The King James Version of the Bible renders the first half of Proverbs 29:18 this way, “Where there is no vision the people perish.” Over the years this verse has been used and abused, but the very first time it came to my attention was in a small book by George Barna entitled The Power of Vision. Short and to the point, Barna captured what I consider to be the core truths about vision. We’ll get to some of those later on.

But first, an update from our last column (http://www.smallgroupministry.com/article.asp?ID=738), regarding where our own church is in our small-group ministry re-build....

The quick answer is: I don’t really know.

Over the last two months there have been some discussions at the staff level, but my wife and I haven’t been invited into those discussions. We’re told that everyone’s really happy that we’re willing to take the lead on this effort, but so far there’s nothing to lead and no opportunity to speak into the process. Frankly, I’m beginning to lose confidence that they mean it, and beginning to lose interest in leading.

One of my goals in sharing about our experience is to help you see the process in one place, warts and all. And what’s been happening the last couple of months has been a bit – well, wart-y.

So, the first lesson I’ve learned and want to pass on: If you invite people into volunteer leadership in your small-group ministry, get them involved in the process. Even if the process is a struggle and you haven’t fully sorted out your purpose or vision, tell that to those you’re entrusting leadership to. Right now we don’t feel like we’re engaged in any process, not sure there is a process, and if there is, not sure we’ll agree with the end result. That will make it difficult to take a lead position going forward.

Second lesson: If you’re not ready to fully engage volunteers in the process, don’t assign leadership roles and don’t invite them. In recent weeks other people have been inviting us into other leadership roles, and because of what’s not been happening with the small-group ministry we’re seriously considering some of these invitations (not to the exclusion of small groups, but that might be the end result if we continue to be left out of the process).

It makes me wonder how many times over my years in church work I frustrated volunteers and chased them off — all the while oblivious to the fact that I had eager, willing help I was squandering.

There is no better tool to avoid squandering the precious resources you have sitting in the seats every Sunday than a strong, clear vision. In my last article I wrote about purpose being something you could work through as a team. Using the question “What’s the point?” a team of people can craft a pretty solid purpose statement that gives clarity and a filter to what you’re ministry will and, more importantly, won’t be doing.

Learning from, and in full agreement with, George Barna I’m here to tell you that vision is very different from purpose. Vision cannot be created by committee. Vision for your small-group ministry is held by a single individual. Barna defines vision as “a clear picture of a preferable future.” Who in your congregation has a clear, strong, God-given picture of a preferable future for your small-group ministry? It may not be the pastor or the person currently leading small-group ministry!

Let me say that again: The person who holds a clear, strong, God-given picture of a preferable future for your small-group ministry may not be the pastor, current leader(s) or other staff. It may be the person who’s regularly talking about how to make small groups better. It may be someone who was previously involved in small groups but has drifted away. I can’t tell you who it is in your church, but if there’s someone passionate about small groups you know who it is.

However, that doesn’t mean that one person should shape your small-group ministry singlehandedly. That picture needs to be tested by prayerful partners. It needs to be examined and evaluated and prayed over. That clear picture needs to be held to the light of scripture to be certain that it truly is God’s vision imparted to that person. Be cautious not to invite multiple visions for ministry into some sort of competition. The way to avoid this is to make sure you’re not confusing someone with an idea of how small groups should be done (detail) with someone who has a vision for small groups (the big picture).

Vision is very “big picture.” Vision is something that often will seem scary, impossible and overwhelming. Having everyone in your church involved in small-group ministry is not a vision, it’s a goal. Seeing lives changed, families transformed and your entire community connected to Christ through small-group ministry gets closer to being a vision.

I can’t give you a more detailed example of a vision for your church because God’s imparting that to someone already in your midst. I can say this: Until you have a clear picture of a preferable future for the small-group ministry of your church, don’t take another step to launch or re-launch anything. Churches are often guilty of plowing ahead with programs with little or no clearly defined purpose or vision, then become frustrated when nothing of value comes of their efforts. Don’t be that church.

Once you’ve evaluated, prayed about, and agreed on the vision God’s imparted, then it’s time to share it. You can begin the process of recruiting small-group leaders and get them excited with the vision of what’s possible. If you share the vision with someone and they’re not excited you know to move on. When you share the vision with someone and they jump out of their seat with excitement, you know you’ve got a new member of the team. Strong vision that is clearly articulated is the best way to move a ministry forward.

This truth also comes with a caveat: Strong vision that is clearly communicated will also cause people to leave! When your church sets a visionary course for any ministry, people will see whether or not it’s a fit for them. Ministry without clear vision is often clogged with people who aren’t necessarily disinterested but aren’t entirely invested, either. It’s OK to set a clear vision so people know for certain if they’re in or out — more than OK, in my humble opinion. It’s absolutely necessary for successful ministry that the vision be broadcast. Barna writes that vision that isn’t communicated in clear and compelling ways isn’t really vision at all. A vision that is clearly seen must be clearly told.

I hope this article has been more encouraging than discouraging. Once you’ve worked through the process of identifying your vision and have the filter of the purpose statement it’s time to start setting goals. We’ll tackle that next time.

Tim Kurth served as a Director of Christian Education in the Midwest for more than 20 years, assisting churches in starting a variety of volunteer ministries. He and his wife Elizabeth live in Loveland, Colorado, where he currently serves as Camp Project Leader with Group Workcamps Foundation.