Lesson 6: Vision Casting for Ministry and
understand the impact of what they are doing.”72 When the pastor casts a vision, the people of the congregation see how they will accomplish the mission of the church. Once trained in vision-casting, ministry leaders help reinforce the pastor’s and the church’s overall vision.
• Why would a pastor consider giving vision-casting tools to ministry leaders?
Steven Midgley explains,
• Having a vision helps each person in the group connect the dots between what is being learned and how to live it out. Truly, there is a world of difference between asking a man to carry a load of bricks up a ladder two hundred times a day and asking him to help you build a pyramid. One man works for a reason he cannot see or understand. The other knows he is playing his part in the creation of something glorious. God tells us that we are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory (2 Cor 3:18). This is a vision worth showing up to.73
• If the pastor equips ministry leaders to develop a vision for their ministry, then the people in the ministry will understand why they are doing what they are doing.
• I find that pastors are usually visionary men like Moses, David, and Daniel. God equips pastors to guide their congregation. Pastors and ministry leaders can capture where their members want to take the ministries by listening to one another.
To inspire a Shared Vision, you must envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities. This means you must:
1. Determine what drives you and where your passions in order to identify what you care enough about to imagine how it could be better in the future,
compelling you forward.
2. Reflect on your experiences, looking for the major themes in your life and understanding what you find worthwhile.
3. Stop, look, and listen to what is going on right now—the important trends, major topics of conversation, and social discontents.
4. Spend a higher percentage of your time focused on the future, imagining the exciting possibilities.
5. Listen deeply to what is important to others in their future and to what gives their lives meaning and purpose.
72 Nelson Searcy and Jennifer Dykes Henson, Connect: How to Double Your Number of Volunteers (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012), 77.
73 Steve Midgley, “Something Worth Meeting For: A Biblical Vision for Small Groups,”
Journal of Biblical Counseling 28, no. 3 (2014): 65.
6. Involve others in crafting a shared vision of the future. Don’t make it a top- down process.74
Ridgedale’s Mission
• Our Ultimate Objective:
o To bring ultimate satisfaction to God by finding our ultimate satisfaction in Him.
• Our Mission:
o As we seek our ultimate objective, we will seek out, lead and teach others to do so as well…at home, across the tracks, and around the world.
• Our Vision:
o A church family centered on the good news of Jesus Christ, praying fervently, following God obediently, turning from sin and running to Jesus, and celebrating the power of God in us as He works through us. 2 Chronicles 7:14
• Our Strategy:
o Pray. See where God is working. Jump in with both feet.
• Our Current Model:
o The highest effort to ward authentic and relevant worship gatherings o The highest respect for the teaching and preaching of the Word of God o The highest emphasis on gatherings and care
o The highest standards of substance, safety, and excitement in Children and Student Ministries
o The highest commitment to prayer and faith in all ministries and missions we are involved in
Review
o Who We Are
74 James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations, 6th ed. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2017), 116.
o Core Beliefs o Core Values o Guiding Principles
o Volunteer and Workplace Unifiers (see attached sheet) How to create a vision for your ministry:
1. Describe in single words the purpose of the ministry you are operating. (Use as many single words as needed)
2. Describe whom you believe you are to minister to as a ministry.
3. Describe actions you will be doing when the ministry is fully functioning.
4. With your team or as an individual using the single words from question 1 begin to write the vision for your ministry.
5. List scripture that could back up your vision for the ministry.
6. Refine your vision and use as few words as possible. Keep it simple and clear.
7. How are you and your team going to communicate this vision to others?
8. Describe the actions or activities that your ministry will provide to the church.
Think about these areas as you plan for activities:
- Community outside of Ridgedale’s walls - Crowd those who are guests of Ridgedale
- Congregation attend three+ times a month, might be in a gathering group.
- Committed here every Sunday, active in a gathering group.
- Core these are leaders within the church
How does a ministry leader communicate to their team?
There are numerous ways to communicate in today's technologically advanced world.
There are frequently too many options to choose from. As a ministry leader, choose one or two options that work best for you and stick to a consistent communication pattern.
1. Determine how often you need to communicate to your team.
a. Weekly / Bi-weekly / Monthly / Quarterly
b. It is recommended to overcommunicate at first, until the team has been functioning properly for three to four months. Communication can begin to decrease once the team's processes are running smoothly; however, as new members are added, communication must increase.
c. I often find that monthly communication is best; however, due to changing circumstances, weekly communication is best in some cases. Choose what works best for your team.
2. Determine how you will communicate to your team members.
a. Email, text, instant message, Group ME, etc. . .
b. I prefer to send a creative email that includes bullet points, highlighted important information, and photos. This is appealing to a wide range of readers. Some people prefer bulleted information, while others prefer to see only the highlights, and those who prefer photos can view an image while reading.
c. Include brief stories about what is going on in the ministry whenever possible. A testimony of lives transformed, how God is working in the ministry, and so on. Make an email that will be read rather than ignored.
d. Simple is better.
Review
• As a ministry leader how soon can you and your team have a vision ready to communication?
• How will your communication methods change or improve over the next four weeks?
• What one new way can you improve your communication to your volunteers?
Lesson 7: Roles, Responsibilities, Expectations,