By David ReayMonday 11 Mar 2019LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 2 minutes
Read 2 Corinthians 4:5
5 You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. (NLT)
It has been the ‘in thing’ for some years for church leaders to speak about vision. Some churches have spent much time formulating ‘vision statements’. These can be helpful in sharpening focus, in better understanding what we are really on about.
Or they can be a bit of a futile exercise in corporate thinking that ends up with some fine sounding words which fail to resonate with people who are struggling to just live one day at a time. And what can be especially dangerous is when a church leader has his or her own vision and seeks to transfer it on to a church.
A wise leader will take time to relate to people in such a way as to discern what is on their hearts. And if there is a church history, discover something of that history. In this way, vision arises out of what God is doing in the church and what he has done in the church. It is not a bunch of words formulated by some enthusiastic committee or a reflection of the pastor’s preoccupations and passions.
No church can afford to become the plaything of a pastor. No church can be content with adopting the latest corporate fads and assuming this makes them relevant. When Jesus was asked what the greatest thing might be, he reckoned loving God and others was it. Not a bad vision statement in the end!
Blessings
David Reay