The culture we live in reinvents itself every 18 months to three years.  Myspace out.  Facebook in.  Email out.  Text messaging in.  Brown out.  Green in.  You get the idea.  The rapid rate of change is incredible for those of us who sit on 16th century benches singing 18th or 19th century songs.  The question for me, and I love to wrestle with it, is how do you cast a vision and set goals in an ever changing cultural context?

There have been many good books written on this subject.  I am not writing as a theorist.  I am writing as an active revisionist – I am continually reevaluating the vision and goals that I believe are God directed.  So here is what I do.  First, I have to understand, accept and be at peace with the way God has made me.  I almost envy to have the evangelistic success of a Billy Graham, the Biblical insight of D.A. Carson and the Greek knowledge of Dr. Pic.  I am not them.  That’s o.k.  I want to be used in the way that God made me.  That’s a positive step.

Then, I try to read through the books of Acts several times during the year.  It is the ultimate church growth book.  Trust me, just read it.  I also read about growing churches.  If one really captures my attention I will take a ‘Vision Trip’ there to check it out, talk to the staff, refresh my juices and stretch my thinking.

I schedule time to pray, be alone with the Lord, dream – I just try to slow down and be silent before the Lord which is very hard for me to do.  Silence is the key (Psalm 62).  Taking a sabbatical is what works well for me.  I get away with my Bible, computer and note pad (may-be a good book).  I also enjoy good preaching and teaching.  So I will typically take a variety of speakers on a variety of topics to listen to.  This really spurs my creativity.  I have also found that zeroing out distractions and getting adequate rest is also very important.  I typically don’t make a big deal out of my sabbatical to others but I do let some people know so they can pray for me.

During this time everything in the church gets a look and prayer.  There are times when I felt directed to end one ministry so that a better ministry can begin.  (Believe me, if you are going to do this you better pray).  It is here that I try to think in terms of what needs to be accomplished and what can we accomplish.  Goal setting is easy to do.  Developing the systems to accomplish the goals is where the work is at.

In broad sweeping terms, that’s it.  Devote the time to it.  Write them down.  Develop the system and then work it.  Then next year, rework it.  The blessings are worth it.