Congregational Vision is About Seeing Jesus with Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
Part of the Spiritual Strategic Journey Series --Copyright 2024 by George W. Bullard Jr. November 21, 2024 Edition
Congregational Vision is About Seeing Jesus with Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
My mother, Mozelle Bridgers Bullard, was a person of great Christian vision and insight. She could see Jesus with her heart, soul, mind, and strength even when she could not see Him with her eyes.
Among the many ministries in her life was a prayer and greeting card ministry focused on over 300 people. This involved a wall calendar in her kitchen. On that calendar were the names of individuals and couples on the day of their birthday and wedding anniversary.
A week or so before their special day my mother would purchase a card for each person, write a caring note on it, and place it in the mail to them. On their special day, usually around 10:00 a.m., my mother would be on her knees beside her bed praying for these people. For those who knew not only about the card they received, but the prayer that was offered, it was a special and inspiring life comfort and encouragement from Mozelle Bullard.
During the last decade of my mother’s life, she suffered from macular degeneration. It was slow moving, but the procedures available at the time could not stop—much less reverse—its impact on her eyesight. Gradually she lost the sharpness of her eyesight, her forward vision blurred, and eventually lost all central vision.
In the last years of her life, she could no longer see to write her cards and letters. She had to depend on family members and a woman who spent a half-day with her several days each week.
Simultaneously, my mother had multiple types of arthritis progressing in her body. Particularly impacting the functioning of her hands, feet, and knees. She got to the point where she could not kneel by her bed to offer heartfelt prayers from a true follower of Jesus.
While this did not stop her from praying sitting in her favorite chair, it was not the same. Her inability to shop for cards, write notes, see that they were mailed, and kneel by her bed to pray for these people, caused her to feel her life had lost a sense of purpose.
She started thinking deeply about her life situation. She did not share this to me. But one day when her pastor visited her, she verbalized feelings of despair to him.
Mike was a very caring and wise pastor. He was a great person with whom she could talk. She asked him, “Mike, is it alright if I pray that I die?”
He thought for a moment or two. Then he said to her, “No, Mozelle, it is not alright if you pray that you die. But it is alright if you pray the will of God might be done about your life and death.”
My mother had not lost insightful vision. She had just lost significant eyesight. Although she could clearly see Jesus with her full heart, soul, mind, and strength, she could not have the life she longed for by walking with physical sight.
She could not look clearly at the face of people she loved. The clarity of her memory of those faces was fading. While she could see Jesus with her heart, she could no longer clearly see Jesus in the faces of people she loved or was called anew to love.
My mother’s situation has implications for your congregation.
First, true vision involves the ability to see Jesus in people and situations with your full heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is deeper than seeing them with just your eyes. To see Jesus in people is seeing the depth of who they are as people of potential and followers of Jesus.
Second, if we only look on the outward appearance, we may not see the ability of the unconditional love of Jesus to transform people and situations. We must see the Jesus potential in the lives of people we encounter.
Third, as loving people we need to see in people evidence of what the unconditional love of Jesus. Not only in the heart, soul, mind, and strength of people who accept His love, but also how it changes the expression on their faces.
Congregations Without Vision Cannot See Jesus
Seeing Jesus is a powerful image in the New Testament. Matthew 25:37-40 says,
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (NASB)
It takes not only vision with our eyes, but vision with our full senses. It is not just literally seeing an object but seeing an opportunity. It is not just about your eyesight but is also about your experience. Your congregation needs vision, or it may not be able to see and fully experience Jesus.
Every congregation needs God’s empowering vision. It is not optional. Why? Because vision will empower the forward progress of your congregation and allow you to see the Jesus potential in people. Without vision many congregations tread water seeking to avoid drowning. Many congregations are blind to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned.
While your congregation needs God’s empowering vision, up to 80 percent of all congregations are missing it. They make successful programs and meeting the budget their vision. Failing to realize these are not the substance of a vision from God. Growing numerically is not necessarily the same as fulfilling God’s empowering vision.
Some congregations believe vision equals being healthy—which is partially true. Some congregations believe vision is successfully attracting a target audience, such as young adult families—which also is partially true.
Some congregations believe vision is about growing numerically—which at times is a side benefit of a clear empowering vision. Some congregations believe vision is about becoming missional—which is a great characteristic of many congregations with vision.
At the risk of overly spiritualizing this issue—as if that was a bad thing—every congregation needs God’s empowering vision. Every pastor, staff minister, and layperson need a life and ministry full of visionary energy. Anything less than living in the light of God’s empowering vision is inadequate.
I did not say your pastor needs vision, although he or she does. Pastors need vision for their life and ministry. Pastors need the empowerment of vision in their lives. A pastor’s vision for his or her congregation and the vision congregations need for themselves is not always the same thing. God’s empowering vision for your congregation is always the best vision.
Some years ago, I spoke to a couple of hundred ministry leaders in a regional denominational organization. The executive director of that organization came to me at the end and said, "How do congregations develop vision?"
Many congregations, and those who consult with or coach them, cannot figure out vision. They know they need one, but they do not know how to become captured by vision.
They want Dr. Feelgood to pull into town with his medicine show and sell them an elixir that will produce vision. There is not one, so don’t swallow what he’s selling.
Perhaps vision is part of God’s grace gift to us. This would mean vision is not something we earn, or an exercise we complete. It is a grace gift of God we discern, and when we make ourselves open and vulnerable, it can capture us.
Too many times congregations see vision as an organizational process. That is unfortunate, because congregations are living, breathing, moving, dynamic, ever-changing spiritual organisms. Not organizations.
They see the pithy mottos and slogans of some businesses and say, “I want one of those.” Or they see the well-developed professional visions of large congregations or Christian ministries and think they will fit their congregation.
Questions for Your Congregation
First, is it possible your congregation understands the need for vision, but is trying too hard on its own to acquire vision? Perhaps better than directly seeking vision is the journey to see Jesus in the interactions of the congregation with one another, and in the faces of the people to whom God is sending you.
Second, has your congregation brought secular organizational success perspectives into the church by considering vision to be the success of programs and budget? Certainly, these can be positive vital signs, but are they truly a vision from God for a spiritual organism?
Third, does your congregation want to avoid its responsibility and opportunity to be captured by God’s empowering vision by saying it is the pastor’s responsibility to provide vision? Do you want your pastor to ascend a holy mountain and come down with a vision?
Copyright 2024 by George W. Bullard Jr. November 21, 2024 Edition
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