Marc Estes

Creating and casting vision are the easiest components to developing vision. Implementation of vision is often overlooked and if attempted, usually Here are some important vision caring principles that cannot be overlooked by the leader… (see more below)

A.    Vision must stretch the leader, before it stretches the people.

1. If you can’t embrace, your leaders never will. It is not what you confess, but what you possess that moves a team into their God-given destiny.                                  
2. God’s vision will always exceed your vision, gifts, talents and abilities. If you can logically get your mind around it with ease, it probably isn’t God.

B.    Vision is built through people

1. People are the purpose for the vision and not a vehicle to the vision.  The reason we exist is people.
2. Every person matters to God therefore they matter to us.

C.    Vision requires investing your time in the right group of people.

1. One of the greatest challenges of a pastoral leader is the compassion we feel to those that are hurting. We tend to gravitate to those that need us most.  I understand that Jesus left the 99 to go after the one, but when it came to accumulative  time spent, he spent more time with twelve men than all humanity combined!
2. We must strategically devote the majority of our time on those that will build the vision.
3. Pareto’s 80/20 Principle-  Focus of priorities =productivity

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  •         -20% of our time produces 80% of the results
  •         -20% of the people take 80% of our time.
  •         -20% of our sermon content produce 80% of the impact
  •         -20% of the people give 80% of the money
  •         -20% of the people at a picnic eat 80% of the food.

D.    Vision moves only as fast as people are willing to embrace it.

1. We must learn to identify where leaders are at in the process and be willing to take the time to coach them through the process until they own the vision. Remember people are your most precious commodity.  If no one is following, you are not leading, just on a walk.
2. There are various stages of vision receptivity. A person’s receptivity can be affected by a variety of factors; personality, maturity, gifting, communication, level of position, and how it affects them personally.
3. Levels of receptivity:

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  • Communication – Vision is communicated.
  •  Interpretation – People interpret, their perception.
  • Assessment – They analyze vision and its affect.
  • Response – Can be negative, positive or neutral.
  • Revelation – They get it. They get on or off board.
  • Embrace – Those that stay get excited.
  • Ownership- Once it is owned, you are successful.

E.    Vision will inevitably produce change

1. People love vision, but don’t like the affects of it.  Vision will always confront complacency and familiarity.              
2. Expect change, encourage change, welcome change.
3. Change is healthy, necessary. Get used to it, it is God’s way of keeping us focused on Him and His purposes.

F.    Vision requires faith

1. Every vision from God is beyond our natural ability to reach it. We must create a culture of faith and expectation. The greatest killer to vision is doubt and disbelief.
2. Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
3. George Muller, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible… Faith begins where mans power ends.”
4. The level of faith in the leadership determines the level of vision fulfillment. We must create a culture of bigness and expectation.
5. David Schwartz says, “Where success in vision is concerned, people are not mearsured in inches, pounds, college degrees or family pedigree; they are measured in by the size of their thinking. How big we think determines the size of our accomplishments!”

G.    Vision is spelled H.A.R.D.W.O.R.K

1. Most people want to accomplish great things, but are simply unwilling to pay the price to accomplish them.  We want $1000 results on $1 of effort.  
2. “You reap what you sow. if you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly…” Law of divine retribution.
3. Most people who have accomplished great things did it through dedication and hardwork first, and talent second. 
4.  Nehemiah. 4:6, “and the entire wall was joined up to have its height, for the people had a mind to work.”
5. Vision will take more of your time, more energy, more sacrifice. But why are we here

H.    Vision stretches people beyond their level of comfort

1. Lets just recognize that vision is getting people to do what they don’t want to do so they can become what they are supposed to become.
2. What size tank (church vision) do you create for your leaders?  It is perfectly alright to stretch people. God actually did this frequently. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s people were stretched.

I.     Vision will require the increased giving of precious resources

1. Vision is spelled, M.O.N.E.Y.”
2. In every account in the Bible where God was ready to do something significant, he put it on the hearts of the people to sacrificially give of their precious resources to accomplish the goal.
3. Don’t apologize for asking for resources. If it is God’s vision, He will put it on their hearts to give.
4. You can’t build something supernaturally that doesn’t cost you something naturally. That is God’s economy.  Forces people to align life with His.