A ‘visionary’ church or a church with a vision?
... Looking for a 'visionary' pastor or a pastor with a vision?
Many years ago one of my ministry apprentices asked me how he could be more of a ‘visionary’ leader. He wanted to be a leader who would generate excitement and get people around his vision for ministry. It’s a question I’ve reflected on every time I’ve been asked about the ‘vision’ and ‘direction’ of our church community which occurs every few years. What’s interesting is that if you turned to the Bible, the words ‘vision’ and ‘direction’ the way it’s used in many church leadership settings isn’t really used that way in the Scriptures. The Bible speaks of ‘vision’ and ‘direction’ quite differently. We’re encouraged to look forward and pursue a certain course as God’s people. 1 Peter 1 speaks of our future inheritance which is meant to give us hope in the present. Hebrews 4 tells us to keep our eyes on the promised rest to come which is meant to empower perseverance. Ephesians 5 tells us to remember that the church is being prepared to be the radiant bride of Christ which is meant to get us to strive for holiness. I suspect no one would disagree with this, yet it feels somewhat lacking if that’s the answer to the question of ‘what’s our vision and direction as a church?’ because you’re looking for something more tangible, concrete, and even more exciting. I’ve seen the same in leadership over the years as I’ve heard people express a desire for pastors and leaders who have ‘vision’ and ‘direction’. I remember having to ‘cast’ my vision when we planted GracePoint, to ‘sell’ my vision, to get people ‘on board’ with my vision for ministry.
As I searched the Scriptures when we planted thinking about a ‘vision’ for GracePoint, a few things struck me. God calls us to three things – to grow to love him, to grow to love each other, and to grow to love and reach the lost. Paul in Colossians 1 tells us that his goal is to see God’s people mature in Christ. Jesus in Matthew 5 calls us to be a city on a hill that shines in the world, and in John 13 he tells us that our love for each other will witness to his love in the world. Simply put God’s vision for his church has always been to ‘build up God’s people to reach out in God’s world’. I would add to that as a good Presbyterian … for his glory i.e. ‘to build up God’s people to reach out in God’s world for his glory!’ I look around and I see it cast in different ways in church circles e.g. ‘making disciples for his glory’, ‘know Jesus and make Jesus known’, ‘reach up, reach in, reach out’, ‘love God, love the church, love the city and love the nations’ are just a few. A Biblical vision doesn’t change because it has always been God’s vision for his church.
Yet I’ve found people repeatedly asking the same question of me in my church community - ‘so what’s the vision and direction this coming year?’ Maybe you’ve been asked that question as an elder or pastor or congregation member. I’ve often thought to myself that maybe people in my church community haven’t understood our vision. But more and more I’ve come to realise that it’s in our nature and in our culture to find the old mundane and the new exciting. I suspect that’s the reason why churches today are constantly having to reinvent and recast their ‘vision’ in colourful and new ways. It’s the reason why we gravitate towards ‘visionary’ leaders. It’s the reason why we seem to have to run a vision Sunday every year!
As I reflect on my time in my church community I’d say that our vision has never really changed and will not change going forward. However, the temptation has been to be a more ‘visionary’ pastor in presenting and selling the vision (as if God’s vision wasn’t exciting and good enough!) God’s vision has always been for his church to build up God’s people to reach out in God’s world for his glory. Our structures serve that vision which means it can change to support that vision. Our programs may change because we develop what will best accomplish that vision. Our leaders and our members come and go as we play our part in discipling them to reach God’s world. Our serving and giving serves that vision.
The last 24 years has been a reminder to me that if we stay true and pursue God’s vision for his church he’ll be faithful in bringing it to fruition. Just as the gospel went out from Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), God’s agenda continues with each church community today. We’ve truly seen that in our church community in the lives of those who’ve either been converted here or who’ve been discipled here and moved on to serve in other churches, to men and women we’ve raised and equipped for ministry now serving all across our city and world. I’ve known lay leaders we’ve equipped now using what they’ve learnt serving in Canberra, New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong and Texas to name a few. I think of Erene and her husband Joseph serving the Gungahlin Bible church in Canberra, or Sarah and Tony serving their church in New York, or Nathan in Hong Kong or Tony in London, or Tim and Loretta now serving in a church plant in Brisbane led by Ben Ho one of our past student ministers at GracePoint. The gospel has gone to the ends of the earth through them and many others. I also think of those we’ve either raised or trained for full time ministry serving in Brisbane, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. I think of Fiona one of our first ministry apprentices now serving the gospel in Armidale, or Tony and Emily who trained as student ministers at our Burwood congregation serving the church in Kuala Lumpur, or Edmund and his family who trained as a student minister with our Auburn congregation now lecturing at Trinity Theological college in Singapore, or Dinesh who trained with us now serving the Melton Presbyterian church in Melbourne, or the Bai’s and Saxberry’s serving the gospel in Taiwan and Vietnam. There are many more. Here in our church community we’ve had around 16 theological students and 12 ministry apprentices we’ve journeyed with most of whom have been raised up within our church community. What was the secret? Having a ‘visionary’ church or a ‘visionary’ pastor? No. Only simply a resolute commitment to God’s vision to build up God’s people to reach out in God’s world through word and prayer.
In the messiness and disruption of church life things never look ‘spectacular’ until you reflect on the goodness of God in bringing His mission to pass over a faithfully sustained and prolonged period of time pursuing God’s vision for his church. Someone asked me last week how I was doing. I said I’m ok, plodding away. If you’re a pastor or elder or someone training for ministry remember that things don’t have to look spectacular. In fact, things might even be mundane and if I’m honest things sometimes look weak and we feel weak in ministry. I’m going to let you in on a secret having pastored for over 24 years. It’s ok to look weak and feel weak because God has always worked through weakness – the weakness of the cross and the weakness of his people (1 Cor.1:18-25; 2 Cor.12:9) God isn’t looking for ‘visionary’ pastors and leaders but pastors and leaders committed to His vision. God isn’t looking for ‘visionary’ churches but churches committed to His vision.
The great temptation for us as pastors and the great temptation in our churches is thinking that we need something ‘new’ to save us or fix our problems. It won’t because we already have a savior who’s given us everything we need i.e. his word and his presence (Matt.28:18-20) If you’re a pastor struggling because you’re not a ‘visionary’ leader and your church is not a ‘visionary’ church, rest in the assurance that He will continue building his church (Matt 16:16-18), and our part as we move forward is to continue being faithful to God’s vision to build up God’s people to reach out in God’s world through word and prayer.
Eugene Hor