Developing a Vision for Ministry

by Aubrey Malphurs

A leader must have vision. We all see the shrouding mists, but leaders have seen the city.

Since our vision must be God’s vision, we must gain it from the Scriptures.

Let’s face it. There were no “good old days” for the church.

Our vision must arise from recognizing what the transcendent, contemporary God wants to do for his church and through his church today. Having seen that, leaders can then envision what God will do in the place they serve—the congregation at Fifth and Main in a particular community. Strong leaders possess a vision as great as God and as specific as a zip code.

Leaders also communicate their vision to those who serve Christ with them. John Ruskin spoke of that service when he observed, “The greatest thing a human ever does in the world is to see something and tell others what he saw in a plain way. Hundreds can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see. To see clearly and tell others clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion all in one.”

Ministering to and leading in today’s world of the church and the parachurch is a leadership-intensive enterprise.

It is the wind of vision.

Personal vision concerns itself directly with the individual leader’s unique design, which helps immensely in determining his or her future ministry direction.

Institutional or organizational vision relates directly to the ministry of a particular Christian organization, whether a church or a parachurch.

The first step is to realize the importance of having a ministry vision.

The second step is to understand the definition of a ministry vision.

The third step is the process of developing, or giving birth to, a vision.

The fourth step is communicating the vision.

In the fifth step visionary leaders implement their visions.

The last step is the preservation of a vision.

In particular the problem is vision. The missing vital element in leadership is vision.

Vision is crucial to any ministry.

A characteristic of far too many North American ministries in general and churches in particular is a lack of direction. They simply don’t know where they are going, and many have not even thought about it.

A critical question that every church and parachurch ministry must ask and revisit at least once a year is the directional question, Where are we going? Or better, Where does God want us to go? Where is he leading us? The answer is both the ministry’s mission and vision.

Leaders must be able to articulate what God has called them to do.

On numerous occasions leaders in the Bible demonstrated a leadership based on clear ministry direction.

The people who are a part of the organization must also know where it is going.

Most people who are a part of a ministry organization fall into one of three problematic categories of ministry direction. The largest category by far consists of ministries that have no vision and thus no idea where the ministry is headed other than to love people. Most often they are maintenance ministries that are headed nowhere.

Another problematic category consists of ministries with multiple directions.

A final problematic category is ministries with a single, clear vision. In this case, the problem is that the vision is the wrong vision.

An institutional vision is one of the critical components of unity in ministry. The vision affects at least two areas of organizational unity.

The first area of unity is the recruitment of ministry personnel.

The second area of unity is the retention of ministry personnel.

The solution to this problem is a clear, single ministry vision.

Vision is vital to another area of the retention of ministry personnel. If regularly communicated, the vision serves as a constant reminder to those in the ministry of the direction they have agreed to pursue together as a team.

Another characteristic of many ministries today is that they do not know what they are supposed to be doing. They do not have a biblical mission.

A question that every ministry must regularly ask and revisit is the functional question, What are we supposed to be doing?

The answer to the functional question for the church is the Great Commission.

One answer is vision. Developing a vision and then living it vigorously and authentically are essential elements of leadership.

I define a leader as a godly servant (character) who knows and sees where he or she is going (mission and vision) and has followers (influence).

First, godly servants are people who display Christlike character throughout the ministry organization.

Second, they know and see where they are leading their ministries.

Third, the result of godly, Christlike character and a powerful, compelling vision is influence.

One of the problems that leaders face in their ministries—especially in today’s smaller, struggling churches—is the mediocrity problem.

Over a period of years, the church can allow itself to lapse into a maintenance mentality—it just seems to be getting by.

Vision and passion work hand in hand. While vision is a seeing word that involves what leaders see in their heads, passion is a feeling word that involves their emotions—what they feel in their hearts.

A shared vision fosters risk taking by a congregation. People with a compelling, passionate vision are willing to take risks that they might not otherwise take. While this is especially true in ministries such as church or parachurch planting, it applies to other ministry situations as well.

One answer is a clear, biblical vision. It encourages people to look beyond the mundane and the pain of ministry.

Not much happens without an inspiring, compelling vision.

Visions are exciting and energizing—they energize people. They strike a spark—the excitement that lifts a ministry organization out of the mundane. They supply the fuel that lights the fire under a congregation; they enable leaders to stop putting out fires and start igniting fires.

How does a vision generate such energy? One way is that it inspires people.

The right vision creates meaning in people’s lives.

With a shared vision, people see themselves not just as congregants or pew warmers, taking up space, but as a vital part of a church that is exerting a powerful impact on a lost and dying world.

People are moved to give to organizations that project an exciting, well-articulated vision of what they believe is God’s future for them.

Not only does vision motivate people to give of their finances or treasure, but it also encourages them to give of their time and talent.