By Cynthia Woolever
Does your congregation suffer from blurred vision? Too often, worshipers do not have a clear sense of their congregation's mission goals. We found one in four worshipers were (a) not aware of anyvision, goals, or directions for their congregation; or (b) thought there might be some "ideas" but no clear goals.
Unfortunately, almost one in three worshipers in Catholic parishes suffer from blurred vision about their congregation's goals and directions. The vision of mainline Protestant worshipers is slightly better—yet, one in five worshipers in these churches remains in the dark about their congregation's future directions.
Not all congregations are vision-challenged. Conservative Protestant worshipers exhibit the sharpest vision—only 13% are not aware of their congregation's future vision or believe there are only vague ideas for the future. Conservative Protestant worshipers are also the most strongly committed to their church's mission. About half of worshipers in these congregations say they are strongly committed to the church's vision, goals, or directions for its ministry and mission. And 42% report their congregation is currently moving in new directions.
Worshipers rely on their leaders to paint a picture of their congregation's future. A clear vision that is often repeated helps worshipers know what their congregation's future can hold. An inspiring portrait of the congregation's future—one that is positive and optimistic—moves worshipers to support and invest in that future.
Ask members of your congregation's governing board to write down as many words or phrases as they can to describe what the congregation will be like five years from now. Do these words and phrases match your existing church vision or mission statements?
Pick three or four of the most inspiring words or phrases. What is the congregation currently doing that moves it in the direction of fulfilling these aspirations? What one or two additional actions could the congregation currently undertake to live out more fully those aspirations?
In what ways do worshipers in your congregation learn about the congregation's aspirations for the future? Are there additional ways to help worshipers embrace the congregation's hopes for the future?
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