As we begin another new year, we are often led to think about the future and to set goals for ourselves and our ministries. And it all starts with a vision of what could be. A vision is simply a look into the future and seeing something that does not exist today. It might be a new church building, a new church plant, taking your ministry to a new nation, or something else that is a tangible and measurable goal. As Christ followers we must get that vision from God, who “makes all things possible.” If we try to develop a vision apart from God it will fail (“Apart from Me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5). So the first thing we must do is ask God what He would have us accomplish for Him this year. That then becomes our vision (goal) and what God would have us work towards.
Once we know the vision we must then develop a plan of how to achieve that goal. Robert Schuller, a famous author and pastor, once said, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Without a plan a ministry is unlikely to achieve its goal because it will either waste resources or use them in a haphazard or ineffective way. A plan is not just a list of tasks that will ultimately produce the goal, but rather a strategy of how we can acquire, use, and deploy the resources that God gives us that will best lead us to our goal. Those resources are prayer, people, time, money, equipment, and facilitites. And because the world around us is changing all the time, a plan must also change in order to adapt to a changing reality. As every football coach knows, you start out with a game plan but when you are down by 28 points at halftime, you have to come up with a new plan/strategy if you want to win the game. If we seek God’s input into our plan, He will guide us and help us develop the best strategic plan. But we must also continually seek His counsel so we know when & how to change it when needed.
So, have you asked God what He wants you to accomplish for Him this year? Are you willing to accept His vision for you or your ministry? Do you have a plan or strategy of how to accomplish it? If not, then I would strongly suggest you ask God today and seek His vision for you in 2013. And God will respond, because He says in Matthew 7:8, “for everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Have a blessed and successful 2013 serving the Lord!!