The 2nd V in the IVVSS Strategic Planning Process

In the middle of your planning process is your Vision. It isn't the "end" of what you are engaged in as a church, non-profit or commercial enterprise. As has been said so well by Thomas A. Edison:

“Vision without execution is hallucination.” 

We'll get to execution later. But if you want to jump to matters of execution in the local church there is no better source than UnSeminary a blog and podcast published by my brother Rich. 

Vision's oft quoted definition is "a picture of the preferred future your enterprise is attempting to bring about" or something thereabouts. I like what Bill Hybels said about Vision at the WillowCreek Leadership Summit this past summer:  

Vision is a picture of the future that creates passion in people. -Bill Hybels 

That is the "genius" of a great vision is that moves beyond organizing or explaining your church but to actually motivating and inspiring your team. Of course this has a lot to do with your vision but it also has to do with WHOM you let shape and have a say about what that "picture of the preferred future" will be. Mark Burnett - yes that Mark Burnett of Survivor and The Bible fame -  is blowing my mind with this quote he also used at the Willow Summit this summer: 

  Choose your your companions before you choose your road. 

Short aside... a weakness of the IVVSS process is found at this point. It says nothing about "who is the bus" listening to God and your communities. I need to think and pray about this and perhaps come up with some additional step. Hmmm... Thoughts?

A 1 sentence vision statement should answer 3 main questions that any usher, employee or volunteer will be regularly asked by visitors, customers and interested by-standers:

What are you?
Why are doing what you are doing?
Where are you going?

What are you?
Are you a church, a company, a family, a movement, people, friends, an airline, a hotel, an agency, a team?

Why are you?
Are you maximizing profit for shareholders, serving the world out of love for God, lifting up the empoverished in the tradition of Mother Theresa etc,etc?

Where are you going? 
Do you want a world free of polio, a community riddled with pizza stands, a church of a certain size, a company on the Fortune 500?

How to get to this inspiring statement of identity and mission is tough. GAC's new draft vision statement is:

Glengate Alliance Church follows Christ

as He disciples people of every generation and all nations 

through us

for the Glory of God. 

I have written elsewhere in this blog about the importance of 1 or 2 key metrics in a vision statement. As you can see this draft statement doesn't include measureables because i am not the last word on everything at GAC. 

For more on vision also read this earlier post about the different components of a vision statement that matter to me.