Barnabas File

Although the term “strategic planning” is still a key emphasis for most businesses and organizations, I have found more churches embracing the idea of “visioning” -- defining a path forward but one that is responsive to the role of the Spirt in its execution. Several things are necessary for a successful visioning process.  Let me identify four essentials. First, spiritual and relational preparation.  If we are doing God’s work, a good beginning point is calling people closer to God. Through prayer, Bible study, and sharing, the disciples in a congregation come to understand that God speaks in many ways, including the experience and learning of fellow parishioners.  Forty Days of Prayer:  Preparing Ourselves for God’s Calling by Mark Tidsworth is a good resource for this preparation. Second, assemble a team. The pastor and the ministerial staff should not do this by themselves.  The vision is not handed down from “...

“In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”--Erasmus What is the source of vision?  In many churches or organizations, this proverb would describe the source:  one person “goes the mountaintop” and comes back with a plan for the future.  But what happens when that person leaves the country? Hammering out a vision is not easy, but the most persistent and enduring vision is one that is produced by more than one person and becomes the guide for the entire group, church, or organization.  Even if the leader leaves or falters, the vision can continue to be pursued. This approach to creating vision requires several elements. First, it takes time.  Listening to others, hearing them, and coming to a consensus does not happen overnight. Second, it takes trust and respect.  We will not put the time and effort into developing a vision with others if we don’t agree that each voice is important and that each has something...

When you plan a vacation, your tendency is to start thinking about what it will be like.   You think about the places you will visit, the food you will eat, the experiences you will have with family and friends.   Although reality may differ from what you imagine, your vision of the vacation gives you purpose and enthusiasm as you plan. Churches need a vision to have direction and purpose.  The terms “mission’ and “vision” are often used interchangeably, but I differentiate between the two.  Mission is the reason for your existence as a congregation.  If you embrace a missional theology, your mission is the missio Dei, the mission of God in this world.  God is a sending God who sends God’s people into the world to do God’s work.  On the other hand, vision is what you hope to become.  Throughout their struggles, the priests and prophets held out several visions to the Hebrew people--to dwell in the Promised land, to be res...

I put my foot in my mouth recently.  You know how that works—you make an off the cuff statement and suddenly realize that you may well have offended someone in the room.  I was leading a training session for lay leaders in a congregation and I said something to the effect, “I don’t really think much of long range planning.” I immediately realized that this evoked a reaction among those present, and then it was driven home when one person said, “Well, I guess he just stepped on your toes, pastor.”  Rather than explaining what I meant, I pushed on. The pastor and I are still friends, but I should have clarified  the difference between several terms we use interchangeably. First, “long range planning” is still a very popular term in corporate America, even though most companies have no idea where they will be a year from now much less 5 to 10 years down the road.  The world is too unstable to assume that plans and goals set today will have any meaning in a re...