of your own church while striving to build its vision.
