Developing a Vision for Ministry

by Aubrey Malphurs

The presence of strong gifts or abilities also conveys credibility, especially in the area of Christian leadership.

Another area that rates high is expertise as a pulpiteer, especially as the ministry increases in size.

A final element that creates trustworthiness for the vision is the personal dedication of the leader to the cause.

Another element that affects people’s acceptance of the vision message is the content of the vision itself.

Content credibility also depends on the relationship between the vision and the ministry community’s felt needs.

Finally, content credibility depends on the relationship between the dream and some untapped opportunity.

A third element that affects the people’s acceptance of the vision message is the vision caster’s character. Leaders who display integrity and trustworthiness are given high credibility by those within and outside the faith community.

Character is the foundation of Christian leadership.

The third step in conveying the vision is to consider those who will receive it.

The ministry community consists of all those who are directly involved in implementing the ministry vision.

It is critical to the success of any ministry that these people both comprehend and own the vision.

In leadership, empowerment involves giving people within the organization the necessary authority and power to take responsibility for the success of their individual parts of the ministry so that the organization moves strongly toward the achievement of its vision.

Empowerment primarily affects the accomplishment of the vision once it is communicated. However, it affects the communication of the vision in that empowered people not only move to implement the vision but are good vision casters as well.

Some practical methods for communicating your vision are through your life, your message, electronic and nonelectronic tools, plus a number of other methods that may not have even been discovered yet.

The leader’s life communicates the vision by modeling the message.

When the leader personifies the vision, it accomplishes several things. First, he models visionary behavior for the ministry team.

Finally, when leaders personify the vision, they motivate others to support and own the vision for themselves.

In successful churches, people were encouraged to articulate the vision through lifestyle, not just the repetition of the right words.

The leader’s message also communicates the vision.

It is important to speak with understanding. The speaker must know and understand the audience, which most likely contains the people who make up the ministry community.

A second element that facilitates communicating the vision through a speech or sermon is the use of stories, a powerful tool in the hands of visionary leaders.

A third element that facilitates the articulation of the dream through a speech or sermon is speaking positively, not negatively.

First, positive preaching is sustaining, whereas negative preaching is draining.

Positive preaching is also encouraging, whereas negative preaching is discouraging.

Rather, I encourage avoiding the kind of negative preaching that seeks to motivate through false guilt, patronization, and manipulation.

A fourth element that aids the communication of the vision through a sermon or speech is charisma.

I use the term here to describe the speaker’s delivery.

They smiled more, spoke faster, pronounced words more clearly, and moved their heads and bodies more often. They were also likely to touch others during greetings. What we call charisma can better be understood as human expressiveness.

A final element that enhances the communication of the dream through a verbal message is conviction.

Speakers who are convinced of their dreams are enthusiastic, committed, and motivated, with the result that they are genuine and expressive in their communication.

A compelling vision provides direction for the message and the energy or drive to move both the speaker and the people in that direction.

At the same time, the vision supplies the visionary speaker with the energy and excitement necessary to communicate that vision powerfully and effectively.

Let the size of your church determine how many tools you use.

Consider your audience.

Consider which are most effective for your people.

Remember that the medium is the message.

Since the medium is the message, make sure that someone regularly uses and updates these tools.

Surveys indicate that nine out of ten organizations fail to implement properly the strategies they formulate.

The dream must be transformed into concrete reality.

First, it calls on the visionary leader’s interpersonal skills and abilities to work well with people in the envisioning process.

Another reason this step is difficult is that at this point a leader entrusts the vision to people of influence for its implementation.

At this point, some would advise that the solution to a pastor’s problem of how to implement his vision is good management; that is, he needs to develop a plan.

While it is true that some influential people may be behind the vision, this is not enough, for it takes a team of people to implement a vision.

The solution to this problem, and the leader’s number one priority if he is to implement the dream, is to craft a team who will own the dream.

Team building is the careful, patient construction of a team (two or more people) around the organizational vision for the purpose of implementing the vision.

There will be some people, possibly a large number, who never own the vision. If the number is large, the visionary leader is in trouble and will have to make a critical choice about remaining and pushing the vision—which could result in a split in the organization—backing off and letting the vision die a slow death, or moving to another ministry.

In the more common situation, where only one or two individuals will not embrace the dream with the rest, it is best to move to implement the vision without their support.

Successfully building a team depends primarily on the visionary’s leadership skills more than on management skills.

John Kotter summarizes well the difference between the two. He writes that leadership is about coping with change, while management is about coping with complexity.1

First, it establishes the direction where a group of people should go, using vision and strategy to chart a clear course through the fog of change.