For vision documents from other churches, see the vision section of the policy page

 

How to Create Vision in a Church?

This is a work-in-progress, documenting how Grace Covenant Church is re-creating their vision statement.

Before you create vision

• Charter of Grace's Vision Advisory Team (draft)
• Knowing your congregation: Dr. Fletcher on using the CHAT survey to understand Grace, Does Your Church Have a Cold?
• Constituent groups in a congregation: Julie Wertz on Generational Leadership: Our Success Is Our People
• Books on Vision, Church Culture and Change Management
• Define terms:
  • Vision—a description of the desired future state toward which a church is striving. Two types: Internal/organization focused (where do we want to be?) and external/societal focused (what is the impact of our work?).
  • Mission—a description of how a church is working toward achieving its vision; a definition of the church's core purpose.
  • Values—a list (with brief definitions) of the core principles that guide how the people in a church carry outh their work, treat each other and serve their stakeholders.
• Consider a Christian view of change management: Tim Pollard on Leading Through Change: Without Splitting the Church

Datapoints from Grace

• Ambassador Checklist of January 2008
• Church Constitution (see other church constitutions)
• CHAT High Level Summary
• Equipping Church Diagram
• Fiscal Year Ministry Report of June 2008
• Definition of Maturity of a Christian
• Strengths-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat Analysis of October 2007
• Vision Statement of 2002
• Women's Pastor Opportunity Profile of November 2007 (overview of the church)
• Worship Values of June 2008
• "I dream of a church" survey of June 2008
• Zip Code Analysis from 2004 & 2008
• 50% of the congregation lives in 5 zip codes
• 70% lives in 10 zip codes.

Vision Statements from other Churches

Critical Components in Biblical Vision

• Vision and the church's raison d'etre: Dr. Milfred Minatrea on Why Does Your Church Exist? Shifting the Culture to be a Missional Church and Missional Culture

After you create the vision

• Branding: Dr. Fletcher on What is Your Church Image? Branding & Re-Branding, Part 1 and on What Is Your Church Image, Churches That Have Re-Branded, Part 2
• Budget: Dr. Fletcher on How Vision Sets the Budget: A glimpse at the largest church in America
• Alignment: XP Rob Curry on Deep Change in Organizational Culture and XP Bob Feitl on ... from Vision to Execution
• Strategic Planning: Dr. Aubrey Malphurs, Professor & Consultant, on Stretegic Planning for Leadership

Examples of a comprehensive vision in a churches with vision:

• Dr. Fletcher on "Care & Correction" or "Shaming": When Your Church Issues Go National withTodd Wagner, Senior Pastor at Watermark Community Church of Dallas
• Lack of Vision? XP Paul Utnage on Anonymous Church, Honing the Staff: Transition and Turn-Over