Most folks in the church don’t really understand what is meant by ‘vision’.  Very simply stated, vision is the act of seeing.  If you can open your eyes and see the; walls, windows and humans around you, you have vision.  If you open your eyes and see Bigfoot in a tu tu, then you don’t have vision.

The easy part of vision involves seeing what ‘is’.

The hard part of vision involves seeing what ‘is yet to be’.

The hard part of vision can be broken down into two segments.  1.-  Walt Disney Vision  2.- Nehemiah Vision

Walt Disney died nearly 5 years before the doors of Disney Land (Florida) opened up.  On that momentous day, one guy said to the other, “I wish Walt could have seen this.”, to which the other one replied, “He already did.”  Walt Disney Vision is developed through personal drive, imagination and great intellect.

Nehemiah Vision is quite different.  As a man living quite some distance away from Jerusalem, he had never seen the ruinous state that of its walls.  And yet, even still, God enabled Nehemiah to see the city in its restored state.  This wasn’t a matter of; personal drive, imagination or great intellect.  God intentionally and purposfully planted this vision in Nehemiah’s heart.

Sometimes we have combined vision.  If you’ve ever read my vision for Overflow, you have read a Nehemiah Disney Vision.  I’m certain that God was in the formation of that idea.  I’m also certain that I was in it.  Someday, God might let this ministry happen.  Right now, the light is undoubtedly red.

I regularly read books that are focused on leadership and ministry.  I’ve processed several John Maxwell books.  He wrote some of them.  Others were written by well intentioned pastors who reprocessed John Maxwell’s material and re-released it.  I’ve also read several books on how to organize the direction of the church.  I’ve read: The Purpose Driven Church, Simple Church, and The Spirit Driven Church (plus others that didn’t end with the word ‘church’ which would have messed up the flow of my list),- and found a common message.

Keep The Vision Simple

Continually Re-Communicate the Vision

Start, Endorse and Support Those Ministries which Obviously Fulfill The Vision

Shut Down the Ministries that Don’t Support the Vision

In the book, The Spirit Driven Church, the author was so bold as to call these unsupporting ministries, IDOLS.  Yikes!  That’s a harsh accusation, and yet I see the truth in it.  How many times do we start up and/or perpetuate a ministry simply because it has become someone’s personal pet project?  Are there things we do every year simply because it’s something that we’ve always done every year?  Are there ministries that we attempt to perpetuate for the simple sake of ‘not offending’ or ’saving face’?   I would bet that most of us would look at our churches and say, “Yes”.

I get frustrated with lots of doing.  Experience has shown me that ‘more ministry’ doesn’t work.  When these books tell me to keep the focus and the vision simple, and shut down everything that doesn’t line up with that focus and vision, I relate.  We have been the church that does everything.  Often times these ministries start out with with an excited group of people and dwindle down to either an insufficient number of worn out devotees or ‘1 man shows’.   We maintain them in guilt, perpetuate them in weariness and feel bad because we’re not excited anymore.  Do good things happen in these ministries?  Absolutely.  Does need and the potential for good fruit constitute our call to take on or continue a ministry?  Nope.

Currently, we have a pretty simple vision statement.  “To become a people: abandoned in worship, common in faith and useful for the Kingdom of God” Or, more simply stated: “Worship, Grow, Serve!”  This really sounds good.  This does not really sound specific.  We could have: a dog washing ministry, a Hebrew poetry class and interpretive yoga worship and still fit them easily within our vision statement.

I always want us to be a fellowship that; worships, grows and serves.  These are things that Christians do.  If we don’t do them, I would question our Christianity.  But, these things are too nonspecific to claim as our personal and unique vision and direction.  There needs to be something else.

Yes, I’m going to leave you hanging.  I’m still on the … voyage.  (I would have said ‘journey’ but it’s overused and abused and much too trendy of a word for me.)  I have a pretty good idea where I’m going on this … voyage.  I’ve been doing research, thinking, praying, reading and collecting input.  Without actually defining it (that’s the part I’m still working on), I can sum up the vision and direction of CCCville by getting a clear picture of who CCCville is.

What are we doing?  What are we doing that works?  Where do we excel?  Where are we productive?  -Things like: teaching, equipping, educating, preparing and training come to mind.

Doing ‘less things’ comes to mind.

Doing ‘more things’ produces extra stomach acid.

We’ve often put a lot of focus on the ‘doing’ in our fellowship.  I strongly believe the we need to put more focus on the ‘training’.  Just as trained warriors fight better, so also, do trained Christians serve better.

If you attend CCCville and haven’t given your input:  click here

]]> http://chadmyhre.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/summing-up-vision/feed/ 2 chadmyhre http://chadmyhre.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/consider-the-nugget/ http://chadmyhre.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/consider-the-nugget/#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:55:29 +0000 chadmyhre http://chadmyhre.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/consider-the-nugget/ ]]>

As teachers and students, we often think in terms of the whole”gold mine”. Teachers want to deliver a complete message: one which carries a rich vein of gold for the student to follow and mine from completely.  For the most part, this is the intent of most students.  They want to see and receive the big picture from beginning to end.

Our ambition for both teaching and learning should seek to take in the complete essence of the; moral, principle or lesson that is being delivered.  However, we shouldn’t discount the nugget.  This past week several people shared insights with me about the lessons I recently taught.  In each incident, it was a “one liner” that really hit them.  They spoke to me as if that point were the main essence of my whole message. 

In one case, I thought to myself, “I don’t remember saying that”. 

I used to wonder about things like this in the past.  I would ask myself: ”Did they get the overall essense of message?”    “Would I have been equally as effective in my teaching if that one line were the only thing I had said all morning?”

I don’t think that way any more.  Like in most things, my mind goes to fishing.  Does the fisherman concern himself with each particle of “chum” that he throws in the water?  No way!  He is only concerned with the bait that is on the hook.  One of the most glorious sounds in deep sea fishing is when the first mate cries out, “Hook Up!”.  That’s exciting.  You jam that rod into your hip, (creating a healthy bruise), reel, pull, loose line, reel, pull, land the fish, collapse exhausted and smile for an hour straight.  Did the chum catch that fish?  Yes, in a way it helped.  It drew the fish in.  It kept the fish interested.  But, the piece of bait that really caught that tuna’s attention..  was the one with the hook in it.

Sure, a lot of people will focus in, take note and harvest richly from that vein of gold that is presented.  However, most people walk away remembering that one verse… that one application.. that one illustration…  with the hook in it.  I’ve had nuggets change my life.  I’ve seen lives changed by a simple nugget. 

So now, when I teach, I don’t discount a single word.  Each line, each verse, each application is potentially rich and powerful to the lives of the learner.  When I listen, the same attitude applies.  Sure, I take in the big picture, but it’s usually the nugget that gets me.

Students..  listen to every word.

Teachers.. consider every word, as if it were the nugget that will change someone’s life.

What does it mean to be the real deal? How do we define “genuine”? What determines a sincere expression? What is truth if it’s not absolute? In the world of right and wrong who creates the middle ground? If there is an uncompromisable wrong (black) and an uncompromisable (white) why are the voices who define “gray” so many?

The relative crowd says that all things are fluid. The same thing bears different interpretations based on the opinions and feelings of those making judgment in relation to their current environmental circumstances. “I think therefore I am!” Therefore, I think the reality you claim to be true is not true. (I’ve tried this with my credit card bill. It doesn’t work)

If there is no recognized and agreed upon standard for truth, then there can’t be a common truth.

• Not worldwide. (so let’s scale it down)
• Not Nationwide. (so let’s scale it down more)
• Not Statewide. (so, let’s keep on scaling it down)
• Not church-wide. (same standard, interpreted and regarded differently… more scaling down)
• Not denomination-wide. (some claim it, but in reality every denomination has renegade thought… on to the next level)
• How about, individual church/fellowship wide?

Still, unless there is only one member… the standard of truth will waver from person to person. The Bible will still be regarded by each different person with varying levels of: understanding, knowledge, emotion, tradition and personal experience.

As a pastor, I am called to teach from a standard of truth and deliver it to a certain amount of people every week. Some of those people look to the Word and confess that it is 100% true “as they hear it”. They don’t hold it against me for delivering the truth that might be difficult to receive. They see the truth as being genuine, and then strive to respond to it genuinely. This is what really stirs up excitement in me. When I see believers who possess bonifide salvation, living out a bonifide faith, I am thrilled. When I see someone who: sincerely engages in worship, understands and commits to the important practice of fellowship, prays and engages the Word as a real priority in their lives, then I know, I’m seeing someone who understands what it means to be a Christian. When I see a group of people interacting together in a common understanding of these things, then I’m seeing a group of people who truly understand what it means to “be the church”.

And yet, it’s bittersweet.

When I see a small percentage embracing the genuine expressions of the faith, I can’t help but to compare. If there’s a small percentage that gets it, then obviously, there’s a large percentage that doesn’t get it. Some are in an appropriate disposition of faith. Because of that, they hear and receive the absolute truth of God’s Word absolutely. Some are in a different disposition of faith. They are absolutely saved, but they are not absolutely experiencing God’s intended design for their lives.

When the Word is spoken, it is heard differently. Years of tradition are blocking the Word from having an influence. Personal opinions are barring the door. Emotional baggage, (guilt, anger, regret, bitterness, apathy) is standing in the way. Plain old refusal hinders the impact of the message. Bad habits… short cuts… preconceived notions… the list goes on and on. The end result, for many, is lack; lack of blessing, lack of understanding, lack of power, lack of victory…

If the Word is blocked from entering the door of our heart, we’ll feel it. There are many different ways to feel it. One of the most common is, offense.

If the Word is blocked from entering the door of our heart, we’ll make a change. Since we’re not willing to change ourselves, the required alteration is then applied to the Word. We then change that which is offensive and demanding, into that which is permissive and symbolic. By doing so, we’ve created our own version of the standard, and right and wrong have become, once again, fluid definitions of relativity.

It’s hard to preach the absolute truth. As it is being delivered, the bulk of it is bouncing off of the barriers of many present souls. As it is delivered, the process of offense and reinterpretation is surely happening somewhere. As it’s delivered, someone is getting unhappy with the messenger, for the way the message is making them feel.

And yet, I find peace when I look at the example of Jesus. Thousands followed Him, only to turn away when He delivered the absolute truth. Thousands followed Him, only to stumble at the message. Jesus started with 12 and ended with less than that. For three years in between, there were thousands! So in a way, most of us who are pastors have better percentages than Jesus. Didn’t Jesus say in John 14:12, that we would do “greater” works after He goes to His Father? (maybe this is a poor application of that).. Does any of this short-change the power of the message? Does any of this discount the might of our Lord? Absolutely not. In fact, this reminds us again that humans are fallen. This reminds us again, that even amongst those who become “born again”, the burden of the fallen flesh is still a mighty influence. A bulk of those people who walk through the doors of our fellowship meetings every week are suffering in some way. Their hearts are guarded against the truth. And yet, they’re still coming in. They’re still putting themselves in the firing line of God’s Word.

Sure, the percentages of those who experience genuine faith, are small. But everybody else is still there. If the Holy Spirit is able to convict, then His playing field is huge. And with this, I personally have received a fresh perspective on my ministry. I can’t make anybody do anything for the right reason. The Holy Spirit has to be the influence. In His timing, He will draw soul after soul into a genuine understanding of what it means to “be” a Christian.

I’ve decided that I’m going to be ok with that.

When I was 16 I went on a mission trip to Peru with Teen Missions International.  It was an experience that changed me in a big way.  Two years later, T.M.I. announced that they were starting up a Bible School on their campus in Merritt Island, Fla.  Without hesitation, I signed up and moved there in the fall.  In addition to the education, (most of which was excellent thanks to one of my personal heroes in life, former Village Missions Pastor: Howard Vanderpool), I learned a whole lot through the people who worked with and around that particular ministry.  One of the lessons I’ve learned about “vision” stems back to a secluded piece of property back in the swamps of T.M.I.’s property.

The director of that ministry is a man who oozes vision.  He has ideas coming out of his ears.  Some of them are incredible.  But, some of them just don’t quite work out.  Sometimes, the vision is tested and found to be unprofitable.  Sometimes, the vision is bold and exciting, until the insurance vultures swept in and picked it apart.  As a result of all these ideas that “didn’t make it”, physical structures where forced to be torn down and removed.  They were then carted off to the “junk pile” in a secluded section of the property.

The cynic might look on at that heap and say, “Boy, this guy sure had a lot of bad ideas.”  When I was there, I don’t know what I thought of it.  I was just an immature kid.  But here I am years later, and I often think back to that pile of junk.  That pile wasn’t a sign of failure.  No way.  That pile was a side effect of big vision.  He was the kind of man whose eyes were always scanning the horizon for: the next opportunity, the next open door, the next plan…  Along the way, some things didn’t work out.  He had the boldness to let that junkyard of failed vision grow.  He had the confidence to keep on dreaming.  He had the spiritual sensitivity to receive many ideas that did work in incredibly big ways.

I’ve been pastoring now for about 8 years.  Our church has sprouted 5 other fellowships locally.  We’ve been involved in many different kinds of ministry including; radio, crusades, concerts, servant evangelism, street ministry, overseas missions work…  and so much more.  Some of these things are fruitful.  Some of these things are a huge investment of: time, labor and resource resulting in zero visible fruit.  Are we failures because we’ve done things that have failed?  No way.   We do however, have our own junkyard of failed vision.  You won’t find any physical junk to rummage through, but you will find a history of events that were better left undone.

Mistakes?  Blunders?  Bad Choices?   …maybe.   I prefer to see them as the side effects to vision.  I’m glad that junkyard is there.  It reminds me, that I’ve always been willing to think and do something that might not always fit in the box.

Today, my eyes search the horizons.  Sometimes I say it’s a matter of willingness.  Sometimes I call it a curse.  I wish I could relax and be content to settle into the model and simply do what others are doing.  I try to…  but then, my mind wanders.  My mind sees the shortfalls and then dreams of a solution.  My mind strips away the tradition and tries to think of things as they were.. possibly.. in their purest form.  My mind is always reaching outside of the box… trying to find something that might be more “right”  or more “effective”.

I’m not interested in being different for the sake of being different.  That mentality, in itself usually drives us to be just like someone else who is trying to be different, and thus, there we are being same in our attempts to be different.  I learned this in my teens when I tried to be different by looking like a punk-rocker.  Then I realized… hey, I look like all the other punk rockers.

Even though it stresses me out, I’m still going to let my mind search and think outside of the box.  In the meantime, I’m going to strive for contentment in the things that I know won’t change.

Chris Elrod has some pretty incredible stuff to say.  This post, is pretty incredible…  

Sometimes I read what other pastors are saying and doing, and I ask myself: “How in the world could I do all that stuff?”  Some of these guys make it seem like; coaching groups, books on business, books on finance, other books, seminars, conferences, hip worship bands, techno audio viz crap and stage props are necessary if you want to be a successful pastor.

Then, out of nowhere… a breath of fresh air:

What do you do when vision bounces off the walls of your universe?  What do you do when your ideas and your concepts don’t fit into the established system?

I have, what I consider to be a transforming idea for “church” ministry.  Actually, it’s one of the few times that I have tremendous confidence that God has brought this vision to my heart.  Since I’m not the most ambitious person in the world, I know that something bigger than me has caused this thing to resound for so long.  It’s been about 5 years.  This year, it appears as if the vision has all come together.  I’ve laid it out there, fully explained it, tested every facet of it and have actually visualized it as being a reality.  Now, don’t fuss at me for being all new-agish on the visualization thing.  Reality is… it seems so real, that I can actually see it as if it’s already happened.

Some might disagree with me on this, but I’ve chosen to lay a fleece out there concerning this whole vision..  (which, btw, I’m not going to go too much into it [the vision] here).  I picked out 12 people in the fellowship that I see as serving in significant roles of leadership, (some, not now, but later).  I laid the whole plan out for them, set some time-relative goals, answered questions and sat back to gauge their response.  In the beginning, those who listened were on board and excited.  Yet, when it seemed like I was building up steam….  I ran out of rail.  Some of my key people started to fudge on one of the most vital parts of the vision.

In a nutshell, I wanted to bring our church into a place where it became an active expression of Christian service 7 days a week, and not just on Sunday.  To do this, we’d have to transfer the major part of our Sunday/permanent building investment into something that would act more as a day to day community center…  and then use a temp space for Sunday morning.  Many churches are doing well in temporary space.  Many churches are experiencing more attendance and more participation in temp spaces.  Many churches have incredible ministries for infants and children in temp spaces.  But, some of my “fleece” people aren’t grasping this as a possibility for us.  The current system that we’re in does not support the change that I propose, and some of my key people can’t think out of the box of this current system.  I don’t blame them.  I’m thankful that God has given me these folks to keep me in check.  Maybe their reservations are protecting me from something that I’m trying to rush or carry out with extremity. 

I’m still a little bit deflated on the whole thing.  It’s still there, but I’ve proven that I can’t lead my key people into the vision, so how do I think I could lead the rest of the fellowship into it?  It’s their church.  I was called to this.  I’m doing this, (for the most part), because I have to..  (joyfully none the less).   Everyone else is here by choice.   They didn’t choose the fellowship that I want this one to become.  They chose the fellowship that this is, now, and has been for the past 8 years.  I have to respect that.

We have an established system here.  I am the guy who planted the church.  In a huge way, I am responsible for the system.  Now that I feel compelled to change it, I’m at a loss.  I can continue on, but I fear it will be with dissatisfaction.  So here I am at a junction.

At the beginning of every new year we often dream about the things which will transpire before us.  Will this be the year that something huge happens?  Will this be the year that we break through in a new way?  Will this be a year of status-quo?  I’m not sure what to think for 2008 anymore.  My vision is still a huge reality to me.  The only way I can practically carry it out is by starting over from scratch.  That’s not really a current option.  At this junction I still wonder…  how will I see this come to pass?  Will I see this come to pass at all?  Is there a way to lead this current system into the one I desire it to become, or will that be a failed attempt to put new wine into old wine skins?

In the mean time, I continue where I ‘m at, and pray for contentment.    

This topic has been on my mind a lot lately.  What kind of message is the church communicating to the world around it.  I’m not talking about the words that Church uses or the propaganda it pushes.  I’m just talking about the impressions that people receive as they consider “who” and “what” the church is.  We as individuals are called to live in a manner that is above reproach… avoiding the appearance of evil… not providing opportunity for accusation…  To do this, we need to present humility to the world around us.  To do this, we need to be sensitive to people’s preconceived notions.  To do this we need to be cautious with any deed or word that might be considered questionable.  Well, if we as individuals are striving to communicate love in every way, shouldn’t the church as a corporate body of believers do the same thing?  How do we do that?
Sunday morning is a great time and should always be done with excellence.  However, if we want to communicate “who” and “what” we are, we need to give the world an opportunity to interact with us on Monday – Saturday also.  The outward display of love by the church should be the grandest impression that onlookers gain.  Let Sunday morning be a side-note in comparison to the activities we engage in during the week.  Think about it:  Sunday morning is (for the most part) for the believers.  That’s our chance to get together, worship and study.  The stuff we do for ourselves (like Sunday morning), shouldn’t be our main communication to those who are on the outside.  To them, we should be a people who walk in love and humility in the “real world” of day to day living.  On a side note, we also get together and celebrate on Sundays.
The issue of communication should be a huge factor to consider when we strategize and plan.
I have tons more to say on this topic.  It will run in and out of many future threads as it has on many past threads from www.simplemindedpreacher.com   It might even end up being a book.

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I just spent the last 2 days putting the budget proposal together for 2008.  While I performed this arduous task, I listened to a lot of rock n roll… including. The entire “Story Of The Clash Volume I” two times, Bruce Cockburn’s “Dart To The Heart” about 5 times, a bunch of Mutemath,  and a little bit of “Circle Slide” by The Choir.  I can’t listen to music when I study..  it totally distracts me.. but it had nice way of complimenting the accounting.  The music was fun, but the numbers weren’t.

It’s been another “good” year for us at Calvary Chapel.  We didn’t grow in numbers.  No, we shrunk.  We didn’t grow in finances…  nope.. about $40k less than 06.  We didn’t grow in fancy events and programs.  Nope..  actually did less…  and yet, I still account it as being a good year.  For me, 2006 was the year that my eyes opened to greater horizons in the areas of pastoring and church ministry.  It’s almost as if I’ve been standing in a door-way, looking into a room, then, one day, I turned around.  I still stood in that same door-way, but now looked outside to the far horizons.  Suddenly, the possibilities I was visually taking in increased exponentially. God is teaching me how to do my job in ways I never imagined.  He has me dreaming and thinking in ways that blow the “box” to pieces.  The year was quiet, but when it’s quiet, it’s easier to listen.

God is going to do something different and unique with us.  I’m not sure how, nor am I too sure when.. but I’m sure of it all the same.  We’re still holding to the rock solid truth, but there may be a change in the way we manifest that truth to the world around us.  My hope.. is that we can become “the church”.. and not just “a church”.  I hope that we can develop a mentality and a practice that causes us to live our lives.. 7 days a week, as those who communicate to the world around us.. that we are “the church”, a living organism of love and humility striving to represent Christ every day and in every way.  When will these dreams manifest into reality?  Who knows?  Maybe 2008.  Maybe 2009.  I’m just going to wait and see.