Is Your Ministry Drudgery? Part 3

"A vision without a task is but a dream;

a task without a vision is drudgery;

a vision and a task are the hope of the world."

- seen at a 17th century church in Sussex, England

“A Vision without a task is but a dream”
There are many churches that state they have vision statement but no one does anything about it.   When a church is at this stage then what is the point of a vision statement?  Many have a vision but expect the paid staff to get it done, after all that’s what they are there for. 
What is the vision of your church and what are you doing to accomplish it?
Many pastors sit in their studies dreaming, the look forward to the day when…
But that day won’t come if the church won’t roll up her sleeves and serve.

Some have a vision but no one to point them in the right direction.  No one to lead and say, “Here is the task before us.  Who will join me in accomplishing this task so we can see our vision become reality?”  I don’t know about you but there are times that I’m pretty much clueless about certain tasks and it always helps to have someone show me how to accomplish the task.

“a task without a vision is drudgery;”

Some churches have lots of tasks but there is no end point.  There is no picture of “this is where we are going”.  This is when ministry becomes a headache rather than a joy.  You might be able to relate to what I’m saying if you have ever seen a member of the Committee on Committees walking your direction and you have a sense of panic and the need to flee come over you.  There are actually, this may be hard to believe, committees out there that people get enlisted to join that don’t ever accomplish a thing, and some of them meet every month.  I could see where that would become drudgery.  Anyone ever been in a meeting like that and ask, “Why are we here?”  How churches would change if we just started asking “Why?”

What God is letting me do at NHC is so much fun to me because at NHC there is vision.

“a vision and a task are the hope of the world.”

So when the two meet. . .

“Hey, you got your ministry in my vision.”

“Hey, you got your vision in my ministry.”

At NHC our purpose statement is “Reaching people to discover life in Christ.”  There is no way the incredible vision before us will happen if we don’t get involved and serve.  We are the hands and feet.  We have the opportunity before us to impact the lives of others.  I don’t know about you but I think that is incredible. God wants to use us to reach others, to serve others, to build relationships with others and worship with others and this should be plenty of motivation to accomplish the task, to do ministry, and to do whatever it takes in our local church.

How are you involved in the hope of the world?

Part 1

Part 2