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What’s Up
If you can’t see the vision clearly enough to describe it in vivid detail – if you can’t taste it, feel it, and make it seem real to others – then you’re probably not the one to lead your church into its next chapter. Leading church change and pursuing a God-given vision begins with clarity. Without that, everything else stalls.
So What
Churches don’t drift into a new future. They move there when someone with God-given conviction sees it so vividly that they can’t stop talking about it. But here’s the hard truth: Not everyone in your church is going to share your excitement. Some will feel threatened. Others will dig in their heels because the core value of most church members, especially the long-timers, is the status quo. They like what they like. Change feels like loss, and loss feels like death. If you don’t recognize who’s for the vision and who’s against it, you’re setting yourself up for a long, frustrating ride to nowhere.
The Point Is
1. Clarity Before Consensus
Too many pastors launch vision conversations before they’ve nailed down what the vision even looks like. If you can’t describe it in a way that makes people see it, not just conceptually but viscerally, they’ll never buy in. You must live and breathe it until it becomes contagious. A vague vision inspires no one. A compelling vision can move mountains.
2. Discernment Over Diplomacy
Discernment is the underrated leadership skill. When you cast your vision, pay attention to whose eyes light up and whose faces fall flat. If you can’t tell the difference, leading change probably isn’t your lane. Some people will get excited. Others will quietly start looking for ways to let the air out of the tires. Don’t mistake politeness for support.
3. Not Everyone’s Getting on the Bus
Jim Collins, in Good to Great, used the metaphor of the bus … get the right people on the bus and the right people in the right seats. But what he didn’t say is this: Stop wasting your life trying to get everyone on the bus. Most pastors are so committed to keeping everyone happy that they delay moving forward indefinitely. Meanwhile, the few who are ready to roll are stuck idling at the bus station, wondering if the trip will ever start – and the truth is, it rarely ever does.
4. The Wrong Passengers Will Crash the Bus
Let’s be real. Some people aren’t just uninterested … they’re actively opposed to where the vision-bus is going. They’re the ones pouring sugar in the gas tank. They’re the reason your wheels keep spinning in the mud. You don’t need them on the bus. You don’t even need them at the station. Pray for them, love them, but stop building your strategy around them. The sooner they find another bus they’re comfortable riding, the sooner your church can start moving toward the future God called you to. Find God’s vision; get the excited, supporting folks on the bus; then close the door and drive on.
And … ?
Vision isn’t a popularity contest. It’s a calling. God gave you a vision for this church – not the committee, not the board, not the membership roll. That vision is meant to be pursued with urgency. Every day you spend trying to convince people who don’t want to go is another day you delay the future God is calling your church into.
Think about Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler. The man asked what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus gave him an answer. Then he painted a picture, his vision for the man’s life. The guy looked at it, frowned, and walked away. Notice what Jesus didn’t do. He didn’t chase him. He didn’t negotiate. He didn’t start a small group to help him process his feelings. He let him go. Because not everyone is going to get on the bus.
Some of you are stuck because you’re trying to be nicer than Jesus. You’re spending your energy trying to persuade the unpersuadable. Meanwhile, the people whose eyes do light up are waiting for permission to start driving. Give it to them. Build with those who believe. Cast vision for those who can see it. And move forward before the moment passes.
Because every delay costs you momentum, and momentum is what turns a vision into reality. Leadership requires courage. Clarity. Conviction. And sometimes, the willingness to watch people walk away.
Action!
Register now for this week’s Catalytic Conversation: Mission to Vision to Implementation – Moving Your Church to the Future. Join us Thursday at 10 AM Central at https://effective.effectivechurch.com/webinar-registration
