A Transformational Defining Vision, Part Three

In Part One of this series we looked at how your personally utilize your congregation's Defining Vision.  Part Two examined how ministry teams might better use their Defining Vision.

In this third installment concerning the vision of glorifying God, making disciples, and meeting human need, you are invited to reflect on the questions from a big-picture view of your congregation.  One overall question to ask is: Do you believe your congregation generally knows what the vision is?  Could most of the participants in your community of faith speak the words by heart?  From the viewpoint of standing on a balcony looking at your congregation as a whole, how much of your life together is driven by this vision?  Here are questions divided into the parts of the statement:

In Your Congregation:

            1)  How are you doing as a congregation in glorifying God?  If Christians don’t

                        only exist for themselves in a church, who does your church need to be

                        thinking about in terms of worship?  Who is not in worship that you are

                        called to reach?  Does your church need to offer something in the area of

                        worship that you do not offer at this time?  And in terms of your current

                        worship services, are they planned and executed as well as they could be? 

                        Could they be improved?

            2)  How are you doing as a congregation in making disciples?  Who do you

                        know who is new to faith in Christ and how is the church helping them in

                        their faith journey?  What is your congregation’s vision of what mature

                        disciples ought to look like?  Are you being called to be more intentional

                        about helping people get there? 

            3)  How does your congregation meet human need?  Do you sufficiently help the

                        community of faith to know they are “sent” to do Christ’s work and mission

                        in the world?  Are there fewer ways that you could serve in order to be more

                        effective?  Who asks the hard questions in your congregation about what

                        God wants your church to be doing and to not to be doing in mission? 

                        What service to others for Christ brings your congregation great joy?

Perhaps you might have your Acts 16:5 Team or your session focus on some of these questions this fall.  As I said in the first blog entry of the series, vital and energized people create vital and energized churches!  That is what God has called us to be and d0.  I hope the focus on your vision will help your congregation become more focused in your life together and in your work for Christ.

In Christ,

Anne Clifton Hebert