Silo Issue #1: The Vision Problem
The first major cause of ministry silos deals with one of the most frequently discussed church leadership topics. However, despite numerous conference sessions, blog posts and books, most churches continue to experience this problem …
The vision isn’t clear.
While most churches have a mission statement, it isn’t enough. The mission answers in 10 words or less, “Why do we exist?” In addition to mission buy-in, though, everyone needs a clear answer to the question, “Where are we going?” That is the vision.
Vision pulls a church toward something bigger than the next Sunday service. It challenges a team to pursue new methods and opportunities for greater impact. The vision has to be specific and measurable. It will probably be reflected in several statements that define a clear picture of where God is taking your church in the future. If you have a solid vision, it will both rally people and repel people. You want that. When you are very clear about where you are going, there are usually people who aren’t up for the journey.
Don’t confuse your values with your vision. You can value hospitality, but hospitality is not a vision for the future.
Don’t confuse your strategy with your vision. You can embrace authentic worship as part of your strategy, but authentic worship is not a vision for the future.
Don’t confuse your doctrine with your vision. You can believe in biblical authority, but biblical authority is not a vision for the future.
So what does vision actually look like? Let me give you some examples.
Part of Granger Community Church’s vision is this:
We will utilize our fabulous Children’s Center and launch a weekday faith-based preschool and/or daycare to meet the growing needs of parents as they try to raise their kids with virtue.
That’s specific. That’s measurable. Everyone knew part of their vision to equip parents and encourage healthy families was to open a Children’s Center, and they did it.
Here’s another example. NewSpring Church includes this statement about their vision:
NewSpring Church has a passion to continue growing, impacting lives and using technology and the arts to reach 100,000 people for Jesus Christ.
That’s specific. That’s measurable. Because they believe God is calling them to reach 100,000 people for Jesus Christ, everything they do today reflects that vision.
Just to explain this clearly, many churches have a mission statement, core values and a discipleship strategy. (For example: Love God. Grow Christ-followers. Serve others.) To be honest, many churches are fairly similar in these areas. In contrast, very few churches have a clear, bold vision for where they are going in the future. Vision can and should be the most differentiating component among churches. It is what can make each church truly unique. Frankly, one key reason leaders don’t go there is because clear vision also creates accountability.
After you establish the vision, you have to nail down your strategy. If vision defines where God is leading us in the future, strategy answers the question, “How are we going to get there?” The strategy requires action. It should focus time, money, space, leadership, prayer, etc. When the strategy is clear, it’s much easier to determine what is important now.
To most effectively eliminate ministry silos, you need to engage this vision and strategy process through cross-functional planning. In other words, this isn’t a top-down edict. Instead, leaders from across the ministry gather to establish future direction … together.
So, how are you doing? Do you have a clear vision? Does everyone know how you’re going to fulfill it? If not, that’s the first reason your church may have ministry silos.
7 Symptoms of a Vision Problem
- When people talk about “vision,” they’re really just re-articulating the mission.
- Individual departments have separate vision statements, and they do not connect.
- The vision doesn’t express the uniqueness of your church.
Steps to Begin Uniting Through Vision
- Pull the leadership team together and ask, “Where we do we want to go? How will we know when we get there?”
- Have conversations with your staff to discover the unique opportunities they see available to your church from their vantage points.
- Put together a strategic plan with clear action steps to make the vision a reality.
Establishing a clear vision is the first step to eliminating ministry silos, but a church will only travel as far as its leadership is willing to take it.
