No matter where you go, you find competing visions.  On a family vacation mom, dad and the kids all have different visions of rest and relaxation.  When buying a home or a car, mom and dad have different visions of what would be best.  In businesses you often find different bosses with different visions, and those differ from the visions of the workers.  It is no different in a church.  A Church is, in many ways, a volunteer organization.  Each member and attendee holds a different vision for what the Church is, what it should be and how it should minister/operate.  No matter where you go, you find competing visions.

One of the challenges for leadership is uniting people behind a common vision.  mom and dad might struggle to unite the kids behind their vision for a fun filled week of visiting craft shows, antique stores and Civil War battlefields.  A CEO might struggle to unite the board and the corporation behind his vision for future business and success.  A Pastor might struggle to unite a Church board and the membership behind the vision God gives him for the future of a congregation.

In some contexts this unity is easier.  In my time as an Air Force Chaplain, vision has been simple.  The Chief of Staff gives his vision; the Chief of Chaplains bases his vision for the Chaplain Corps upon that.  Then our Command and Wing Chaplains base their vision upon the Chief of Chaplains.  While there is plenty of opportunity for feedback, ultimately we execute the vision we’re given.

In other contexts this can be impossible.  Go back to the Church.  In a small congregation with only 1 staff member (the Pastor), there is little power or influence over the members.  When that Pastor shares his vision, there is the reality that the congregation can just leave.  There is no paycheck on the line, no real consequence toward saying, “Hey, that’s great Pastor.  We’re outta here.”  So, he must struggle to communicate the vision clearly and persuasively.

In my experience this requires a lot of conversation.  The vision must be explained and taught in the pulpit.  As a huge proponent of expository preaching, this helps keep my vision grounded in Scripture.  But one cannot just deliver the vision in a sermon and expect everyone to salute smartly and implement it.  In addition to the preaching there are breakfasts and phone conversations and meetings and running into folks at the supermarket or the post office.  Each of these is a strategic battle for united vision.

Recognizing the struggle, I am quite thankful for a little congregation with amazing unity.  In our building program and in our ministry, we seem to be united with a common vision.  Sure, that unity isn’t perfect.  We still disagree on the when’s and how’s sometimes, but those minor differences are nothing compared to the context of a congregation united behind making Christ an unavoidable question for everyone in Beecher.