You like your church. You’ve found a community that seems healthy to you. You’ve been there for over a year now. You feel the freedom to find your own spiritual path and to walk it with integrity without fear of judgment. The teaching is good. It challenges you to think for yourself. The conversational approach to the teaching time encourages you to seek and to find with curiosity and courage. The pastor takes a hands-off approach that you find refreshing, respectful and liberating. You know if you have any questions, they will be respected and that resources will be made available to you to assist you in your individual search if you want. The worship is great too. The band is usually awesome and you like the music. The people feel free to experience it wholeheartedly if they want to. Your kids enjoy it. There are groups for them to join if desired. You have friends in this community. You feel connected. You know that if hard times come, there will be people to pray for you and support you in any way they can. You are given the opportunity to give, knowing that the church will not only use the money to support its own ministry, but also because you know the church is generous with its money in helping other churches and people in need. You are a part of this church because it augments your spiritual life in an integrative, holistic way, and doesn’t violate your freedoms and person and values. Even though you commit yourself to the community, you still feel you are an authentically free individual and are respected as such. You don’t feel sucked into some kind of religious vortex where you lose your voice and freedom and path, and you appreciate that. You have found a family and a home that has special meaning in your life.
Then one Sunday, the pastor says that he senses that something’s missing. You are perplexed. What could be missing? This church already seems healthy to you. He goes on to say that he’s decided the church needs a vision. He informs the congregation that he and the elders are going to start praying for a vision and start working on a mission statement.
You are disappointed. It saddens you that something so beautiful has suddenly been poisoned with expressions of discontent, ambition, and the destructive desire for the illusive “more” that you’ve learned to recognize.
You’ve seen this before in the last church you attended where they wanted more people and cloaked it in the language of evangelism.
And the church before that which wanted more money and cloaked it in the language of spiritual prosperity and charity.
And the church before that which wanted more programs and people to run them and cloaked it in the language of seeker-sensitivity.
And the church before that which wanted more of the Spirit to show up during worship and cloaked it in the language of renewal and spiritual passion.
You are getting tired. Can any community simply gather and just be happy to do the basics with peace, tranquility, joy and contentment? You wonder if any community can be free of this dis-ease.
My name is David Hayward, and I am the nakedpastor. I am a graffiti artist on the walls of religion.
nail…….head……bosh
suffered it, done it myself, would now run for the hills, feel sympathy for those who seek to serve but end up striving to control
I found that contentment outside of evangelicalism… Now I’m halfway at becoming an Anglican, I think. Strange path. But I found it more Christ-centered than the Baptist church I went to beforehand. I still occasionally go to the baptist church down the corner because of my family, but I feel more at peace at the small Anglican community of the city.
And it’s strange, because it is not the people of the church whom I have the trouble with, and not even with the pastor. I do have issues with the theology, but those issues are secondary. Primary cause for my “dis-ease” is probably the practices of the church, and the practices of 95% of the baptist / evangelical churches that I know. I could basically check all those on the list you kindof gave.
I love the first paragraph of this. I searched for so long for it. I just left a church where the pastor was overbearing, dictative, had a strangle hold on everyone and if they managed to avoid the stranglehold they were spoken poorly of, called rebellious etc. My heart was broken there, see not only did we just attend the church, we were best friends with the pastor. When we started asking questions about.. hold it.. you guessed it.. the vision, we were hurt in every and all ways. We were shunned, we were spoken of behind our backs, we were told we’re not committed, we’re not teachable, we’re trouble makers. We were suddenly, without notification of any sort, replaced in our positions in the church.
It was good in the end because our eyes were finally opened so to speak. Instead of being taught how to be more Christlike, we were learning all about power, control and manipulation… and what happens if you show the ability to think for yourself. We were so criticized for making decisions for our family that went against what “our leader” suggested for us… ridiculous things to the point of what type vehicle to buy.
It’s disheartening. I have hope though because I know that God isn’t like that, and that isn’t what He is about. He is good… and His love endures.
What if you’ve experienced all that stuff but the church already HAS a vision, mission statement, etc.? Would that be an anomaly?
Wow. when were you at my church?
I always called that the “Bigger…Better…More” approach.
I don’t agree. I do not believe that all visions statements are bad or negative. Take for example, the vision of my old church (which I was sent out of to plant a daughter church):
“The purpose of XZY Church is to be a body of believers that pursues authentic Christian life and endeavors to develop mature, reproducible, Spirit-filled, Christian disciples that will: Receive ministry from the Lord – His saving grace, forgiveness, healing and unconditional love – through the revelation of His Bible and by the Holy Spirit. Minister to the Lord – be uninhibited in worship, devoted in prayer, generous in giving and in service. Minister with the Lord – proclaiming His words and doing His works.”
This was not an evangelism focus or a program deal. It was simple to be a place to develop “mature, reproducible, Spirit-filled, Christian disciples.” Nothing less and nothing more.
Are there ‘bad’ vision statements? Yes. But not all vision statements destroy the church. Shoot, Jesus himself had a vision/mission statement: “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:14).
I don’t know, I just don’t get all the bad press towards having a vision… it is nothing more then stating where your going.
Josh: Thanks for your comment. But this vision is exactly what I would avoid. I would feel it constricting me to a certain list of expectations. I would feel like I was entering a machine of someone else’s making to convert me, mutate me and employ me in its agenda. It is authoritarian in spirit and utilitarian in perspective. That’s the feel of it for me.
Vision statements make me nervous. I am going to a church right now that I think doesn’t have a clue as to what it is doing – and I love it!!!! We meet for worship, sing some songs, worship God through giving, pray for one another, encourage one another by being present to each other, try to understand God’s Word, love the kids and invite them into our lives as an adult community, and speak of the things of God in the hallways. At other “vision driven” churches we didn’t have time for this. We were always busy trying to fill slots and run programs and raise money. The level of angst was always through the roof.
Don: Yes… another story similar to my post.
BTW just ran across this from a church. If there is ever a church I want to run away from it is this one.
{Name left blan] averages between 300-325 in morning worship and ministers to nearly 500 in our community. We are on the verge of a breakthrough. We are a healthy and balanced multigenerational congregation in a new building. We are a welcoming community that nurtures its people, both spiritually and emotionally. We send missionaries into our community and around the world. In short, we’re in good shape. But we don’t ever want to be satisfied with the status quo. We want to always be improving—but that’s what a breakthrough requires.
@ David – interesting. I would never of thought of it as a “machine.” Can you explain more?
I see that your comments and thoughts are resonating with lots of folks – which tells me that there is something bigger going on. Yet, I just can’t seem to see the issue… I mean, I see the problem with the vision statement Don Bryant posted. That would be an example of a ‘bad’ statement. Yet, I can’t see how ‘all’ statements are ‘bad’ (i.e. there are no good vision statements). =?
Maybe I should be asking the other viewers… why are all vision statements ‘bad’? Is there such a thing as a ‘good’ vision statement?
David,
If I understand you correctly, a church with a “vision” is any church that has a vision or mission statement, or any church that believes that it can improve in specific one or more specific area.
Is that correct? If not, please do define what you see as a church with a vision.
-Rich
Josh,
Can I throw in my two cents? The vision statement you shared from your old church seems tame enough when you read it quickly. However, take a moment to dissect it noticing especially these words:
“authentic Christian life”–Does the church then seek and remove those who are not authentic? What does that mean? If you were abused as a child but choose not to share that are you being inauthentic? If you struggle with a sexual addiction and choose not to share it with the church are you being inauthentic? If you are currently undergoing medical procedures to change your “God given” gender are you then labeled inauthentic? And, if the church does nothing about “inauthentic” Christians, what good is the vision?
“mature”–Who defines this? What happens to Christians who get saved and keep sinning? Are they labeled “immature” and asked to leave?
“reproducible”–Does this mean that the pastors can ask others if they would want to be you? Does this mean that you have a quota of unsaved souls to reach? How is this goal of the vision measured?
“Spirit-filled”–Who defines this? Is it defined the charismatic way where someone must speak in tongues or give “a word” to prove they’ve been filled? Is it defined in a more conservative way where one must give an oath that he or she has been saved and is thereby filled with the Spirit? What if someone starts acting contrary and without the fruit of the Spirit? Are they no longer filled? What happens then?
“uninhibited in worship”–Wow. What if I join the church but am inhibited in worship? What if I have weeks on end when I don’t sing or raise my hands or even skip out of the worship because it feels “inauthentic” to me? Will I be asked to leave because I do not “receive” from the Lord?
“devoted”–Does this mean attending church every time the doors are open? Does this mean signing an oath to particpate in daily devotions or quiet time? Does this mean my spouse and family (or friends and foes) can rat me out to the pastor for showing lack of devotion to God at home?
“generous in giving and service”–Does this mean that anyone can check out my tithing record? Does this mean that I MUST be involved in a small group or a ministry program? Who measures the level of generosity?
I got in trouble at my last (likely LAST) church because I helped to run a cafe for the teenagers, and as cafe leaders we were instructed to enforce a bunch of “rules” for the cafe. The rules were broken most often by the pastors and their interns and families. When we tried to implement the rules, the pastors and interns were unaware of them (because it was other pastors with different agendas who had created them) and basically told us they were ridiculous. I responded that what was ridiculous was having an actual rulebook for the cafe that no one knew about or adhered to. I said I didn’t care if the “How to Run the Cafe” book got trashed–it would make my job easier. I just didn’t like being told to enforce USELESS rules that made the cafe “look good on paper.” The pastor I was interacting with said that was the stupidest thing he ever heard. It was perfectly logical to me. I didn’t understand why he would want something on paper that meant absolutely nothing.
So, getting back to your old church’s vision statement, other than being a nice mantra on a piece of paper what does it MEAN?
I look forward to hearing your response.
A person without vision is ‘visually impaired’ or ‘blind’. Is a church or group without vision the same…gropping about but never finding boundries or anything solid? ‘the blind leading the blind’??
Rich H: Yes, that’s right. I know my thoughts are strong on this. I not only believe that vision and mission statements are unnecessary, but that the whole vision agenda is modern and intrusive and destructive to true church community. I’m not saying let’s replace bad vision statements with good ones. I’m saying resist or abolish them altogether.
Ann B.
Here’s how I process your questions.
The head/guide of the church is Christ (not a pastor).
Christ is spirit–not tangible.
So, I am led by someone/thing that I cannot see.
This, in a way, does make me blind.
God, in a way, has blindfolded me.
But, even not being able to see clearly where God is leading me, I assume that God is not blind.
So, I use my other senses and let the Spirit guide me and trust that God does see where we are going even if I don’t.
(I do wish there were no blindfolds sometimes.)
I think it is very dishonest of the instiutional church to pretend that they have a clear vision of what God wants. We don’t know what God wants. We can read Scripture and come to some conclusions about what we THINK God wants and where we THINK God will take us. But the details are all in God’s head (assuming God has an actual head) and it is presumptious to think that we have free access to that, in my opinion.
@ ttm – wow. You raise some very good questions. I must admit that I never thought of that statement like that before…. To me, it just said that the church was trying to help disciple folks to be more Christ like…. Yet, after reading your comments…you have a point… who determines what who is “mature, reproducible, Spirit-filled, Christian disciples”? My first reaction was to say the Bible…but then that wouldn’t really work as folks can make the Bible say what they want too (as we all have seen) – besides, Jesus said he would give us the Holy Spirit to guide us, not a book.
Thank you for sharing. You gave me a lot to think about. =)
@ David – you mentioned that you were promoting the removal of all vision statements (both good and bad). I wonder if that is really possible. Even if a group doesn’t write down a statement, they still have a “vision.” It may be that the vision is to simply follow Jesus. But it is still a vision. =?
I have to admit Dave that I wondered about what all the fuss was about when you first went off on “vision”. But in thinking about it further and with the space I am in, it becomes more and more clear that it is manipulative and yet another control mechanism by which leaders differentiate from other churches (competition in the consumer market of church attendees).
Josh. That vision statement you posted would cause me to run like hell. Way overboard. And full of you know what. Think further and you will see what Dave and others are saying.
I think the more you are hurt by someone using the word “vision” as their motivation to hurt you, you’ll come to see that maybe this vision thing is kind of crappy. I also think Jesus had a “plan and purpose”, but I think people take the word “vision” and use it as a way to manipulate, as a way to hurt… the same way some people will say something really crappy about you and then say it was a prophetic word… or, you know what… I think I’ve spent alot of time around the wrong people!! Not everyone, not every church is like that. I just got sucked in to one that was.
Josh: If someone says they want to follow Jesus, then why allow the idea of vision to enter into it? I love my wife Lisa. I can’t help but want to be with her. Vision never enters the picture. And certainly the kind of vision that would wish her to be something other than who she actually is.
Darrin: Interesting comment. I admire that.
Thanks everyone for good comments.
Just curious. Where does Proverbs 29:18 fit in?
“When there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint”
I realize this has little or nothing to do with mission statements or church agendas, and I your statement “the destructive desire for the illusive ‘more’” is a beautiful poetic statement that rings true in my heart.
I ask this as one who has recently walked into the relative calm and relaxing life post-local-institution; walked away from poor theology, the striving after performance, and the pursuit of the illusive ‘more’.
BarryH: Check out a previous post of mine from last week:
http://www.nakedpastor.com/archives/5112
The first point addresses your concern.
Thanks for commenting. Happy journey!
david
No matter now innocuous the church Vision statement, the dis-ease is in the development and implementation of the Vision statement. The process, before and after, creates fences and accompanying segregation: Who participated, who did not participate? Who felt affirmed, who felt left out? Who voted “yea”, who voted “nay”? Who agrees, who disagrees? Who “gets it”, who doesn’t “get it”? Who is “in”, who is “out”? Who is “with the program”, who is outside the program? Who is enthusiastic, who is pouting?
Without the Vision statement, we just live our faith as best as we can as best as we see it. That is the Good News in action – universal and continuous inclusion and participation permeated by a spirit of equality.
This is brilliant! Do yourself a favor and Google this: “Jake Colsen” to see what happened to him!!
I don’t know, David. That first paragraph looked like a beautiful Vision for a church to me.
“You are getting tired.” Not surprised after chopping and changing churches every time they changed to something you didn’t like.
(Not a personal comment, just running with the logic of the story.)
Josh: Isn’t it great how we can “talk” even though we’ve never met? Thanks for the great conversation!