Article
3 Tips for Vision Casting
Just the fact that you are reading this article means that God has given you a vision to reach a new generation for Christ, so here are some tips on how to share it in a compelling way.
You might not think of yourself as a visionary because when you think of visionaries, you might think of Walt Disney or someone who started a major tech company. They tend to thrive in theory and have cutting-edge ideas. Do you consider yourself more of a pragmatist? Do you think, “I’m not creative and compelling like so-and-so”? But everyone’s a visionary—even if their vision is the desire to lose 10 pounds or to get out of debt. What excites me the most is when people have a spiritual vision to see a college campus experience revival or plant a church that becomes a beacon for the kingdom of God in a highly unchurched city.
Now vision casting is a different skill altogether. Vision casting is similar to the fishing term casting. It describes a person’s ability to cast their vision toward a willing participant and have them join in the activity. Just the fact that you are reading this article means that God has given you a vision to reach a new generation for Christ, so here are some tips on how to share it in a compelling way. Let’s look at a few biblical examples from Nehemiah as he led God’s people to join God’s mission.
1. Authentic Emotion Matters
“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens” (Nehemiah 1:4).
Nehemiah saw that the protective walls around the city of Jerusalem were broken down, and he was filled with emotion. It broke his heart. It moved him. Brothers, God gives us emotion to create motion, movement, a stirring. And this is what we need to move others as well. No one wants to just fill sandbags, but if you know that you will save your town from a flood, you will be motivated. John Wesley said, “Light yourself on fire with passion, and people will come from miles to watch you burn.”
- Are you emotionally affected by the lostness of your city?
- Are you zealous for the spread of the gospel?
- Are you overflowing with the joyous news of the gospel?
- Are you energized by God’s activity and glory in your city?
You don’t want to be the kind of planter that aims to simply attract people to another preaching event. Following a preacher isn’t vision. Cast the vision of the kingdom of God in Christ.
2. Seek God First
“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens” (Nehemiah 1:4).
When Nehemiah heard the devastating news about Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:3), he was devasted, too. And do you know what he did next? Absolutely nothing but get into the presence of God. He lamented, mourned, and sought God’s face. And notice how the text says he did this “for a number of days.” We don’t know how long he did this, but we know he had his priorities in order. Nehemiah didn’t rush ahead with a plan. He didn’t shoot first and aim second. He didn’t try to build the plane while in the air. Nehemiah sought God. He poured his heart out before the Lord. He waited on God. It is good to be overflowing with zeal and ideas but wait for God’s leading. Waiting helps us know the difference between a craving and a calling.
3. Don’t Forget the Problem
Nehemiah’s heart was broken over the plight of Jerusalem, but when the King asked him why, he said, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” (Nehemiah 2:3). Nehemiah didn’t start with the solution. First, Nehemiah wanted the King to understand the problem. William Bridges said, “Most leaders put 10 percent of their energy into selling the problem and 90 percent into selling the solution to the problem. People aren’t in the market for solutions to problems they don’t see, acknowledge, and understand.” Cast the conundrum. Then, cast the plan and the strategy and invite people to join God’s mission.
In 2012, our church was four years old and was meeting in a Southern California public school. I asked my mentor when we should start looking for a permanent location, and he said, “Yesterday.” Leaders ought to always be looking ahead. That’s part of the job. Reactive leadership will only go so far. Proactive leaders are the ones who are filled with vision and strategy to move the mission forward. But, as a mentor once told me, “Don’t get too far in front of the troops, lest they mistake you for the enemy.” Wise leaders go at the pace of their people. Pastors are called to lead, feed, and care for the sheep, not drag them along or leave them behind.
Now, if I had immediately started telling the church that we needed to raise $15.5M for 600 seats and portables for our children’s ministry, my people would have accused me of being like every other pastor they perceived to be all about money and buildings. However, that year, New York City public schools started kicking out churches from their spaces, claiming a misunderstanding of the separation between church and state. This provided just the motivation/problem/timing we needed to look for a building. California is never far behind New York. The church could understand the problem we were facing.
I meet many church planters who wish they did not have to raise the money and manpower necessary to plant a thriving church. However, God is using this season to sharpen and hone the vision-casting skills needed to succeed throughout the rest of your ministry. Let’s not overcomplicate “vision.” It’s direction. It is answering these questions:
- Where are we headed?
- What’s the problem?
- Who are we serving/reaching?
- How are we going to do it?
- Why are we doing it?
If you are casting vision for a plant and recruiting people to join the planting team, let them see your excitement and how you’ve met with God in prayer and heard from Him in the word. Invite them into the who, what, where, when, and why of the mission.
