Miss the Introduction? Read it HERE.
By Chris Hankins || Posted September 25, 2018
I am extremely excited about the topic of vision in the local church because it has such an incredible impact on the direction and effectiveness of our church in pointing people to Jesus.
In Part 1, I want to spend some time unpacking what a church vision is and why it is necessary.
What is a church vision? Here a few of my favorite definitions:
“A vision statement is God’s specific plan for a specific church at a specific time.”
Thom Rainer“A vision statement is a succinct, one-sentence statement encompassing all you want to achieve as an organization.”
Michelle Lazurek“The vision provides us with a picture of what the mission will look like as it is realized in the community.”
Aubrey Malphurs
I would say that a vision statement is:
“The dream God has given you of how your church can accomplish the mission of Jesus in the future.”
The vision of The Point Church is to:
“Plant 30 Point Churches in the Triangle by 2025 to point every man, woman, and child in the Triangle to Jesus in our generation!”
I am incredibly passionate about seeing this God sized vision of the future become a present reality at The Point Church. However, I am not only passionate about seeing our vision fulfilled, I am also passionate about seeing every church discover and pursue their own God sized vision!
Why?
Because, I believe it is critical for every new or existing church to have a God sized vision of what God wants to uniquely do through them. However, the reality is that most churches do not have any communicated vision for what God wants to do in their church.
Listen to what George Barna discovered about vision in the local church:
“When we asked these pastors, ‘Can you articulate God’s vision for the ministry of your church?’ we found that roughly 90 percent of them could articulate a basic definition of ministry. But only 2 percent could articulate the vision for their church. I’m not saying the other 98 percent of pastors are not capable of articulating vision; I’m saying that to this point they haven’t. Given the centrality and the significance of vision, that’s one reason so many pastors are ineffective; they don’t know where they’re going.”
George Barna (Christianity Today)
We have a vision epidemic in the American Church.
God is a visionary God and I believe He has a vision for every local church. My passion is to help you discover and implement the vision that God has for your church. No one is more visionary that God! He wrote the book of Revelations to give the global church a vision of where He was leading us. Revelation chapters 21 and 22 are two of my favorite chapters in the Bible because they represent God’s ultimate vision for the church globally and me personally.
The great commission of Jesus in Matthew 28 gives me a mission to obey, but the vision of God at the end of the Bible gives me a future to strive for.
Yes, God has a vision for His global church. But what about your local church? Does God have specific future plans for your church here and now? Does He have a vision for the church you serve in? Mordecai said it best:
“Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14
God had a unique vision for Esther and her people in that unique time in history and I believe He also has unique vision for the people of your church as well:
“God began by making one person, and from him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. God decided exactly when and where they must live.”
Acts 17:26 NCV“But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.”
1 Corinthians 12:18
I believe the Bible teaches that God has determined everyone in your church would be born in this unique moment in history, live in their unique place, and be part of your unique local church for a very specific purpose. God has placed your church in your community at this moment in history to do something unique and beautiful for His glory!
Wouldn’t it be a shame if we, as the leaders of His church, do not take the time to discover what that is?
Each local church should have a unique vision within God’s grand vision for The Church because God has placed each local church in their community for such a time as this!
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