Church Vision and Growth, Tim Gilligan

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Vision and Growth

This messages by Tim Gilligan, Pastor of MeadowBrook Church, Ocala, are about  Church Vision.   They are from the 2014 Family ReUnion meetings of the Association of Faith Churches and Ministers, Wilmar, MN  (http://www.afcminternational.org/[)

In Summary of these messages,  I have transribed some notes here. Links to the audio of the messages are found at the bottom of the page.

Vision without action is a dream

Action without vision passes time

Vision with action changes things

Vision from God is Vital-Life Giving
Vision must come from God, through leadership to followers that proclaim and produce it for the world
Vision touches the community - It is beyond our walls
Vision requires reexamination and alteration
Vision must be clear. If to a pastor his vision is a mist,  then to his congregation his vision is a fog.  It must be clearly seen, AND clearly articulated.
Vision is about what God wants to do in the lives of the people  It is about redemption.
Vision must be a God idea; not just a good idea, nor just a google idea.

We grow by exposure
We grow when we expose ourselves to new ideas, new places, new people, new technologies.
Others grow when we expose ourselves, who we are and what we have,  to others.

You must have a Vision Statement
For example,  "Finding peace on earth, transforming lives through the power of Christ"  

Four Fundamentals
1) Core Purpose - Anything and Everything we do meets these purposes
     Worship, grow and serve, honor God, build believers
2) Core Values:
     Biblical Truth, Authenticity -  not just hype, Servant Leadership, Church Family - Connecting and Welcoming, Excellence - manifesting what is best until you can do what is better
3) The Relentless Presuit of Progress
4) Strenghth beyond the Presence of One  - No single-points of failure
    Saints must be prepared for ministry.  This requires leadership.

What, Win, How, and Why
What - Saved, Delivered, Redeemed, and Fulfilled
Win - Helping people move from where they are to whare God wants them to be
How - Narrow the focus/scope of what we do.  Eliminate what does not work for the vision.
Why - Consider what happens if we don't do the vision - Others are not saved, changed, set free

Everything has a lifecyle - Birth, Growth, Plateu, decline, death
Approximately 85% of churches in the US are plataued or declined - Something is wrong, but not with God.
About 1600 churches per month die.
Of the top 40 most influential chruches of the US in the 1980's only 2% are still influential
(Source: The Malphers group

Audio message
Viaion one
Vision two, part 1
Vision, two part 2
Vision three

The Meadowbrook Mandate

Also available from the Meadowbrook, Ocala website, an mp3 of Meadowbrooks Vision serves as an excellent example of communicating your ministries purpose and vision:

Upon their 20th anniversary as a church, Pastor Tim casted vision for what our focus as a church should be centered upon in the next 20 years, should the Lord tarry.

It is what he calls the Meadowbrook Mandate.  This governes the direction and approach to all that Meadowbrook Church, Ocala endeavors to accomplish.  It is simple, made up of 4 focus points:
■THE LORD – Making sure He is high and lifted up
■THE CHURCH – Becoming the church God intended
■THE WORLD – Taking Christ into culture; being salt and light
■THE POOR – Helping on local and global levels

The Meadowbrook Mandate