Process for Vision Forming

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Vision Forming
This process for vision forming combines prayer and reflection on our understanding of where God has already been moving. Any vision forming process will take time - maybe some months to work through fully - don't feel you need to rush! It can either be used by the leader alone, or preferably with a small leadership group. This group may be the formal leadership group of the church or organisation, or may be a selected group of people with appropriate skills and gifts. At the end of this process you should have an understanding of what God is calling your church or organisation to do.
1. PREPARATORY PRAYER This first stage of vision forming helps us to "tune in", spending time with the Lord, getting used to His presence and His voice. Pray that He will show you clearly over the coming weeks what He is calling the church to do for Him. Even if the leader, or a small group, are aiming to develop the initial vision, there is no reason why the broader church cannot be encouraged to pray for the process, that God will make His calling abundantly clear to the leadership.
2. BUILDING BLOCKS God speaks to the church in a number of ways: through experience, through the Bible, through words and pictures and in other ways. This process allows us to reflect on what God may have been saying to the church in four different elements. We suggest you take time to reflect on, and pray through each of four questions, and to compile a flip chart to answer each one. This stage of the process could be done as a retreat or a day away either with the leader alone, or with a small team. : (A) THE PAST - The first flip chart answers the following : What has been our previous understanding of the right direction? What visions, 5 year plans, strategies etc. have been agreed on previously ? Very often churches do not need to start from scratch, but to dust off previously agreed approaches, update them in prayer, seeing whether they are still relevant, and then re-energising people behind the vision. (B) OUR EXPERIENCE - The second flip chart looks at the breadth of our Christian experience. What has God called other churches to? What does our reading of the Bible have to say about our current situation as a church? As we read other books, what insights can we gain? Almost certainly His vision for each place will be different, but there may be some commonality! God's leading for a church does need to be sought afresh in each location, but without rejecting out of hand that which has been found to be appropriate elsewhere. The Alpha course developed by Holy Trinity Brompton is a great example of churches reapplying something which has been found to work elsewhere. For many churches, this reapplication is out of a situation very different to their own. (C) PRAYER - this third flip chart compiles a summary of what God has been speaking though the church in recent times. Look through any prayer diaries to see common themes, pictures or words given. Talk with other members of the church who pray regularly. Spend some time with others being open to God. After spending time in prayer, write down whatever is on your minds. This may or may not be from God, but there may be a surprising degree of commonality. (D) CHURCH/COMMUNITY - Reflect on the church and the community which it serves. Try to see it how God sees it - Where are the needs, the pressure? Taking a look at previous parish assessment & mission audits can be helpful here. 3. PRAYER Having compiled the four flip charts, spend some more time in prayer, asking God to speak to you through this reflection, and to give you His direction and vision for your church in the coming years. Pray for a while, spend some time being quiet, even go for a quiet walk. The most important thing here is to have some quality time with the Lord, being open to His prompting. 4. DRAFTING A VISION Now each member of the group should write down what they feel God is calling the group to. Everyone should write something. Try to keep it to a few sentences and stick to the big ideas. Then share amongst the group. After each person has shared his/her draft, spend some more time in prayer, asking the Lord to confirm which elements of your discussions are His, and which are human desire. Discuss openly, and move on if you have agreement, otherwise repeat step 3. You may find these checks helpful: - Is it in line with scriptural teaching? Does the vision that you have received lead to God being glorified, and His church taking a servant role in meeting the needs of His people? - Is there a consensus in the pictures, scriptures and words of knowledge received? Spend some time going back over this sheet and identify whether any elements point in an opposite direction. (They may point in a different direction if they are related to meeting a specific need, rather than setting God's agenda for His church.) - Do you, and others with you in the process, feel at peace with the vision in prayer? This does not mean that you feel comfortable about achieving it - merely that you feel it may be "right"! - Does this fit with where God is already moving? It may not if this is a new wave of God's Spirit at work, but in many cases it may be a continuation of God's prompting in the wider church. - When shared with other mature Christians in the church, does their prayer confirm it?
5. SHARING THE VISION Once you are in agreement, it is time to share and develop the vision with the wider community of faith. Encourage people to think, reflect and pray through the vision. It may be necessary to change it over time as the whole community comes to "own" the vision for itself. 6. ACTION A vision that does not lead to some kind of action is unlikely to be of much help to the church or to God! We have already seen that an important characteristic of visionary leadership is that it leads to action. Yet, turning a vision into reality can be extremely difficult. As a first step, take more time with a small leadership group and begin to explore ways that the vision might be turned into reality.	The diagram below summarises the vision forming process: