Vision Development Discussion
Elder Council June 2003
Quail Lakes Baptist Church
Stockton, California
Information
The vision answers the questions: “If we could have it our way, what would we look like? What kind of church do we want to be?
We have been asking the question “What do we want Quail to look like when we are 50?”
Barna reports that when asked 90% of pastors in his survey could explain the basic definition of ministry, but only 2% of the same group could articulate their vision for the church. David Goetz in Leadership Magazine states that “conflicting visions for the church” was the greatest sources of tension pastors that were forced to resign reported in a 1996 study.
7 Reasons why having and being able to articulate the vision is important:
- Vision provides purpose
- Vision encourages unity
- Vision creates energy
- Vision fosters risk taking
- Vision enhances leadership
- Vision promotes excellence
- Vision sustains ministry in difficult times.
“Make no small plans for they do not have the power to stir the souls of men.”
“People cannot focus on fog.”
Vision vs. Mission
Mission is a short statement that gives the reason for being. The vision statement is a longer explanation that describes what we expect to see when we are accomplishing the mission in action.
The mission statement should be short and memorable. The vision statement should go into detail and can range from one paragraph to several pages.
“The vision is our snapshot of the future as we believe God wants it to be.”
Components of a Vision Statement
- It is clear. No room for vagueness
- It is challenging. If your vision does not excite and challenge, then you have no vision. It is the excitement that will give birth to ministry action. The challenge takes us farther than where we are.
- It is a picture. It should be delivered in picture language. “We see, we envision …”
- It is possible
- It is important. We must believe that the snapshot we deliver is what must be if we are to operate in the will of God
Activity
The Vision statement is an expansion and detailing of the mission statement.
“To win and build passionate lifelong followers of Jesus Christ.”
- Win—the lost
- Build—the believer in the faith
- Equip—the faithful for service
- Mobilize—the disciple for ministry
- Discuss the vision for ministry that is implied in the mission statement. Answer the “what does that look like” question for each component. Do not spend time crafting the words just get down the essentials.
- A. Given our values and our context implications this is what WIN will look like in 2009
- B. Given our values and our context implications this is what BUILD will look like in 2009
- C. Given our values and our context implications this is what EQUIP will look like in 2009
- D. Given our values and our context implications this is what Mobilize will look like in 2009.
- Unpacking “build”. This is the most varied of all of the areas. The staff has established seven elements that go into a quality approach to “building the believer in the faith.”
Here are the 7 build elements that we established at last year’s retreat:
- Atmosphere of love (the vibe of the church)
- Relational style (the way we work together and care for each other)
- Clear communication of Christ (what we say)
- Healthy church image (the way we feel about the church)
- Mobilized prayer base (prayer obviously our foundation)
- Teach the word (the source of our authority)
- Inspiring worship (the way we express ourselves to God)
In your group, take a moment and see if all of the build elements are represented in your “build” section.
