20 Unavoidable Requirements for Vision Breakthrough
As leaders, we are naturally praying for breakthrough in one or more areas…
- In our family
- In our health
- In our relationships
- In our congregation
- And especially in God’s vision for our church
But vision breakthrough requires change.
And in just a few short weeks, the warm, hopeful desire for vision breakthrough will stand toe-to-toe with the cold, hard reality of the sacrifice demanded to achieve change. Only what we are truly committed-to, and convicted-of, will remain standing.
For most of us, spending another year talking about what should be different will be as effective in this year as it was in the last.
There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23
It might seem obvious, but healthy change and Biblical growth will not “just happen” without work.
Lasting breakthrough in your church consists of at least 20 unavoidable requirements, because in the end…
…vision takes Effort – As followers of Christ, we have no model nor Biblical map for the path of least resistance.
…vision takes Money – Extending the life of a dying church costs very little, revitalizing hope for the future takes thoughtful & intentional investment.
…vision takes Time – God has gifted us with a mind to dream about “what if,” and the time to be about “what next.”
…vision takes Risk – The riverbanks are safer than the rapids, but the full beauty of the river cannot merely be observed, it must be experienced.
…vision takes Courage – Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the presence of fear and then moving forward in faith anyway.
…vision takes Recklessness – Following a Savior who gave His life will likely involve moments of leadership in which we risk ours.
…vision takes Fear – An honest appraisal of the stakes involved in pastoring a church should strike fear in the heart of any experienced leader.
…vision takes Control – A pastoral calling in the local church requires active leadership engagement, not passive membership observation.
…vision takes Prayer – Depending on prayer for breakthrough, means setting aside enough time for a season, not just enough to start a meeting.
…vision takes Truth – Understanding the current state of the church is the only start, if effectiveness and health are truly the destination.
…vision takes Reality – Communication of “what could be” apart from “what is” creates a precarious gap. Excessive aspiration breeds active cynicism.
…vision takes Collaboration – Successful leadership is not measured by what you get accomplished, but by what gets accomplished without you.
…vision takes Help – Every leader naturally thinks they can “do it themselves” when it comes to vision – if you could have, you would have by now.
…vision takes Commitment – It’s much easier to start something new than to revitalize something in existence. New isn’t always better, ask Coke.
…vision takes Humility – Owning and understanding what we presently do not know catapults the process of understanding and owning God’s preferred future.
…vision takes Understanding – Lasting leadership impact does not happen because you developed great solutions, but because you asked great questions.
…vision takes Perspective – The longer you are a part of a system or organization, the harder it becomes for you to see things as they actually are.
…vision takes Immediacy – There are as many reasons to start tomorrow as there are wishes we had started yesterday. Today is all we have.
…vision takes Patience – You cannot microwave vision, it is as healthy & nutritious for the church body as a microwave burrito is for your physical body.
…vision takes Jesus – If the Gospel of Christ is not the primary catalyst and the singular focus of our effort, let’s change the name and charge membership fees.
Visionary breakthrough will demand much, but reward much more. Will Mancini’s book God Dreams is a great place to begin. Here is a recent post from Will on the importance of breakthrough church vision.
If you are ready to start a breakthrough vision conversation with an Auxano team member, or learn more about scheduling a 2-Day Vision Retreat this year, let us know here.
In the meantime… get to work.
Tags: Bryan Rose, God Dreams, Vision Breakthrough
