I just got home about an hour ago from church. We had a great fellowship activity as we popped popcorn and watched Dolphin Tale on the big screen in the sanctuary. We had a pretty good turnout and had a great time. For the last hour, though, I’ve been studying my notes for my pastorcluster tomorrow. They give us a quiz each time, and I want to do well.
Some of the material is about vision.
The brief outline is based on Habakkuk 2:1-3. Never mind the fact that the material is kind of taken out of context; it is still true. There are three important things I need to remember for the test.
- Vision is discovered, it is not created.
- Vision is God’s answer to a problem.
- Vision ignites urgent action.
I think all of these are true. Let me work backward. Urgent action is relative. I do not think every aspect of vision is about selling the farm to make something happen right now. However, that urgent feeling is needed to create the emotive matrix for things to get done. Without it inertia begins to work against you. I also believe that vision is God’s answer to the problem. Specifically, in the context of leadership it is apparent to me that as I wrestle with problems in helping people be spiritually mature or helping our church make a greater impact in South Kitsap and the world, I believe what God leads me to do, teach, and lead is a part of the solution. If I didn’t believe that, I would quit.
But the aspect of this teaching that I am meditating upon tonight is the first one–that vision is discovered and not created. What I’m pondering is that vision discovery is a good balance for the urgent action part of it. It sometimes takes a long time to discover the vision God has. Not all of us receive it quickly or immediately; and this is true of our context. It seems to me that the vision Jesus has for me in my context (i.e. church) is different from someone else in some other context or church. Another leader might be able to discover the vision quicker than me because it is more apparent.
Okay, I realize as I read the above paragraph that I am getting wordy and vague. What I mean to say is that I think I AM JUST NOW DISCOVERING THE VISION THAT JESUS HAS HAD ALL ALONG FOR MY CONTEXT IN OUR CHURCH.
More to the point, I do not know if that vision can be easily written or explained. The longer I lead and pastor the more I can feel it in my bones–the more I intuit the direction we are headed and what we should be like. This is why I think so much of what passes for vision in many church settings is premature wordiness. Usually vision is nothing more than nice sounding cliches or sample group marketed ideas or images which people feel good about. But haven’t we learned by now that vision statements and mission statements do not really matter that much and really do not bring about change? As believers do we not live more by the vague vision qualities of love, sacrifice, beauty, and wisdom?
So those are my thoughts. With my luck, though, the teacher will not even ask those questions on the quiz.