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9 Signs Your Ministry Needs a Vision
Today we are talking about Why you need a vision. I’m going to give you 9 signs you need a vision and 9 benefits of having a plan.
Why Your Ministry Needs a Vision
A few years ago, I met with a group of people who wanted to see growth in their church.
Not so much in numbers but in Spiritual Growth.
They had some great ideas and even some specific strategies for implementing those ideas.
…But they did not create a plan and (sadly) they didn’t implement their great ideas.
They didn’t see the progress they had hoped for.
I DON’T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU IN YOUR MINISTRY!
I want your ministry to thrive…not just survive. I want you to have spiritual growth, physical growth, and outreach ministries that REALLY reach people.
If you have a plan without a vision, you are just doing busy work.
If you have a vision without a plan, you just have a fantasy.
~Joseph Lalonde
Living in a Fantasy
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to just do busy work or live in a fantasy world.
I WANT to make a difference! I want to be doing what God has called me to do to be a part of His Kingdom plan.
You’ve heard the saying, “failing to plan is planning to fail“.
While this isn’t the case for every ministry, it does happen more often than we would like to admit.
If this leadership team had been able to create a vision and set some goals to stay on course I believe they would have seen the outcome they were hoping for.
Today we are talking about Why you need a vision. I’m going to give you 9 signs you need a vision and 9 benefits of having a plan.
9 Signs You Need a Vision
- Nobody can state the vision of the ministry. If your membership and your leadership team cannot state the vision, then your community definitely doesn’t know what your vision is. If nobody knows where you are headed it is impossible for them to get on board with the vision and help you reach it. If no one knows where you are headed that is a good sign you need a vision.
- Leadership tends to be reactive instead of proactive. If leaders are reacting instead of being proactive in their planning that is a sign you need a vision. Now I’m not talking about every reaction. Things will happen that you need to react to. I am talking about your overall mission for the ministry.
- Leaders are not in one accord. This is a big one. If your leaders are not on the same page it is very difficult to work together to reach goals. This is a really good sign that your ministry could benefit from creating a vision.
- The ministry is disorganized. If there is not an organized structure in your ministry you need a vision plan. We are going to talk about this one a little more in a minute.
- The ministry is on autopilot, just going through the motions. If your ministry is just coming to church on Sunday and going through the same routine every time and nothing new is happening, it is time to go through a visioning process.
- Faithful members are not active in the ministry. This is a difficult one and kind of goes along with #5 but if your faithful members are not actively involved in what your ministry is trying to do, it is probably time to revisit your vision and create a plan.
- Leaders don’t stay long. If you see a high turnover in your leadership that could mean they are not clear on what the vision of the ministry is and ultimately may go somewhere where they can see that their leadership matters and is helping create forward progress.
- Attendance is dwindling. If you are seeing a decrease in attendance, it could mean that others don’t see them in the future of the church. Now, there are many reasons for this, and you can’t judge on this alone but if this is happening along with some of these others you might consider how they are viewing or not viewing the future of the church.
- No visitors are walking through the doors. If you haven’t experienced any visitors in a while you could definitely benefit from going through a visioning process.
Okay,now that we have visited the more negative side of this topic we are going to shift gears. Hearing some of these signs can be hard to hear because the truth really does hurt. This could make us feel like we are failing or we could feel guilty about not doing better. That is not the point of this show. We are here to encourage and energize leaders in ministry.
So now we will go through 9 Benefits of creating a vision plan.
9 Benefits of Creating a Vision Plan
- Vision brings Clarity – if you have a vision it will bring clarity to not only your leadership team but also your whole congregation.
- Vision creates Unity – when you have a common goal, people will unit to reach that goal.
- Vision boosts Productivity – as your leadership unites together and is clear on where they are headed you will see more productivity. Goals will be set, acted on and reached as your team works together.
- Vision brings Order to the ministry – As your team is working together in unity and being productive new processes can be created to help things run smoothly. You will start seeing organization happen where there was none before.
- Vision is Contagious – As all of the previous things happen people will get excited to see results and others will jump on board with the vision. You could see more motivation and more volunteers jumping on board.
- Vision boosts Spiritual Growth and Physical Growth – As the individuals go through this process they will experience spiritual growth and you are likely to see physical growth in your ministry as well. When you seek the Lord’s vision and then take steps to walk into that vision I believe the Lord will bless your actions.
- Creating a plan will give you the exact steps for the vision to become a reality – Going through the visioning process can help you craft a plan and outline the action steps that are needed to fulfill the vision.
- You will be more confident knowing you are creating a plan that is motivated by the Lord. – When we let go of our own ideas and the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality we open the door for the Lord to really show up and give us new creative ideas of how to do ministry. The message doesn’t change but sometimes the method does change. When we partner with what the Lord is already doing, He will show up and give us the confidence and resources we need.
- Your excitement, energy, and joy will be renewed and inspired by the Lord. – Imagine how you would feel if you knew exactly what the Lord’s purpose was for you and your ministry. Then imagine you are right in the center of where you are supposed to be. Wouldn’t you be ecstatic to be doing the work the Lord put in front of you?
Creating Your Own Vision Plan
If the signs you need a vision resonated with you or the benefits listed sound like something you need, go check out the below workshop.
Listen here or subscribe on your favorite podcast app:
Join the Workshop
A quick summary of the Workshop:
- This is a four-week virtual workshop – Jan 30 through Feb 24, 2023
- You will immediately receive the Jump Start Guide to Vision Planning.
- As soon as you sign up, I will begin praying for you and your ministry.
- We will have a live Zoom call each week to go over the steps.
- You will have strategic tasks to complete each week
- You will have access to the Facebook group to communicate and ask questions.
- I will be sending out emails throughout the 4 weeks and you can Reply to emails (if you wish) for brainstorming with me
- You will get a 1:1 coaching session with me to gain traction in any area you are stuck.
- Sign up below!
The Full Circle Ministry Planning Workwshop
This workshop is designed to help you:
– start the circle in prayer. (You will get specific prayer prompts)
– have a creative brainstorming session that doesn’t look like a tornado.
– create your ministry’s vision statement.
– set goals and create tasks to reach those goals.
– stay accountable and encouraged through our Prayer Circle group.
– review and check-in to complete the circle.
Are you ready to become a Full Circle Ministry?
