Bill Hybels correctly nailed it a few years back when he said, “Vision leaks!” He meant that people tended to forget the vision that was cast just months ago. In the day to day struggle of life other issues would crowd out that vision statement and they would often be clueless as to what their church was about.
As a pastor once a year I would preach a sermon about the vision God had given me for my church. I typically did that the first Sunday of January. I called it my state of the church message. I would lay out what was ahead for us in the next year casting a vision that I thought was compelling and most of all God sent. I would wonder in May why the church did not understand what we were to be about. My vision casting sermon had probable leaked out the second they got to the cafeteria for Sunday dinner.
Vision casting can not be one Sunday a year or even the Sunday of launching a campaign or stewardship initiative. Since vision leaks we must repeatedly remind our members where we believe God has us going and how they can get on board. As a pastor once told me, “You have to tell a church member seven times, seven different ways, before he or she gets it.” The “it” in this case is the vision that is the driver for why I stay at church as more than just another warm body in a seat. Vision when it comes to stewardship is the main driver of why people give. Vision is what keeps me giving even when the economy is down. So if your vision pot is leaking you can be assured that the offering plate will have holes in it as well.
Never will vision be more important than in stressful economic times. Several years ago I coined this truth:
Good Vision Trumps Bad Economy!
When I was younger we played the card game of Spades. I was never particularly good at Spades which might be why I no longer play. I never seemed to get the hang off it in terms of strategy or just the sheer luck of the draw of a winning hand. One thing I do remember vividly about Spades is that you always wanted to have spades in your hand. You could be playing the ace of hearts and think you were going to win the hand and someone else could throw in the deuce of spades and beat you. Playing a spade was a trump card that beat all other cards in play. In stewardship vision is the trump card that affects your ability to raise funds.
Developing your Vision
There are scores of books on vision and how to develop one. In fact it has been one of the most written about and talked about subjects in Christian leadership circles for the last decade. You probable have been to those conferences and have those books on your shelf. You like me probable formed a team to study and craft a vision statement. In my opinion we have made vision development overly complicated. Most vision statements that I see are either trying to be too cute or too broad to ever be effective. If we were honest most people in our pews don’t know truly what our vision is nor do they really care. I think this is again due to the fact that we have made it overly complicated.
Please understand that I am not trying to minimize the importance of vision. It is crucial. I just think that we have made it too difficult and have muddied the waters not only for ourselves but the people we lead. I think finding your vision is much more simple than we have made it.
What is in your heart?
Two Old Testament figures come to mind of how to establish a vision. First David is a prime example of someone that was driven by a vision that in turned drove Israel to accomplish more than they ever dreamed of. While his son Solomon is known for building the temple it really was David’s dream and vision that began the process. As we know God would not let him build it since he was a man of war. However listen to what he tells the leaders of Israel in I Chronicles 28:2, “King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark…” He then laid out his dream and vision. In chapter 29 he leads the people to give willingly to fund the new temple. The offering that was given in chapter 29 was a result of a vision David had in his heart and communicated in chapter 28.
Nehemiah is another example of someone that God placed a burden in his heart. In chapter one after he hears of the disgrace of the broken walls of Jerusalem he, “mourned and fasted and prayed before God.” In chapter two he is given permission and aide from the King to rebuild the walls. He begins by inspecting the walls. Nehemiah 2:12 says, “I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem.” What was in his heart ultimately led to the walls being rebuilt in fifty two days!
What is in your heart? What do you get excited about when you dream about the future of your church or ministry? What keeps you up at night? Those are the things that are the basis for your vision. Start there. Show people what is in your heart not some catchy phrase or acrostic. People respond to vision. Money follows vision!
The Three C’s of Vision
While I am not a huge fan of catchy vision statements I do readily admit that how you communicate your vision is crucial. Down through the years I have counseled on what I call the three C’s of vision. Evaluate your vision on the basis of these three C’s.
Make it Clear
Above all else do your members clearly understand what it is you are attempting to do? Many years ago I happened to be working in a church in the town that my brother lived in. The president of the huge national insurance firm that he worked at happened to be a member of the church where I was working with. My brother one day told the president that his little brother was helping the church the president attended. The president remark, “Yes I know they are raising funds but I am not sure what it is all about.” When my brother told me that my heart sank as the pastor was counting on the president of this firm to be a substantial donor like he had been at the local state university in town. However this man could not even tell my brother what his church was doing. The vision was not clear. Is your vision clear? Can your members easily tell their work associates, neighbors and friends what you are doing and why? When visions are not clear people will not donate even in the best of economic times.
Keep it Concise
Donors have basically two questions, does this make sense and can you pull it off? Answer those questions and you will get their dollars. Remember the old KISS acrostic? It stands for Keep It Simple Somehow. KISS is a good advice for communicating your vision.
Several years ago I worked with a church in the Northwest that had just finished working up their vision statement. On the telephone one day the pastor told me he would fax it to me. When it finally finished coming through my fax machine it was twenty five pages long! I laughed when I saw that every point and sub-point was alliterated. I was not surprised that we had difficulty raising funds around this vision as the people never could quite grasp what it was about. Your people ought to be able in one to two sentences tell what it is you are about and how you propose to do it. Remember Keep It Simple Somehow!
Cast it Compellingly
The most important thing of all is to make your vision matter in the hearts of your members. You have to realize that they have multiple opportunities of where to spend their money including other ministries that are after their charitable gift. A compelling vision that motivates the heart will even in the worst of economic times cause dollars to come to your ministry. Show your donors how their gift will make a difference and they will rise up to support it financially. Fail to communicate your vision in a compelling and passionate way and you will struggle through this economically challenging time.
So, how is your vision?
Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group
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