Vision casting in a new church is critical! Casting a compelling vision with clarity and conviction will help you with fundraising, launch team recruitment, motivating, focusing your team and even evangelism!
Vision casting from a biblical perspective is capturing God’s heart for your community. It involves communicating it is a way that connects with people hearts and moves them towards enthusiastic commitment. In fundraising you want people to invest generously. In recruiting your launch team you want people to be sold out to this idea, committing their time, talents and their treasures. In keeping your team motivated and focused you must discover ways to drive the vision deeper into the hearts of your people. Finally, if you are going to seriously see the gospel spread into the hearts of people far from God, you will need to creatively communicate God’s desire for their lives and the part they will play in His great redemptive mission.
I found these five tips online at www.castyourvision.net; they are great tips on creating a compelling vision.
Tip #1 - Think through your vision very well before you begin to share it. If you can't think through your vision yourself, others won't be able to think through it with you!
Tip #2 - A vision is like an iceberg...there is much more to it than what is seen on the surface. You've got to discipline yourself to share just enough - and yet not too much! Show your viewers the 'tip' of the iceberg- and when they are ready, they'll begin asking you about all the details! Just when you think it is short enough - look at it again and see if you can shave it down some more. If you've really thought through it - you'll be able to communicate it in a concise way.
Tip #3 - Remember - you might be the only person excited about your vision at this point. It's hard to believe, but it is true. As you communicate your vision, focus on those points which are the MOST exciting to you and leave the rest out...for now! People generally have to 'warm up' to a vision, which takes time. Be careful not to bore viewers with the details.
Tip #4 - Gradually release your vision to select viewers. Find 3-5 of your closest friends or mentors and ask them to preview your Vision Site. Give them permission to provide you with constructive criticism. They may identify some areas that need more (or less) information. Their input will be invaluable to you. Sometimes visionaries 'release' their vision prematurely, which can often be detrimental to the vision in the long run. Be patient, and wait for some quality feedback from your closest advisors - they'll be far more forgiving than others!
Tip #5 - A vision is something you see in your mind's eye - it's something you 'see' which doesn't yet exist. The paradox of this is that when you communicate a vision, other's aren't looking through the same lenses you are. You MUST visually present your vision to others to be most effective. You must transfer thoughts from your mind's eye to pictures in your listener's eyes. As you build your Vision Site, spend time looking for images that really depict what you are trying to say. They'll be worth a thousand words!
Here are five reflective questions to consider in creating a vision statement:
- What is the specific vision that God is planting in your heart?
- How is the great commission reflected in your vision statement?
- How compelling is your vision statement to the churched as well as unchurched?
- What does success look like specifically?
- Could you describe what your church would look like ten years from now?
Solomon wrote, "Where there is no vision, the people perish...." Proverbs 29:18
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