Sunday, July 22, 2007

The Vision Thing


Every local church needs a vision - right?



It's a statement that is repeated so often that it has acquired its own authority and is rarely questioned. In my own experience, people who do question the premise are often criticised for "lacking vision"!



Future posts will consider this issue in more depth and the validity (or otherwise) of the "vision-driven" model of the local church. For now, just a few initial thoughts:



1. What is meant by vision? The word often lacks definition.



2. Why is the word so lacking from the pages of the new testament and what conclusions should we draw from this absence?



3. Why do the vast majority of sermons on the subject of vision focus on one half of one verse (Proverbs 29:18, Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint)? Would we base any other doctrine on such a limited range of texts?



4. Whose vision is it and what does the answer given reveal about one's view of the nature of the church?



Watch this space for further developments...



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