“Where there is no vision, there is no hope,” - George Washington Carver.“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision,” - Helen Keller.
Vision gives leaders a purpose and road map to where they need to be, to go, to dream, and to end up. A church that follows a leader who uses vision to have others take ownership in that vision is both humble and God-honoring, with structure and purpose. In the book Courageous Leadership, Bill Hybels quotes Romans 12:8, “the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,[a] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (ESV). He states that when we read this, those of us that have the gift of leadership better sit up and take notice, and we better lead with diligence. “Why, because the Church, the bride of Christ, upon which the eternal destiny of the world depends, will flourish or falter largely on the basis of how we lead.”
Through Jesus Christ, who is the Author of our salvation, we find the hope in him and through His Spirit to boldly approach his task to go and make disciples and to preach and teach the good news. In addition, we are to train others to love, to be in community and to carry each other’s burdens, and to be in relationship with others. An effective leader can dream and cast vision, but is doomed if he/she cannot convey this vision to others in such a way that they fail to take ownership in that vision. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained.” Bill Hybels states, “They can’t focus, can’t reach their goal, can’t follow their dream. An older translation says, “Without vision, the people perish.” Hybels says “Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.”
In Men of Faith, we worship, read scripture, pray and carry each other’s burdens. We created an environment that yields to the truth: God’s word! We share with each other our most honest feelings, and we have set a tone that trust is there and what is said there stays there. In other words, we see community and relationship. The vision that Men of Faith has is to bring men to the Word of God, pray to God and watch the Holy Spirit change men. The word of God encourages, convicts and comforts men in their daily lives.
In Legacy Dad, both Lance and I have a heart for men and women and our hope is to use the blog as a tool to share God’s word and our life experience through ministry. Also, to challenge and use biblical truth in application. Our vision is to see this ministry turn into a full-time ministry using our gifts and talents to make a difference in others. The purpose of Legacy Dad is to share real men’s journeys, Biblical-based wisdom and the latest research on what works in life – in easy to read weekly life lessons and devotionals. We are transparent, Bible-based and give you the latest advice on manhood, parenting, marriage and faith.
Our hope is that we can equip as many men, fathers and parents as possible and create a generation of leaders that leave a real legacy for their children and the generations to come
How would I measure success in ministry with the vision of its leaders: 1) What fruit is it bearing? 2) Do others own the vision? 3) Are others being listened to? Are they sharing their fears and desires with their leader? If so, does the leader weigh those and incorporate that into the path of their vision? 4) Most importantly – is the vision pointing others to Christ? If not, why not?
Blessings,
Dante