Discerning a fresh vision for ministry

Yesterday I spoke at a church and offered to assist them in discerning a fresh vision for ministry.  Like many churches, this church has been in decline for a number of years.  They have the location and the facilities to enjoy a good ministry.  What they have not had is a common, unifying vision that would get everyone pulling in the same direction.  As I shared with them, this will reduce the amount of conflict and give the church a focused approach to ministry.  It will also give them a more outward focus as God's vision for a church is never an inward one.  Following my message the church held a special called business meeting and voted to begin the vision discernment process with me.  I am excited to be working with this congregation in such an important process.

Few of the churches I see on a regular basis have such a vision.  Most open their doors each week and hope something good will happen.  As important as hope is, hope is not a strategy.  While God can do anything He wants when He wants, I find that He often does His best work when we are working alongside Him.  The exciting thing is that God has a unique vision for each church, and if we are willing to strive to discern that vision it will be shown to us.  At that point, we are ready to move forward with a singleness of mind and purpose to advance the Kingdom of God.

The process I use is simple but not easy.  I will spend one evening with the church identifying their core values.  The challenge with this is getting people to identify the church's true core values and not the ones they believe they should have.  A second evening will examine the church's bedrock beliefs, those biblical beliefs that are at the foundation of everything they do.  We will then spend a Saturday in a discernment process trying to identify God's vision for the church.  That vision must be congruent with the core values and bedrock beliefs we've already identified plus it must be in line with the gifts and ministry passion of the people.  This entire process must be bathed in much prayer if we want to hear God speak to us throughout the process.  I explained to the congregation that this will take much time on their part and will cost them in numerous ways, but it is a process that is much needed to help this church move forward.

What is the vision of your church?  I'm not necessarily interested in a vision statement that was developed a few years ago by a committee and voted upon by the congregation and now sits gathering dust on a shelf somewhere.  What single purpose drives the ministry of your church?  What is your church budget and calendar built around?  Without such a vision your church is probably wandering around in the wilderness wondering why good things seldom happen in your church.  It's time for your church to identify the vision God has for your church and focus all your resources to make that happen.