Every leader knows that they are the chief visionary of their team, church, or organization. Vision is one of the things that energizes leaders the most. We love to think about vision and strategy. We love to dream of the future, the things that don’t exist yet. We can see them, and we can’t wait to bring others along.

But there is a flip side to this coin.

We move on to the next thing quickly.

What starts as a vision series at a church, ends up becoming a few pictures on the wall. What starts as a building campaign, slowly gives way to programs. Eventually, a church looks up and can’t remember why they began that program or ministry. They can’t tell you why they do what they do on Wednesday night. No one can remember why they started that camp or that outreach program, they just do it.

Most leaders think, if it is clear to me, it is clear to everyone. If I know why we do something, then everyone knows why we do something.

The reality though, tells us this is not true.

I remember sitting with a group of leaders from a church, and we were talking about why they did what they did, what their vision was. In that conversation, no one once recounted the mission of the church. The statement that “their whole ministry was built on.” Instead, they talked about how they did things, what they did each week.

It wasn’t that they forgot why it just didn’t matter as much as how or what.

Here is what leaders can’t forget: The moment that you think everyone knows the vision or why is the moment you need to share it again. 

I know what you are thinking. You are tired of talking about it. It is ingrained in your head, so surely it is ingrained in their head. And besides, not only do you do a vision series every year, but it is plastered on the wall, with pictures and catchy slogans and verses!

Amid ministry and life, it is easy to forget. While planning new programs and recruiting and training volunteers, we get focused on what we are doing and how it needs to be done. This is hard for the leader who didn’t think of the vision or wasn’t there when it was created. Yes, they signed up for the vision, but you need to help them know it and care about it as much as you do.

You do this through stories, showing how this person’s life change or this opportunity for your church connects to the vision. Pastors need to continually say, “Because we are about ______, we are doing _______.”

This becomes especially important as a church grows or as it hits a crisis like we did this year.

As a church grows, new ministries get started, and slowly the pastor who was involved in many decisions is no longer in those meetings, so the clarity of vision becomes even more critical because it is being multiplied. Do your staff members have the vision embedded in them so that it influences their decisions?

Here’s a simple way to know: Do you and your teams use your vision to evaluate anything? Often, when we talk about an event or a church service, we talk about the number of people who showed up or how we felt about it, etc. But your vision is where you should start. Did we accomplish it? Did this event or service help us to move that forward? To accomplish why we exist?

Too many churches miss what is right in front of them when it comes to their vision. It not only helps you to make decisions, but it helps you to know if you are accomplishing things and are on the right track.

This is why this is the one thing every leader needs to remember and remind themselves and their teams.