Yesterday we said a Kidmin leader is a Christ-follower.
A Kidmin leader is also a Vision-Caster.
The Message makes it pretty clear:
If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
Proverbs 29:18
God has a plan for your ministry. He reveals that plan primarily through the leaders He sets in place. We often refer to it as “the vision for the ministry”. In other words, where is it going? What is the plan? What is it that is supposed to be accomplished.
As the leader, it’s my job to understand what that is and make sure others see what that vision is. This is far more important than any “task” of ministry – teaching a class, getting a craft ready or organizing an event.
So how, as leaders, do we cast vision?
Understand what the vision is. If you are the leader of the ministry, it is your responsibility to understand what the plan is and to work with your core leaders to create a plan to accomplish it.
- It should be God-given. Understanding the vision of a ministry is as much a spiritual matter as anything else. It should be prayed over, wrestled with & scripture supported. What you are trying to define as your vision is what God wants for your ministry.
- It should be more than you think you can accomplish. Why? Because it is not what you are going to accomplish…it is what God is going to accomplish through you.
- It should align with the vision/ mission of the church. If the vision for your Children’s Ministry is not aligned with the vision of the church as a whole, you are mistaken about what your vision ought to be.
Create the plan for accomplishing the vision.
- Never create the plan for accomplishing a vision by yourself. Surround yourself with leaders and create the plan together.
- Infuse as much detail as possible, understanding that it might (probably will!) change along the way.
Cast the vision to your followers.
- Practice sharing what the vision is. Sometimes called the “elevator speech”, this is a succinct version of where God is taking you.
- Share the vision for the purposes of:
- Creating excitement about where God is leading the ministry. People want to hear about great plans.
- Creating “want to” – helping people want to be part of accomplishing the vision. People want to participate in great plans.
- Creating buy-in – helping people own the vision. When this happen, they will give their time, talent and treasure to help accomplish the vision. People want to give of themselves to accomplish great plans.
- Cast your vision in a 360° circle – to leaders above you, peers, and those you are leading.
Vision casting is a critical responsibility for the Kidmin leader. Without it, most likely your ministry will “stumble all over” itself!
So do you have a vision for your ministry? Are you casting that vision to those around you? Share some of your experiences in casting vision as you have led your ministry.
* some excellent resources for further growth in understanding vision include: Visioneering and Making Vision Stick by Andy Stanley; The 360° Leader by John Maxwell - find these in the "General Leadership Books" section of the Kidmin360 Store).
