The next two weeks these notes are going to be about vision. As my wife and I took on a new class (College / Single Adults) a few years ago now there was something we wanted to get done before we got too far down the road and that was to get a vision for the class, the group, etc. We have always done this to get things off on the right foot with every class / group we have taught. We try to involve the students / members in the visioning process as they are vital too it's success. However, with that said the older I get the more I begin to see something that is very simple. Vision generally starts with one person, and others then add too it.
As I look at the Bible that seems to be the pattern God seems to typically follows - Moses and the Israelites (several times), David and the nation of Israel, Jacob, Abraham, Paul and the Gentiles, etc. It is not that God does not speak to groups, He does, and many times He even leads them as a group. It just seems though that the core of the vision, or the key you might say, is revealed to one leader that then surrounds themselves with followers that will latch onto, or reject, the vision and then prosper, or destroy, it.
Now I am not saying that ministries or churches should be run by one person, and that a leaders vision or ideas should always be the final word. Situations like that are just as bad, if not worse, then having no vision. Simply, anytime you get humans involved, personal ego, arrogance, and lack of focus will all eventually lead to ministries, movements and activities failing and injuring people.
Bottom line, what I am saying is that the direction and vision from God, i.e. the big picture or the forest you might say, usually (again usually not always) comes too one person and then that person along with like minded followers grow it into a real thing. The key to this pattern is a leader that truly seeks God and then takes the step to lead those around them to where God is calling.
In the end, the followers are more vital then the visionary. The followers are actually the ones that makes it happen. They are the ones that put feet and hands on the dream. Without the followers you have a leader with a vision and no ability to accomplish it. So, I am not relegating followers to a lesser value. In fact I believe them to be more important then the visionary in the end. Simply, they are just not "the vision guy / gal".
When we started our current class, we had our singles go through a visioning packet that we put together. This packet stressed lots of prayer, Bible study and time alone with God. In it we were stressing to them over and over that what we wanted find out was the individual vision that God was giving each of them. Once those were all discovered, we could begin to mold them all into a group or ministry.
In the end the big vision for the class came from God telling me and my wife where He wanted to take this class, and then charging us with applying the individual visions and gifts that the group had to that direction. That is not to say that the students did not have a say, they most certainly did and do. We always desire their input, ideas, goals, ministries, and visions, but when push comes to shove the high ground the class is lead too will be the ground that God leads my wife and myself to take first.
I hope this has not sounded too egoist, as it is not meant that way. I am simply sharing this too encourage you to lead out with your vision in our life / ministries / world. God gives everyone a vision, and we are all leaders in some area of our life. It is our job as leaders to point our followers to the ground the Lord wants them too take. The followers are vital, as they add the ability, skill and means to the vision, but they will / do not function for long without a vision to lead them. That is not to say that others will not help you with vision, and direction, but in the end your ministries will only go where you are lead to take them. You probably know that, and this is not meant as a additional burden on your shoulders. I am simply sharing that God keeps showing me that "BIG VISION" comes to one, who then points those around them too where it is.
Many times we are leaders in one ministry and followers in another and that is fine. God can simultaneously give us vision to lead one group, and the heart to serve in another. In the end we must lead where we are called to lead. No more, and no less. We must lead when we are called too. That is my encouragement too you today - lead and know that others are there to follow, support, encourage, check, and hopefully help you along the way. The call to leadership that God placed on you is not a easy call, but it is the most noble and eternally important one. Do not let the fear of dissension in the followers keep you from the vision that God calls you too.
Have a great day, seek and trust God. Remember next week’s note will build on this one. Hopefully between the two there will be something of value and encouragement for you in them.
