Your Mission isn’t Visionary

What’s Up Too many churches are stuck, not because they lack a mission, but because they mistake vision for mission. Your mission isn’t visionary! So What If you don’t know the difference between “mission” and “vision,” you’ll either keep chasing fads or you’ll stay paralyzed in yesterday’s strategies. Either way, your church won’t grow. The Point Is Mission Is Why You Exist Your church’s mission isn’t a strategic brainstorm or committee-crafted slogan. It was handed down by the founder himself: Make disciples. More of them. Better ones. Full stop. Vision Paints a Picture Vision isn’t forever. It’s what the future could look like if your church went all in on your mission. Think three years out. If everything went right, what would your church and your community look like? Vision Takes Wrestling, Not Just Planning Great vision doesn’t come from a whiteboard session or a fancy off-site retreat with mood boards. You get your vision on your knees with a leather floppy Bible and a refusal to leave the room until God speaks. Discipleship Is the Litmus Test If the people in your pews, or even the one in your pulpit, aren’t making more and better disciples, then guess what? They’re not disciples. They’re church members. Don’t confuse the two. And … ? Mission is your anchor. It never changes. The church exists to make disciples. It doesn’t exist to host events, maintain the status quo, or even build community (gasp!). Those might be tools, but the mission is always disciple-making. Your mission isn’t visionary – it’s why your church exists, and that’s meant to be as plain as plain can be. Vision, though? Vision is the fire. It burns hot for a season and moves people. And if all goes right, you’ll eventually reach it. Then you’ll need a new vision. Moses’ vision took them to the Promised Land. End of Vision. Joshua’s vision took them into the land to settle it. Ultimately, vision is impermanent, and you have to be flexible. But mission? It’s the rock that never changes. Action! Ready to wrestle your next vision into being? Get a copy of If You’ve Got to Herd Cats, You Need a Big Mouse – it’s time to lead like it. Sorting out mission from vision is not a one-time exercise, because every season brings a new vision to wrestle with while the mission holds steady. Getting the mission itself written clearly, in words your whole church can carry, is the foundation everything else stands on. Work through the Mission Development Workbook to do that foundational work with your team.