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 Vision That Drives Ministry
The power of vision
The two most important questions in life
Where is the church?
What is the solution?
Men are the key to a healthy church
Men have to catch the vision
Men need accountable relationships to maintain consistency
Where there is no revelation…the people cast off restraint.
Proverbs –29:18
It has been said that if you do not know where you are going…
any road will take you there.
"If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes".
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Of course this is a ridiculous notion but sometimes it seems that the very brain that helped interpret the original vision is now
drawing us off course. It happens everywhere, in our private lives, family, business and yes, even in the church.
The power of vision
It was the early seventies. Cindy, my wife of 34 years, and I had only been married a short time when we decided to go
looking for a van to pull our ski boat. We found the perfect one. It was bright orange (those were the days of avocado and
orange) with mag wheels, dual, and chrome side pipes – the coolest.
After considering the finances needed to make the purchase we were $30.00 dollars a month short. I was very disappointed.
I wanted that van so badly I could taste it. But, in those days $30.00 was like $200.00. During that time I did not know the
Lord and my lifestyle illustrated that quite well. One of my vices was a four pack a day cigarette habit. I tried many time to
overcome it with no success.
I figured out that that habit, then at a cost of 25 cents a pack, amounted to exactly $1.00 per day – or $30.00 each month. I
had a great revelation. I said “Cindy, if I quit smoking we could afford that van.” She seemed in favor of this notion, so I
quickly added, “Let’s do it.” Unfortunately, then came “the catch.” With great wisdom she replied, “Hold it – time out – you
quit smoking first, and then we will go buy the car.” I was so close!
Here is the key. I desperately wanted that van. That vision was so strong that I put down a four pack a day habit that Sunday
night and did not pick up another cigarette from that day on. Oh, the power vision can have.
The two most important questions in life
In the ministry I now lead we deal with men, couples and pastors. Our main objective is to help them answer what I believe
are the two most important questions in life. I believe that these two questions also apply to organizational endeavors as well.
Let me explain:
First the questions. How? and Why?
Here is how this works: In the context of an understanding that God is real, Lord how did you make me uniquely? How am I
wired? What are my natural areas of giftedness? In other words, how have you equipped me? And then, why?
Why am I here? What is your plan, vision for my life, family, church, organization? Can you imagine any more important
questions? I believe that vision is everything and that God’s ultimate objective is for us to see it.
There is evidence everywhere of the power of vision – positive and negative.
“The quality of our vision = the character of our goals”
The April, 1999 mass shooting that occurred at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado was the result of two young men
who had a vision. They were passionate about that vision. Passionate enough to end the lives of 15 promising young people.
The reality we must face when attempting to understand vision is that its power is not related to any set of acceptable norms.
Our culture is now facing some significant challenges as a direct result of lowering the moral bar. People have to have vision.
The quality of that vision will always determine the character of our goals, and ultimately our behavior.
Where is the church?
While speaking to a group of local pastors recently, I asked them the following question: “Pastor, what is your product?” I
could tell that some of them were a little intimidated by my use of business terminology. I explained that my question was not
meant to address them personally, but rather the broader aspect of the church. In other words, if the church were a factory,
what would its product be?
Many of these men had a difficult time articulating a response. After a few minutes I initiated a second question, “What is
Chrysler’s product?” The immediate response was “cars”. I then suggested that while it is true that they make cars, that is
really not their product. As the confusion began to break out among the crowd, I continued, “Chrysler’s product is really
transportation. They manufacture cars to satisfy a wide range of transportation needs.”
The pastors seemed to readily accept this notion. I then restated my first question, “So, using this illustration, what is your
product?” After several minutes someone responded, “The product of the local church is to produce Christ-like people.”
What a great answer. We should be producing people who truly reflect Jesus. However, aren’t Christ-like people really like
the car?
You see, I believe that the product of the church ought to be a godly world. It would follow then, that the
product of a local Colorado Springs church ought to be a godly Colorado Springs. I wanted these pastors to see the big
picture. Just as Chrysler remembers every time they manufacture a car that their purpose is to satisfy and provide
transportation needs, we as the church need to recognize that the purpose of building up Christ-like people is to produce
godliness in a hurting world.
I continued with a challenging question, “Most of us would agree that Chrysler is doing a pretty good job in delivering a quality
product, now tell me, how do you think the church is doing?” The silence was deafening. I completed my discussion with the
following illustration:
Let’s assume that Chrysler has gone out and purchased the best raw materials available. At this point, they could throw all of
this rubber, glass, metal, plastic, etc. into a box on the factory floor and call it a car. Obviously enough, we would never
identify this box of parts as a car. It could never lead to transportation. Now I want you to think of an average man or woman
sitting in church receiving the greatest raw material the world has ever heard (not since Jesus walked the planet, have we been
equipped with such extraordinary wisdom and knowledge). To think that this human being will step out of that building as a
Christ-like person is as ludicrous as believing that a box of parts is a car.
So how should we go about solving this problem? Chrysler figured out something that I believe we, as the Body of Christ need
to consider and employ. They initiated an assembly line. You can’t put the tire on until the wheel is there. You need the frame
before the engine goes in. It’s interesting that in the academic community we know that you do not teach advanced calculus to
a first grader, yet somehow we have lost that concept when trying to develop Christ-like people. For Chrysler the work is
done part on part, for us it should be done precept-upon-precept.
In continuing their process, Chrysler does not stop at the assembly line. They do not want to take any chances. Before one of
their cars is allowed to leave the factory they send a person with a clipboard down to the end of the line. This person is
required to give the car a thorough inspection. Then they go to the check box on top of the form that asks, is this a car? The
check goes in the box and the car is out the door.
It is commonly known in the business world that your product is only as good as your ability to measure or evaluate it. I
believe that a large part of the Body of Christ is not doing a very good job in this area. Many churches struggle to understand
what their product should be. Those who do know have not yet discovered how to put the assembly line together. And still
many more, who are working hard and using the precept-upon-precept approach, ultimately have limited success because they
are not measuring their results.
The Chrysler illustration suggests at least three major points that must be considered if we are to build a successful ministry to
men. First, we need to catch the vision – what is the true product? Second, we need to put the assembly line in place. And
third, we need to understand what the end product looks like and find an accurate way of measuring it.
What is the Solution?
In the mid eighties, while on the secular speaking circuit, I met a woman by the name of Betsy Sanders. Betsy, in her late
thirties at the time, had worked her way up from a sales associate to Executive Vice President for Nordstrom’s Department
Stores in the Pacific Northwest.
Betsy told a story at an event I attended that so caught my attention that I asked her if she would come to my company and
share it with our executive team. She agreed and this is the story she told:
One day a group of executives from Nordstrom’s invited a number of top executives from J.C. Penney’s to a luncheon. They
were all seated around a large table enjoying their meal when one of the executives from J.C. Penney asked the following
question:
“To what do you attribute your tremendous success? Nordstrom’s has become a model that people all over the world are
studying.” In other words, what is your secret?
The way I remember Betsy telling it, one of the executives from Nordstrom’s left the room for a few moments in order to
retrieve a large book from an adjacent room. He brought the book over to the Penney’s executive, opened it and laid it in front
of him. The book, written 100 years ago, was the original operational manual for J.C. Penney.
He simply said, “We do everything that it says in that book.”
What an odd moment that must have been. You see, what he was really saying was, you lost your first love. You had the
vision and somewhere along the way you let it slip away. This, sadly is what happens in many organizations, churches,
marriages, and yes individuals too.
In the business world I had some limited experiences with mergers and acquisitions. I have seen very few examples of two
organizations coming together that were better off than they were apart. It has little to do with what it looks like on paper. It
always looks good there. The problem in my view lies with management’s inability to surface a new and greater vision that
eclipses the individual visions of the competing companies.
I believe this same thing happens in a marriage. Two people with different life visions fail to see God’s new and better vision
for them as a couple, resulting in a competition of visions at a lower level.
I have a theory. I can’t prove this, but I believe that the reason why most teaching today in our churches is not very effective is
that it does not have a context or vision within which to submit itself. A lot of good information without a vision is just that – a
lot of good information.
We must revisit the original vision, develop a passion for its fulfillment and design effective processes to insure quality results.
If the church of Jesus Christ is ever to be an effective agent in our culture it must return to the original vision. Building Christ
like people. Vision begins at the top. It will not happen through grass roots efforts. We must also understand the critical role
of men in the overall process.
Men are the key to a healthy church
In almost five years, given exclusively to putting on men’s events in literally hundreds of churches, I have made some
observations regarding the effectiveness of church based ministry to men. I am convinced that meaningful ministry to men
cannot evolve from grass roots efforts. For too long now we have ignored the Sr. Pastor and asked lay leaders to move the
mountain.
I do believe that men’s ministry i.e., pancake breakfasts, camping trips, PK rallies and the like, can easily be run by lay
leaders. However, that is not ministry men. It is men’s ministry and there is a big difference. I have yet to see a truly effective
ministry to men where the Sr. Pastor was not fully involved and in charge. In communicating this point, I want to be careful not
to take anything away from the talented lay leaders across the country who are doing an incredible job in the area of men’s
ministry. Rather, what I would like to focus on the difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
Allow me to assume that the definition of ministry to men is defined as bringing men into meaningful relationship with God and
developing them into fully devoted followers of Christ capable of making a difference in their world. If this is true, I believe we
need to move from the event mentality we now have into a more intentional, pastor led ministry to men. Even in large churches
where there are several levels of management, I believe that ministry to men should report directly to the Sr. Pastor. This sends
a very strong message to the whole church about priorities.
I am offering the following suggestions for Sr. Pastors who want to enter into a new dimension of ministry to men. This
four-stage process will guide you and give some ideas for establishing a ministry to men structure in your church. They are
offered as food-for-thought and not intended to be all-inclusive. Depending upon many factors that exist in your church, you
may want to adjust this plan.
SIGNIFICANCE
Consider God’s order here on planet earth. It flows from God the Father, to Jesus the Son, to the man as the spiritual head of
the family, to his wife and ultimately to their children. Where, in that order, is the first place the church can make an impact?
Obviously it’s with the man. It seems to me that we have our ministry priorities out of order. We spend much more time with
our youth and often times women’s ministries than we do with ministry to men. I am convinced that ministry to men needs to
move up the priority scale in our churches. If you agree here are some suggestions on how you can move forward.
Prayerfully consider two or three, or perhaps in larger churches, as many as eight to ten men who you believe possess a level of
maturity and a desire to be involved in ministry to men. I suggest calling each man individually and asking him if they would
consider helping you manage the most important ministry in the church and then invite them into your office for a scheduled
interview.
Try and treat the interview the way you would if you were hiring an executive staff member. This communicates a level of
importance that will stimulate your candidates. Share your passion for ministry and let them know how you think this is going to
impact the church. Give them a strong vision and then ask them if they will join the first string.
Once you have your first string in place, ask this group of men to prayerfully consider a list of ten to twenty (depending upon
church size) more men who they believe carry a passion for ministry to men and have the level of spiritual maturity to join the
next level. Let them know that you will be making your own list of candidates as well. Once you and your core team have
done this, it’s time to get together and agree on the men you want to invite to the next level.
I would suggest using the same interview process as before. Again, the idea here is to plant the vision – let them sense your
passion as their pastor. You now have a small group of men that you can begin calling on for help, and a second level to assist
in carrying out the day-to-day management of your new ministry. Together you may want to come up with some identification
or name like, Men’s Ministry Council, or some other clever name that will give a sense of something special.
Now you have a committed group of men who understand the vision and are ready to go to work. Time for stage two.
STRATEGY
At this point I suggest scheduling a series of meetings with your whole group to begin discussing what you would like this
ministry to accomplish. In this stage you must determine several things:
Once you have all this recorded then move to the next step.
STRUCTURE
Here the idea is management. Who will be responsible for making all of this happen? You will need to assign specific
responsibility to each man on your team without abdicating your personal involvement at the highest level of ministry.
Administration, if delegated properly, will help you stay free to really shepherd your men. Now it’s time for the final stage.
SCHEDULE
Here is where you move from development to implementation. It is now time to commit all you have to the church calendar. I
recommend scheduling out teaching times, seminars, events and other strategies for at least one year. I would publish a nice
looking calendar and introduce it on a Sunday morning as part of a message or series of messages that introduce the whole
congregation to your new ministry. It is time to share the vision and give it a church-wide context.
Communicating your intentions to the congregation is critical. They need to know your heart and sign-up to the vision. If
communicated properly this could revolutionize your whole church.
Some ideas for an effective ministry to men.
Men have to catch the vision
Recently I was in Florida sitting in a pastor’s living room with about fifteen or twenty of his core men’s leadership team. They
had asked me to come and conduct a planning session for putting together an effective ministry to men. After I finished about a
one-hour introduction and overview one of the men, obviously very frustrated, said “That sounds great Vince but you don’t
understand, we have tried everything and cannot get the men to turn out for ministry events.”
I stopped the meeting and asked a question of all the men present. “Tell me, why are you guys here? Why did you come to
this meeting?” After a few finished teasing the pastor with some funny quips they got serious. “The pastor asked me to come,
he made me feel like I could contribute,” said one of the men. “I feel like what we are doing is important,” another said. After
several similar responses I asked the men to consider what they were saying. You are here because you have a vision. You
now need to simply transfer this same dynamic to your men. They will not come just because you are putting on a great event.
They must catch the vision or need.
Leaders need to understand the dynamics of change
Six stages for change
Our lives do not change simply because we attend an event, hear a good sermon or read a great book. It would be nice if it
worked that way, but evidence suggests that there is much more needed if meaningful change is to take place in a person. I
believe that there are six stages we must go through before real change can take place. The first three are what I call the cycle
of hopelessness, where most of us live. The stages are: EVENT, AWARENESS, DECISION, COMMITMENT,
PROCESS AND CHANGE. Let me give further clarification to each.
EVENT
An event can be anything from a PK rally to reading a book, a sermon or even a wedding. My wife reminds me that a wedding
is an event – it’s not a marriage. Most of us men want the event to produce the desired result. It would be quick and painless.
“Let’s get it over with.” Unfortunately it does not work that way. The best an event can do is raise
AWARENESS
Awareness happens as the result of an event. I discover at a PK rally or Men On Target seminar that I need to get closer to
God, pray with my wife more, etc. This realization then leads to making a
DECISION
I decide to do something about it. Here is a funny example most of us can identify with. It’s New Years Eve. That is an
EVENT. I have an AWARENESS that I am a little overweight and out of shape. I make a DECISION that starting
tomorrow I am going to go on a diet and work out. New Years day comes. The guys are all over for the games and my wife
has made chili and garlic bread. I say to myself, well, I think I will start tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes and something else
gets in the way – maybe Monday – that’s it Monday would be good. Meanwhile, six months later my belt buckle still has an
un-obscurred view of my shoes. Nothing has changed.
I call these first three stages the cycle of hopelessness. I believe that is where most of us live. In order to break out of this
situation we must press forward to the fourth stage.
COMMITMENT
Commitment is the bridge that can transform the old man into the new. (Read Webster’s definition of commitment in the next
section.) Commitment is what it takes to enter into the most important and difficult stage.
PROCESS
Here is where most men struggle. What is process? It is behavioral change over a period of time. That means struggle and a
level of intentionality that most of us are unwilling to enter into. For the most part, we are a people that are very impatient with
anything having to do with process. We do not want to work for results if it means experiencing any kind of long term
discomfort. We have become what I like to call a “microwave generation,” filled with such accelerants as steroids, rapid
weight loss diets and get rich quick schemes. We often look for these same “quick fixes” to aid in our behavioral
development. What many of us fail to understand is that God is really more interested in the process, the habits we form and
the way we live, than in any perceived results.
Process is the only way to bring about lasting and meaningful
CHANGE
The desired result – behavior – level of maturity.
Men need accountable relationships to maintain consistency
RELATIONSHIP SYSTEMS
1. Discipleship / Mentor
Purpose: Spiritual growth and development for the one being discipled. (Gender specific)
Ideal Number: 2
Management: Mentor leads.
2. Fellowship / Social
Purpose: Meeting other Christians, building friendships and prayer support.
Ideal Number: 8-12
Management: Host or leader led.
3. Study / Information
Purpose: Bible study or other structured learning systems designed to build knowledge.
Ideal Number: Open
Management: Study group leader.
4. Accountability / Encourager
Purpose: Prayer support, advice, encouragement and accountability. (Gender specific)
Ideal Number: 3-5
Management: Leaderless with some structure/questions.
I want to close this chapter with a final illustration on the power of vision. Michelangelo, the talented artist was asked once
how he was able to carve such magnificent masterpieces. He suggested that he was not sure how it worked exactly, but he
seemed to be able to see the beauty of the statue he was about to create in the rock quarry even before the marble was
cultivated.
He then said this; “You see, once I catch the vision I simply have to chip away what does not belong.” Whether that’s a
cigarette habit or a whole bunch of other things, maybe even good things, you will find it much easier to chip them away once
you catch the vision.
Ask God to reveal His vision for you and your church right now. Your life will never be the same again.
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