Team Vital Envisioning a New Future

Team Vital Workbook This Visioning piece is part of the pre-work: Step 1: Section 2 entitled: “Claiming Our Purpose and Envisioning a New Future.” (Pg. 15 of the Team Vital Workbook) Please use this powerpoint presentation and the Team Vital Workbook to guide your visioning process.

Questions for Conversation “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”Acts 1:8 (NRSV) 1. How has your congregation been living out Jesus’ commission in Acts 1:8? 2. What does your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth look like in your ministry context? 3. How could you more fully embrace Jesus’ commission to make disciples of all nations, and not just those who are near to us and comfortable to embrace?

The Importance of Vision  Vision defines a preferred outcome for a congregation  Vision inspires a congregation to dream God-sized dreams  A compelling vision drives vitality

Vision Statements  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly  The Good: “With open doors and open hearts we welcome people for Christ, grow people in Christ, and serve people with Christ.”  The Bad: “We envision our church as joyfully celebrating a wide spectrum of opportunities for creating interconnections between Christ, our congregation, and our community, especially among those who have not traditionally connected with the church. Our central connection is with Christ, who invites all into covenant relationship and calls us to discipleship. We seek to connect people to ministries for all age levels, especially for youth and young adults. We seek to foster interconnections of spiritual friends, connecting people to people, honoring their current level of involvement in God's mission, and offering them the means of grace to deepen that involvement. We seek to connect people to a changing community, especially to the least among us, with whom we seek to learn what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do and be.”  The Ugly: “Imagine a ragtag collection of surrendered and transformed people who love God and others. They are mesmerized by the idea that this is not about them, but all about Jesus. They are transfixed by His story and His heart for their city. They are seedthrowers and firestarters, hope peddlers and grace-givers, risktakers and dreamers, young and old. They link arms with anyone who tells the story of Jesus. They empower the poor, strengthen the weak, embrace the outcast, seek the lost. They serve together, play together, worship together, live life together. Their city will change because God sent them.”

Vision Statements  Poor vision statements usually:  use generic phrases instead of developing the organization’s “winning idea,”  fail to name something that makes the organization different from its competitors,  don’t include key measures of success.  confuse vision (end results) and mission statements.  describe the process or the method rather than the outcome  are written in the future tense signifying that the present is entirely different  do not have a powerful introduction that captures the memory  do not evoke emotion or passion.

Vision Statement vs. Mission Statement Vision StatementMission Statement Outlines where you want to be.Talks about how you will get there. Talks about the future.Talks about the present leading to the future. Lists where you see yourself a yearLists the broad goals for which the from now or more.Church was formed. Tend to last a long time.Changes more frequently but always ties back to the vision. Asks, “What is the direction we wantAsks, “What, for whom, and why?” to be moving toward?

Discussion Questions 1. What is the purpose of your congregation? 2. What would you like your congregation to look like in the future? 3. How do you envision sharing this God-sized vision with the congregation and community?

Key Learnings  List 3 key learnings about the vision for your church: ? ??

Claiming Our Purpose and Envisioning a New Future Create a vision statement for you congregation!