The Importance of Vision

Does anyone ever like going to the doctor?  Of all the people that I have talked to, I have yet to find a person who enjoyed going to the doctor’s office.  I am not someone who likes going to the doctor’s office; however, there is something that I enjoy about going to the eye doctor.  It may be that I like how intricate the machines look are the fact that there is no paper on the chair that I have to sit on.  It also seems to me that eye doctors are often more pleasant to be around, but I guess they don’t have the pressure of getting sick at work on a daily basis.

The Phoropter

My favorite thing about the eye doctor is when they sit you down behind the phoropter. The reason I like this machine so much is because in a matter of time you vision goes from non-existent to crystal clear. However, I hate getting my eyes dilated because I lose my near sighted vision.   As I sat there it got me thinking about the importance of vision in our ministry. So here are three important factors in establishing a vision in your ministry:

1. Direction

You would never get on a plane and just start flying.  Unless your plan is to catch the first flight out of town, you plan ahead of time, buy the cheapest tickets you can get, and then pack the proper clothing.  The fact of the matter is, our ministry needs to be treated like a plane flight.  We need to know where we want our ministry to go and then guide the plane in the direction that you need to go.  You are the pilot and you want to take you passengers beyond where they started, beyond the tarmac.

2. Clarity

You vision needs to be clear!  When you are trying to establish a new vision for your ministry, you need to get the support of the team that you have around you and clearly present the goals that you are trying to accomplish.  My ministry’s vision is, “We are Christ’s ambassadors striving to reach out to the community, reach up to the Lord, reach in to each other’s lives in community.”  The fact is that we want our students, leaders, and others involved in our ministry to remember and be able to tell others what the vision of our ministry is.

3.  Focus

Everything that you do in your ministry should come back to your vision.  This means that nothing you do should deviate from your vision.  Stick to your guns.  There are a lot of well meaning people who will try to get you to commit yourself to something that has nothing to do with what your are trying to accomplish.  Being able to say no to the things that don’t fall in line with your vision will help you to have a stronger yes when the right opportunity comes along!

A clear, directed, and focused vision will help you to be more successful in your ministry.  Just like being able to see while your drive is important, being able to see in your ministry changes lives.

What is your vision or mission statement for your ministry?   (Please leave a comment below and join the conversation)

-Jason