Why Am I Struggling to Implement Vision in My Church? Three Common Snags Holding Pastors Back

Vision without strategy is merely a dream. Several variations of the preceding phrase are attributed to any number of writers and thinkers. It’s an important thought. Strategy is the pathway to vision. Many pastors have a vision for their churches, but they don’t know how to create a pathway to accomplish their goals.

Strategy is how ideas get implemented. I believe it’s easier to formulate a vision than it is to think strategically. Many pastors have an idea of where they want to go, but they struggle with how to get moving. While much attention is given to vision, I believe a lack of strategy is one of the main reasons why churches are stuck.

What are some common snags to implementing vision? And how can a pastor think more strategically to get the church moving?

1. The first snag is not understanding the scope and schedule of implementing an idea. Scope involves knowing the who, what, where, when, and how of the work involved. What’s missing in this list? The why. Ironically, most leaders know why they want to accomplish an idea, but the snag becomes the rest of the list. It’s one thing to know why you want something done. Strategy determines who will do what, when they will do it, and how they will do it. In addition to scope, the schedule of the strategy is equally important. Unreasonable timelines are strategy killers.

2. The second snag is not considering the capacity of the people who are at ground level in the ministry responsible for implementing the vision. A while back, I encountered a pastor who asked his support staff to laminate hundreds of cards for a sermon illustration. It was Friday morning when the idea hit him. The team spent an entire weekend working because the pastor struggled to think ahead. Unfortunately, these kinds of requests were a regular occurrence in this church. Even your best people have a limited capacity. Thinking strategically requires a leader to consider workload along with timing.

3. The third snag occurs when pastors do not communicate consistently about implementation. Progress stops when communication stops. Many pastors are good about communicating upfront about where the church is going. What is often missing is consistent updates throughout the implementation of a strategy. These ongoing progress reports are arguably more important than selling the vision upfront. For instance, capital campaigns can sputter when updates are infrequent. People get excited the first few weeks, but the excitement wanes when nobody knows how things are going.

Vision is important, but it’s overrated. Thinking strategically is grossly underrated in the church leadership world. The lack of a clear strategy is what often snags pastors and holds them back. An average vision with a stellar strategy will accomplish far more than a superior vision with no strategy.

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