"Vision Flows From the Top Down"

I will be dealing with things that affect and cause Church growth. Over the next several issues I will be highlighting growing Churchs and interviewing the leaders of "America's fastest growing Churches". Church leaders and planters (launchers), please shoot me comments of things that worked for you.

Jesus often said, "If you have seen me, you have seen the father.

Here is how it applies to us as Pastors and leaders:

Psalms 133 tells us that the anointing and vision flows down from the head, to the beard and then to the edge of the garment.

* Every ministry volunteer and leader should represent God by representing their leader. It is not possible for every person as your Church grows to know intimately the Senior Pastor but if they have seen you, they have seen the Pastor. If they hear you, they should hear the Pastor, if they see the parking lot attendants, they should hear the Pastor. We are to be speaking the same thing (examples of life transformation). True vision is always life transformation centered (Luke 4:1-6).

* Paul calls us ambassadors of Christ. If their is a crises in Europe, the ambassador who represents America goes and speaks the opinion of the govt he represents. He does not voice his own opinion. He has the backing of his govt (anointing and authority). In the same way no matter where you serve in your Church, you are a ambassador who represents your leadership, you do not voice your opinion publicly. If you have a opinion you voice it to your leader privately. It does not matter if you disagree, when you voice it publicly it is the seed of rebellion. I have learned I may not always agree with my leader but I will never voice that disagreement publicy, but instead I honor him before the people.

* When you receive a vision from your leader, as you share with those you lead, it may have your personality, D.N.A, hard wiring, and temperament embedded in it, but it is the same vision.

* Senior leaders are responsible to empower their leaders publicly (those who are faithful) through their voice. This stimulates a multiplication of the vision and a flowing down of the vision. It is not intended to stay at the head but to flow down to the edge of the garments (body life).

* Jesus said, my sheep know my voice, do your followers know your voice (voice of the vision)?Once it is embedded in them, they will not follow another vision.

* Do you provide a platform so that your leaders can amplify your voice (test them privately before release them publicly)?

Here is a great illustration I heard recently, the difference between Duplicating tapes and digitalizing Cd's.

* When you are duplicating tapes, the more tapes you make of the original copy, the worse the quality of that tape. The sound quality is compromised.

* With digital recording and duplication, it does not matter how many Cd's you copy, you still have the original quality.

We must find a way to digitize the vision by zeroing in on what needs to be said, how it needs to be said, and to whom it should be said, so that the same oil that flows at the top flows all the way to the edge of the garment. No matter who people encounter in your ministry, they are getting the same quality of the original.

When training your leaders and reproducing leaders, the emphasis should be on 25% detail and 75% vision. How do you do this? By sharing with them 1) How lives are changed and 2) How they are part of the transformation process.

As pastors we need to reinforce vision every week by celebrating on stage (publicly) the life transformation of you vision (stories of people who have been impacted). Then you celebrate the people who make it happen (those that clean the Church, greet people, plug speaker cables in...). This spreads excitement and builds momentum.

Rick Warren says the vision should be repeated every 23 days. I have observed the leaders of the exploding Churches doing it weekly, it is intertwined in every service. One leader told me recently that people do not give to need, they give to vision (putting lives that have been impacted on public display). It is not your mission statement or vision statement, it is stories of lives that have been impacted by your vision. Vision is contagious!

Blessings,
Craig Sloan