Word Count: 362 – Est Read Time: 90 Seconds
What’s Up:
Most churches stall out because they negotiate vision instead of following God’s lead. Vision demands a dictator’s courage … not a negotiated settlement.
So What:
If you think a shared vision is a good idea, read Exodus again. Leadership means setting a course, not taking a poll.
The Point Is:
Bold Leadership Is Required Churches do not drift into greatness. It takes a leader willing to risk popularity to obey God’s call without compromise.
Committees Dilute Vision When vision is negotiated, it becomes a safe, bland shadow of God’s original direction. The pastor is responsible for protecting the clarity of the call.
Finesse Matters, But Finality Rules A good leader uses tact to present the vision, but they do not backpedal when resistance shows up. Vision needs firm resolve with a shepherd’s heart.
The Shepherd Leads From the Front A shepherd does not herd from behind. They say, “This is where God is leading. I am going there. Follow if you will, but I will not turn back.”
And … ?
Vision is not the byproduct of a committee or a consensus. There is not a single instance in the Bible where God gave a clear direction to a group vote. Vision came to a person: Abraham, Moses, David, Nehemiah, Peter, Paul. Even Jesus cast vision without checking to see if the disciples were on board first. When vision is treated like a democracy, vision dies and the mission stalls and often dies, because the majority rarely chooses God’s risk over comfortable slavery.
Pastors must accept that leading toward God’s vision requires courage that looks a lot like dictatorship (with a shepherd’s heart). It is not about tyranny. It is about unwavering commitment to the call. The leader’s job is to get with God, get the vision, cast it compellingly, and march relentlessly toward it. Finesse helps people hear it. Finality helps them trust it. Negotiating it just kills it. There’s no room in the kingdom for compromise.
Action! Stop polling your leaders: Get alone with God this week and ask for his vision for your church … and then commit to leading with courage and conviction.
