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Every year about this time I would preach a vision casting sermon to my congregation. I correctly understood that vision drives what we do. What I did not realize is that vision leaks! 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. I should not have been surprised that my people could not remember what I had said about vision one month later.
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!
Since we are in a recession your vision has never been more important. Here are some thoughts about 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 donít 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 simpler than we have made it.
David is one who knew the importance of vision. He 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 Davidís 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, ěKing David rose to his feet and said: ěListen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the arkÖî 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.
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!
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 Cís of vision. Evaluate your vision on the basis of these three Cís.
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, ěYes I know they are raising funds but I am not sure what it is all about.î 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.
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!
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.
George Barna through his research and books is the premier expert on the American church. In his book ěHow to Increase Giving in Your Church,î he gives reasons why church members give. He says, ěfour out of five church supporters actively search for evidence that their money has made a difference in peopleís lives. Now hereís the rub. Most churches are struggling to trigger this motivation for giving because relatively few churches periodically, quantitatively and objectively measure their ministry influence.î He goes on to note, ěThe fund raising environment is a competitive one and churches must learn how to compete in that milieu or face the consequences. Two choices are clear: Become a ěhumble self-supporterî (i.e., tell the story of positive influence honestly, humbly and emphasize Godís blessings) or lose donations to other organizations (including many parachurch ministries) who are more proficient at making their transformational influence known to the donor public.î
One way you can assure your donors will stay with you throughout this time is to help them see the worth in donating to your ministry by casting a vision that motivates them to give. Remember, ěWithout vision the people perish!î When people perish their donations go with them.
Mark Brooks
Founder and President of The Charis Group
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