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Thousands of years ago the wise man Solomon spoke an eternal principle: “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). While Solomon had in mind words from God to His spokesman known as prophets, it calls our attention to the broader subject of vision for God’s work in the church. Vision among church leaders. In their book, Death of the Church, Mike Regele and Mark Schultz wrote these sobering words: “The most important problem in the church today is a fundamental lack of clear, heart-grabbing vision. The church in America has no vision. It has programs and institutions and property and ministers and politically correct hymnals, but no vision” (p. 229, Zondervan, 1995). While these authors may be painting with broad denominational brush strokes, they are touching on a point that the twenty-first century Restoration Movement cannot ignore.
Vision has become a hype word in the last twenty or so years. Corporate American has spent thousands of man-hours and millions of dollars honing out vision statements. Other institutions such as sports teams, clubs and even churches have gotten on the bandwagon. Many of these vision statements hang in prominent places to be read by employees and customers, but little or nothing is accomplished by them. They are just words; another fad sold in the marketplace of success principles.
Jesus was no doubt thinking about vision when he uttered these words about the Pharisees: “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). These leaders couldn’t see the real mission of the Law; they failed to see the plight of humanity; they were blind to their own corruption; they were leading people away from God instead of to Him (cf. Matthew 23:1-12).
Webster defines vision as: “The act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be…a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation of something in the future.” There was a time when most church leaders were describes by these words. They looked out on the harvest fields of lost humanity and sent froth missionaries (John 4:34-38). They responded to the cry of the orphans and widows (James 1:27; Galatians 6:10). There was a time when leaders were serious about training leaders and teachers (Ephesians 4;11-16; 2 Timothy 2:1-3). In the last few years, however, these visionary leaders have dropped drastically in numbers. Peter may well have described them in these words: “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9).
As today’s leaders clean their spiritual lens for God’s work and launch new efforts to empower the church with a vision, they must recast it in harmony with God’s eternal vision for the church. A vision that was cast before the foundation of the world (cf. Ephesians 1:3-7). It is a vision articulated by Isaiah in these words: And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1,2).
We understand this vision was launched in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost and blazed a path into all the world (Colossians 1:23), just as Jesus had commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). What did those first century visionary leaders have that leaders don’t seem to have today in the twenty-first century? It wasn’t money. We have more than they had. It wasn’t education. We have better education than they had (Acts 4:12,13). It wasn’t church buildings and programs. They had none. It wasn’t better transportation. We can circle the globe in a matter of hours. It wasn’t printed materials or media. They had none. It wasn’t approval by the government. They were persecuted for their faith. They didn’t propagate a politically correct religion. They preached there was only one way (cf. John 14:6; Acts 4:11-13).
They weren’t interested in Christianity for what they could financially get out of it; they gave up what they had to help others (cf. Acts 4:31-37). It was “more blessed to give than to receive” (cf. Acts 20:35). First century visionary leaders were sold on being bold. Note these verses in the Book of Acts: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John…that with all boldness they may speak thy word…they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:13, 29, 31). The common thread of boldness runs throughout the book of Acts and concludes with this statement about the apostle Paul: “Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, not man forbidding him” (Acts 28:31). The righteous are bold as lions (cf. Proverbs 28:1). Jesus set the example of boldness (cf. John 7:26). It takes bold leaders to proclaim and support a bold vision for God’s work. The boldness of visionary leaders is driven by faith. They know that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (cf. Hebrews 11:16). Visionary leaders “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). They believe with Christ’s blessings and strength they can “do all things” (Philippians 4:13). The faith of visionary leaders is larger than the balance on their checkbooks; it is more powerful than their own feeble efforts; it trusts in God and His power regardless of circumstances (cf. Ephesians 3:20).
In a day of declining church growth, post modernism, divisions of ever shade, a loss of interest in leadership, and much more; it is time for God’s leadership team to make His vision our vision. It is time to revision what the church in the first century saw and carried out as their mission. We don’t need a “new vision”, we just need to recommit ourselves to the one prepared by God before the foundation of the world. It will be alright to add our personal dreams and ways of carrying out this vision. God expects us to use commonsense and methods in harmony with Scriptural principles. The three-fold mission of the church is to (1) edify, (2) equip, and (3) evangelize. This is the job of leadership (Ephesians 4:11-16). Therefore, since we have our vision statement and mission objectives given by God, it behooves us to be about our Father’s business. We will not have missionaries until we have visionaries.
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SCENE: Let’s drop in on a typical congregational business meeting on Main Street USA:
Ralph: “Well, where are the other men? I guess we are in for another boring and none meaningful church business meeting. I always dread these meetings.”
Chuck: “Amen to that! I’d rather go to the dentist than attend one of these meetings. At least the dentist has an objective and time limit and gets with it.”
Bill: “What’s this meeting about? I hope it’s not about the same-old-stuff—the bills, giving, sound doctrine issues, and evaluating the preacher.”
Fred: “I hope this meeting is quick and to the point. I have a lot of work to do in order to prepare for work tomorrow.”
Most of us at one time or another have been in congregational, and other, business meetings that were off target, meaningless, ineffective, and boring. No doubt from time to time we contributed to these negative qualities. In a recent Inc. magazine article a survey was reported in which 47 percent said the meetings they attended were not productive (24 June 2016).
There are all kinds of attitudes toward meetings by members of a congregation that contribute to their ineffectiveness. Here are ten:
Business meetings are no more effective than the behavior and attitude of those who attend or don’t attend. If we are going to have business meetings we must do all we can to ensure they are conducted in the best possible way. Effectiveness doesn’t happen by chance. One way to learn and improve is to be aware of what the negatives are that contribute to an issue and then eliminate them. Here are 21 possible signs and contributors to ineffective business meetings:
There are other contributors to ineffective congregational business meetings, these 21 are some of the major ones. List three additional things that may contribute to the ineffectiveness of a business meeting?
1. _______________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________
As noted in the previous 21 observations about contributors to ineffective business meetings, it should be obvious that successful meetings depend on the preparation and participation of each person in attendance. A congregational business meeting is not a theater production where some act and others observe. It is a gathering of servants where all participate.
Here are some suggestions for preparing to attend and participate in a congregational business meeting:
List three (3) additional ways you can prepare to participate in congregational business meetings:
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________
Meetings that are well planned, organized, and efficiently executed are effective tools for a local congregation to pursue the mission given by God. This means leaders must wake up to the value and importance of effective meetings.
How do you intentionally plan to be a more effective attendee to congregational business meetings? ____________________________________
I’m a leader in God’s army
Walking in the King’s way
I’m a leader in God’s army
Armed for the fight today.
I’m a leader in God’s army
Following God’s battle plan
I’m marching forward by faith
The victory is in my hands.
I’m a leader in God’s army
I didn’t volunteer to play
We’re in an eternal struggle
I have taken my stand today.
I’m a leader in God’s army
And will be ‘til I die
I’ll fight the fight of faith
‘Til I’m safe in my home on high.
I’m a leader in God’s army
So come and follow me
At the end of the battle
“The best is yet to be.”
DEDICATED to the boys in the Future Leaders Training Camp, 2010
McDonough church of Christ & World Bible Institute
400 Lake Dow Road, McDonough, GA 30252
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