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Why Are Your Leaders Not Following Your Lead?
My pastor asked me to come to his office one afternoon.
He said, "Clint, I support you and your ministry. BUT! I need to know what you are doing so I can support you. I don't want to control what you do, but how can I support what you are doing when I do not have any idea where you are going."
I learned a big lesson that day. I have served as a children's pastor at five different churches, and I learned early that proper vision casting is critical.
If my church's leadership does not know where I am heading, I will not have their support when problems arise.
My pastor compared it to a cowboy who jumped on his horse and said, "Let's go!" He takes off in a gallop, and after riding a while, he stops and looks back. As the dust settles, to his surprise, no one is following him. That is what a leader looks like who does not correctly cast his or her vision.
God has a vision for every ministry that is significantly theirs.
It is not someone else's vision; it is yours.
So, you must spend time at the feet of the Master to find His vision for your ministry.
Once you hear from the Lord, are you ready to go? No!
It is not time to cast your vision to the leadership of your church.
If you want to ride off in a cloud of dust with no one following you, head out without letting anyone know where you are heading.
Here are five keys to successfully casting your vision for success:
- Meet with your pastor. The starting point of vision casting is sharing your God-given vision with your pastor. Of all the pastors I have worked with in the last 30 years, none of them ever supported where the Lord was leading me to go. Most pastors will defend your vision passionately once they know where you are heading.
- Meet with the church staff. The next step is sharing your vision with the church staff. They, too, will be on board with where the Lord is leading you. Again, they will become your greatest defenders if they know what you are doing.
- Meet with the elders and deacons of your church. Again, they will be on board with you if they know where you are heading. Understand now that not everyone will be on board, but that is normal.
- Meet with your children's ministry leadership. Your leadership team must be in the know. An exciting vision is contagious. Many times, they will come up with wonderful ideas on how to implement it.
- Meet with the parents of children in your ministry. Once you have your pastor, staff, elders, and deacons on board, it is easy to share the vision with parents. Many parents will not be happy about your vision and direction. However, when they know that the pastor and church leadership support you, they will usually favor your path.
Years ago, I received a call from a young children's pastor. He was very frustrated because his pastor pulled the plug on his ministry.
He started in an exciting direction for children and families. He had a fresh vision that was very exciting.
Several families complained to the pastor, and without any warning, the senior pastor sent out a churchwide email telling families that they would be going back to the old way they did things in the church.
He was heartbroken.
I asked him if he had shared his vision with his pastor or other staff members? He said, "No, I skipped that step."
He failed to cast his vision. So, it was easy for his pastor to stop him in his tracks.
Remember, God gives the idea, and when you properly cast that vision, you will have a more tremendous success in your ministry.
Join us for our next Empowering Kids Webinar. We will show you how to find your vision and take the necessary steps to cast your vision for your ultimate success.