Did you miss Part 1? Read it HERE.
By Chris Hankins || Posted September 25, 2018
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.”
The Point Church is a church that plants churches, that plants churches. From the beginning, The Point Church has reaped the benefits of a clear and compelling vision.
Before we had our first worship service, we shared this vision with anyone who would listen. We talked about it so much that our people did not question whether our decision to plant our second church in Apex, North Carolina after only eighteen months was wise. Rather, they asked, “What took you so long?” Our vision gave the people of The Point Church a roadmap to where our elders believed God was leading us. This led to action.
We should never underestimate the advantage of a clear road map to the future. I love how Michelle Lazurek describes the benefits of a church’s vision:
“Leaders must dream what their ideal church will look like and then implement a specific plan so they can achieve those dreams. Churches that are achieving their dreams started through creating vision and mission statements.”
My prayer is that church leaders will increasingly be inspired to pray for a God-sized vision.
A God-sized vision will provide 7 critical benefits for your church.
1) Stretches Your Imagination
A God-sized vision will stretch your imagination by expanding your view of what God can do in and through you!
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21
This passage was the main text for our Seven Year Anniversary sermon, because we think God wants to increase our belief in what He is capable of doing through us. A God-sized vision will do just that!
2) Sets Your Destination
A God-sized vision serves as the destination coordinates for the journey of your church. It allows everyone to stay together and arrive at the same place. Picture your church as a caravan of cars going on a trip together. A God-sized vision allows a limitless number of people to join the journey. There is no threat of people getting lost, because they have God’s destination coordinates plugged into their navigation system!
3) Makes Strategic Plans Strategic
Once you have the benefit of a clear destination, you can develop strategic plans that are truly strategic. Effective strategic plans start with a future goal and work backwards to identify the strategic steps that are needed to achieve that goal over a set amount of time. A vision of your church’s future will allow your leadership team to use the resources God has given you in a way that will help you take intentional steps in the right direction. Dave Ferguson, President of the New Thing Network, says it well:
“A God-sized vision helps all of the little things point in the right direction.”
4) Drives Dependence
A God-sized vision should always be something that is impossible to accomplish in your own strength. In this way it drives us to depend completely on God to accomplish it! Dave Ferguson says,
“If your vision doesn’t make you depend on God, you need to get a bigger vision.”
This has been true for us at The Point. Fulfilling our God-sized vision has personally led me to depend on God more than anything else I have ever attempted.
5) Attracts Resources
People respond better to vision than they do to need. God-sized visions attract big resources and talented leaders. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and they want to give to something that will make a real difference in the world. However, vague and unclear visions rarely motivate sacrifice and passion. If you have a clear God-sized vision, resources will come.
6) Inspires Holy Risk
One of our key leadership values at The Point is that where God guides, he provides. Can you name one time in the Bible where God gave someone a vision to do something but did not provide what was needed to accomplish the task? I can’t! God always pays for what He orders. From Noah and the Ark to Moses and the Red Sea to Nehemiah and the Wall, every time God calls people to take a holy risk He gives the provision.
A God-sized vision gives the confidence needed to take the holy risk to follow where He leads because if He calls you to it, He will provide for it. John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard Movement, says:
“When God calls you to an extraordinary task, he provides extraordinary resources.”
7. Breed Unity
A clear, God-sized vision will breed unity. When people move in the specific direction God has given them true unity is possible. But a church with conflicting visions will be riddled with division. Without a God ordained vision for the church, each member acts as a one-man missionary without the synergy and gifts of other believers. A clear picture of the future, however, gives everyone something to unify around.
Do you know why some visions inspire people to follow God with reckless abandon? Check out the next post to find out!
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