I have operated for years with an appreciation for the need to create vision statements to guide my leadership. This week I began to wonder where that impetus came from in my life. It's been delivered to me from some of the dozens of leadership books on my shelf. There are a number of those books that are written by Christians who have scoured the Bible for evidence of how to apply such business best practices to ministry. Nehemiah has become the patron saint of how one man who is compelled by God with a clear vision can accomplish some amazing things.
Anybody open to revisiting these assumptions?
Here's my postulate. Vision needs to be the exclusive domain of God. Every time an organization articulates a vision it is going to be different from the vision God has for all of us who are his people. In most cases it will be only part of the story…and therein lies the danger. We are like offensive linemen who have a gloriously clear picture of what it looks like to block for our quarterback but have no sense of what else we are supposed to do to contribute to our team's victory. Our concentration on anything that is less than ushering in the Kingdom of God in our midst means that we might unintentionally disrupt God's Kingdom-growing agenda in and through us.
So in YFC we (famously) are possessed by the vision of reaching every kid. When that vision is allowed to govern our world of operations and strategies it can lead us to some sort of elevated organizational arrogance that is a true hindrance to humbly collaborating with others under the Lordship of Jesus. It has led us in the past to practices that settle on decisions for Christ rather than making disciples of Christ.
When a Christian college articulates a hybrid vision so that it accommodates current best practices in higher ed it can fail to explore other Kingdom agendas, the ones that might be most catalytic in bringing about amazing and lasting impact. Unquestioned assumptions choke off the life-giving connections to God's ultimate picture of how he wants to rule in our midst.
Let's let the full witness of Scripture describe God's vision for us; then we align to what he wants for us all. We won't be clueless and floundering without direction. Rather, we will find the detail and precision we need to operate when we break out our particular assignments as mission statements. YFC gathers people who have a similar mission assignment from the Lord into an organization…each YFC community chapter operates with a contextualized version of that mission…each of us who work in YFC need to understand our particular roles as contributors to that mission--roles that we must discern in part because the Lord Jesus, Keeper of the Vision, has given each of us gifts to pull of the tasks for which he created us.
Revisit Nehemiah against the backdrop of this rant. God's vision was so much greater than rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah had mission clarity that fed into God's ultimate plan for bringing his people back together as a witness to the nations. That was enough.
(For my YFC family, I think that much of the exciting sense of progress that we sense right now can be explained by how we are moving to more fully embrace a Kingdom way of life for how we live and work together. For instance, humility is hardly a strategic initiative!)
Can we let go of the need to articulate any vision other than what God has already declared? Rather, can we confine our scrutiny to knowing what our assignment is and trusting God to move all of us into position for HIM to bring about what HE promises? We will likely lose some of our distinctiveness, maybe even our funding appeal. But if God is going to get ALL the glory, we'd best be ready to embrace our most ultimate assignment of dying to our organizational and personal selves for The Cause.
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I like the idea that our vision can/will be only part of the story of God's Vision. I feel like there could be a lot of implications in that statement too. Depending on what way you look at it.
ReplyDeleteSo, are you saying we should still pursue our 'smaller part of the kingdom' vision with all we've got?
Thanks, Dave. You're saying something that I have been trying to clarify to people for a while. Church and group organization is merely a necessary evil. The church is not a corporation, but a group of people seeking to glorify God. If each of us are looking for how we can do that, and how He wants us to do that, the "organizational" portion should be no more than an outgrowth.
ReplyDeleteJesus is the "Keeper of the Vision" - I like that!
ReplyDeleteThanks, ya'll, for jumping in. Adam, I think I'm saying that there are two practical implications for us to live in. #1-Don't try to reduce God's vision, but understand it for all its glorious huge implications. #2-Our mission (assignment, task, role, etc.) is sufficient to be the focus we pursue. We only have a small assignment in God's grand vision scheme and we're asked to get that right and be faithful. Vision should inspire us, compel us, and give us hope. It should never be used to judge our contributions. That's the mission deal, and we get to marvel at how the Lord puts it all together in his vision tapestry.
ReplyDeleteI recall this concept being driven into us during our undergraduate studies and I think you put some good words to what I felt back then (and still feel now!). Perhaps the evil necessities only become evil once we abandon the idea of carrying a cross and decide to carry an organization instead? I sometimes wonder if we give into our temptation to follow a "successful" corporate structure because God wasn't willing to break the Scriptures into the clear agendas, tidy packaging, and neat execution that we desire.
ReplyDeleteVision statements...mission statements....we agonize over every word choice so we can craft the perfect statement so everyone will ooo and ahh over our brilliance and how cutting edge (although it is now no longer cutting edge) we are. If we are really good, we even look to that statement as we agonize over the wording if each and every procedure as we write development plans or procedure manuals. There is a wonderful man in our church...grew up Catholic, left the church, got into drugs and alcohol, spent time in jail and has been sober for many years. Since drywalling our church, he has been exploring God in a way that is vastly different from the way he was raised. His questions and observations make us smile and make sometimes a little uncomfortable withour arrogance. His favorite saying is "I just want to do the next right thing." Now there is a vision statement for you. God gave me command and I just want to do the next right thing he has laid out for me in achieving that command. You may have a different right thing, but I am confident He will let me and you know. It is not aimless wandering, but active listening to his call.
ReplyDeletePatty Atkins
Wow. Nigel & Patty, thanks. Nigel, if I ever was able to communicate so cleanly such an important truth in the classroom I sure don't remember! And Patty, your opening statement (especially) brilliantly describes the fascination I've witnessed with our word-crafting work. I'm gonna try to do the next right thing now. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWithin the missional movement there is an emphasis less on vision statements and more on awareness and participation in whatever God is doing now - in your organization, your community, your congregation.
ReplyDeleteWhile a vision has its merits - a picture of what could be - it's benefit is rooted in what God is doing now and how that produces a good change from what used to be.
When I started Anchor, I was under the impression I needed to create a vision statement, which I did. It had mediocre effect and was a cause of frustration. When we began to look instead for what God was doing amongst us already (or in spite of us) or in the neighborhood around us, things got more exciting.
I like what you said about not using vision to judge contributions.