People are down on what they’re not up on. It’s a simple leadership platitude that’s true when it comes to communicating what’s happening around your church. But the stakes are higher when it comes to the vision of your church.
You can announce the vision from your platform, put in your video announcements, hang it on the walls—but that’s not how vision is transferred. Trust me, I’ve tried it.
Have you ever had the “meeting before the meeting”? You’re building consensus and buy-in. When something is important, I like to communicate through concentric circles. Start with the people closest to you and work your way out to the fringes. I’ll typically start with our elders, then staff, Serve Team/Dream Team, and then the people at our weekend services. The platform announcement should be the last step in communicating the vision, not the first.
As pastors and staff, we underestimate the value we add to our key leaders when they hear it first. Remember, the staff and key leaders are the vision carriers. Give them time to wrap their hearts and minds around the next big step because they’ll be the ones to carry it to your church.