2. Creating a vision could fit well in several places, such
as before developing the mission or after developing
a strategy. Envisioning takes place throughout the
process.
Pastors indicated that conflicting visions for the
church was their greatest source of tension and the
top reason they were terminated or forced to resign.
Clearly, vision is the upmost importance to leaders
and their ministry. Seven reasons why follows:
1. A Vision Provides Energy
2. A Vision Creates Cause
3. A Vision Fosters Risk Taking
4. A vision Legitimizes Leadership
5. A Vision Energizes Leadership
6. A Vision Sustains Ministry
7. A Vision Motivates Giving
3. The Definition of a Vision
What a Vision Is Not-A Distinction Between A Vision and
A Mission:
1.The mission is a statement of what the church is
supposed to be doing, while the vision is a snapshot or
picture of it.
2. A mission is used for planning where the church is
going, the vision is used to communicate this.
3. A mission statement must be short. The vision
statement goes into detail ranging from single
paragraph to several pages.
4. The purpose of a mission is to inform whereas a vision
inspires.
5. The mission involves knowing. The vision involves
seeing
6. The mission comes from the head, the vision from the
heart.
4. What A Vision Is Not, con’t
7. The mission precedes the vision and the
vision fleshes the mission out.
8. The mission has a broad, general focus,
while the vision has a narrow focus.
9. Mission development is a science, vision
development an art.
10.The mission is communicated visually,
usually written down somewhere. The
vision is communicated verbally. You hear it
preached. Example Martin Luther King’s
“I Have a Dream.” Hearing him preach it
has much greater impact than reading it off
the page.
5. What a Vision Is
1. It is clear
2. It is compelling
3. It is a picture
4. It is the future of the ministry
5. It can be
6. It must be
The Development of the Vision
The strategic planning team and the pastor are
those tasked with drafting a clear vision statement
for the congregation
The Vision Process
1. The Preparation Step- includes envisioning prayer,
thinking big, discovering your passion, experiencing
the dream, questioning the dream and
demonstrating patience
6. 2. The Process Step- Three potential processes:
a. Expand your mission statement- develop and add
details to the mission, fleshing it out by adding the
church’s purpose, some core values, and later
strategy
b. Build on your core values
c. Model your vision after another’s vision statement
3. The Vision Product
4. The Test of the Vision
The Communication of the Vision- casting the vision
1. The leader’s example- critical to communicating
the vision. Must live the dream
2. The sermon-primary verbal means for casting the
vision
3. Other methods- various. Each ministry will need to
discover which method is best fro them
