I’m not asking you what you believe God wants your church to look like some day. I’m asking about now. Most pastors I know want to be visionary. We’ve had it drilled into us in recent years, “Your vision determines your destiny.” The fact is, vision-less churches flounder until they finally die in obscurity–and no one in the community even notices. The landscape is littered with church buildings that have been converted into office buildings or that sit empty rotting away.

“Vision-less churches flounder until they finally die in obscurity.”

I take no joy in writing those words. They break my heart. I’ve been a church leader for more than 40 years. I’ve been a church attender for 60 none-of-your-business years! I love the Church.

There is hope. Most vision-less pastors I meet want to give voice to God’s future direction for their church. They just don’t have adequate training in seeing  what it might be. That’s why I invite you to join me in a series of musings on this badly needed subject. Please stay with me for the next few weeks. You might find your eyes opened to the hope and bright future God has for your life and for the church you lead.

The first obstacle to seeing God’s preferred future for your church is seeing the present reality clearly. We simply can’t catch a vision for the future until we have clear understanding of the present.  The problem is we all tend to see the present from a single perspective–the one that fits our own personality. The result is an incomplete picture.

“We simply can’t catch a vision for the future until we have clear understanding of the present.”

The full picture of your church’s present requires that you look at the church from four very different perspectives or lens; i.e. the Structural Lens, the Human Lens, the Political Lens and the Symbolic Lens.

The Structural Lens reveals how we get things done. It includes our systems, org charts and lines of communication. The Human Lens focuses on how people related to one another in the church and with those who come into the church. The Political Lens has to do with how authority is distributed across the church. The Symbolic Lens relates to the soul of the church. It is found in the stories that are told and re-told to reinforce the DNA of the church. It also relates to the events that become milestone moments in the life of the church.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll unpack each lens. You will gain an understanding of the types of people who naturally look through each lens. You will begin to see value in seeking the views of each of them for the full picture.  In the process, you will be positioned to catch God’s vision for your church’s future!

Come go with me on this journey.