Bold visions are meant to help any ministry—big or small—advance the Gospel. But building out a bold vision can be scary. Think about it: You spend time praying for, thinking about, and mapping out your ministry’s vision. Then you cast the vision to everyone and set about fueling it. This takes time, energy, and resources, and it can feel like you’re putting your own leadership reputation on the line.
No one wants to fall short of their ministry goals, which helps explain why some youth pastors avoid creating a bold vision in the first place. Understandably, they don’t want to discourage their team or their church if they don’t accomplish the goals. But just because you develop a bold vision doesn’t mean you can’t adjust it. Here are four reasons why it’s OK to prayerfully adjust your bold vision.
Try This! ❯
Evaluate your bold vision this week to see if you need to make adjustments.
1. IT’S A TARGET, NOT A PATHWAY.
Think of a bold vision as a target and not a pathway. A bold vision encourages Gospel Advancing ministries to prayerfully consider how they can strive for more, but a target isn’t a pathway. If you’re struggling to meet your bold vision, then take the time to consider what you’ve accomplished. Look at the amount of time you have left on your calendar to see if there are ways to infuse some events or initiatives that will help. For instance, if your bold vision is to have 300 Gospel conversations within a year, you could plan a student outreach event where you reach into the local community with the love of Christ. Or consider creating an event using Dare 2 Share LIVE videos that motivate and mobilize students to initiate Gospel conversations with their friends and throughout the local community.
2. MINISTRY REQUIRES A LEARNING CURVE.
Ministry is unpredictable at times and requires a learning curve. When I first began pastoring the youth at a local church in Colorado, the youth ministry had been floundering for years. On my first day, three students showed up—and that was a good day. Coming from a prior church experience with several hundred students, I had no idea what to expect within this new ministry context. While you want to chart a bold course as you launch out, in this kind of context, it’s appropriate to reevaluate if it becomes apparent that your goals don’t fit the present state of the ministry.
3. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS YOUR GUIDE.
Having a vision-driven calendar helps a ministry live out its bold vision. It gives everyone an expectation of what’s next, and also prepares people mentally for how they’re going to get involved or even plan out their own year. I personally loved when parents would ask about the next scheduled event or summer mission trip. But sometimes things need to change. That is, the Holy Spirit may give you insight and call you to adjust something that you originally planned for. Prioritize regular prayer for your bold vision efforts. Ask God to show you how to align your programming with your vision, and be willing to adjust your calendar or your goals, as God leads.
4. MINISTRY ENVIRONMENTS CHANGE.
A difficulty all of us face in youth ministry is the ever-changing nature of the youth group. Unlike adult ministry where someone can be discipled for decades, you have your students for only four to six years—and maybe less, given the notorious drop-off rate with high school seniors. With this kind of 25% churn each year, your Gospel Advancing efforts may look different year to year. For example, if you get an infusion of kids who aren’t believers, or who don’t have any Gospel urgency or Gospel fluency, you may need to recalibrate your yearly goals. Your programming may need to focus more heavily on cultivating that fire for Gospel Advancing by introducing a curriculum like Takeoff to Touchdown, which teaches students how to share the Gospel from start to finish.
A bold vision gives us the focus we need to live out Gospel Advancing. Share on X
A bold vision provides needed focus for living out Gospel Advancing. But it isn’t cast in stone. Take time to prayerfully evaluate your bold vision and make adjustments along the way as you continue to strive toward Kingdom impact.
