The Vision Shift That Releases Momentum
How clear vision fuels pastors, unites people, and advances Kingdom impact.
Vision is powerful. It has the ability to focus your people on the mission that matters most. It can mobilise your church, create momentum, and lead your people in a Jesus-movement that sees God’s Kingdom come in greater measure. It is that powerful and that important.
The problem is that many of us do not truly understand vision — what it is and how to use it. That was certainly my issue in the early years of leading a church. Creating vision felt like ticking a box: craft a catchy motto, document a vision and mission statement, and hope people get on board. To be honest, I did not even understand the difference between mission and vision, let alone how to use them effectively with my people. Over time, I came to see just how vital vision is — and how much easier, life-giving, and fruitful ministry becomes when it is rightly understood and applied.
Think of an eight-person rowing team.
- If no one rows, the boat drifts. This is where many churches are. They are stuck. Routines happen but there is no real movement.
- If only one or two row, progress is painfully slow — and this is where many pastors live, carrying the load alone.
- If everyone rows, but in their own way and direction, the result is chaos. There is a lot of activity, but very little progress.
- But if everyone rows in sync, moving together in the same direction — momentum builds, energy multiplies, and the distance travelled far exceeds the effort.
Leaders often know how true this is for a team, so imagine how vital it is for a whole church.
As I look across churches, I can see I am not the only one who has struggled with vision. Below are the five most common vision mistakes I see — mistakes that drain leaders, limit churches, and make ministry harder than it needs to be. There is a vision shift that is needed to release momentum.
Five Common Mistakes and the Shifts That Are Needed
- No Vision (Not Really)
Some churches do not have a vision at all. Others think they do, but what they have is not vision — it is usually a goal or a catchy slogan.
I have seen targets like “1000 by 2000” or “250 by 2025”. They may be memorable and measurable, but they are not vision. They focus on size rather than substance. Yes, every number is a person, and every person matters to God. But numeric targets are not the same as galvanising people for Kingdom impact.
Others lean on concise mission statements like “Making disciples who make disciples”. This can be helpful, but it is not vision either. Mission describes what you do. Vision describes where you are going and what difference you will make. A vision should inspire and energise, not just count or categorise.
- Too Long, Too Complicated
On the other side, some churches have vision statements that are pages long — that no one can remember, let alone repeat.
Here’s a simple test: if someone new to your church asked a member of your congregation, “What’s the vision of this church?”, what would you want them to say?
Would they give a clear, compelling answer or just a blank stare? Or maybe just mumble something vague?
Vision needs to be simple, concise, and transferable. People struggle to be motivated by complexity. The prophet Habakkuk said it well: “Write down the vision and make it plain on tablets, so that whoever reads it may run with it” (Hab 2:2).
Make it plain. Now simple does not mean shallow. NASA had one of the most compelling visions that was very simple, plain, and concise. “Put a man on the moon.” Here in New Zealand the Home Foundation has an equally plain, concise, and powerful vision. “End Homelessness.” Short, clear, and inspiring — that is what you’re aiming for.
- Not Communicated Well
Some churches do have a vision, but it’s not communicated regularly or passionately. To quote Greig Whittaker from City to City, it has become “wallpaper” rather than “war paper” — a statement collecting dust rather than one mobilising the congregation.
Often this happens because leaders themselves don’t own the vision. If it doesn’t live in your heart, it won’t live in the people. It will not come out naturally in your words, and if you are not gripped by it, the church will not be either.
Communicating vision isn’t just about repeating a statement; it’s about weaving it into sermons, conversations, culture, decisions, strategy, and operations. Your people need to see it, hear it, feel it, and be shown how they fit into it, until it becomes part of who they are.
- Unclear or Vague
Even when a vision is concise, if it is not clear it will not engage people. Many churches have inspiring phrases like, “Create a disciple-making movement”, but what does that actually mean? What does a disciple look like in practice? It needs to have clarity as to what those vital but blurry words like “disciple” mean.
This is something that The Street Church in Wellington has done well. They have a strong vision with additional clarity as to what it means and have linked it to strategy. Unfortunately, many don’t.
If people cannot picture what success looks like, they will not know how to move towards it. Unclear vision leaves members as spectators, even as cheerleaders — cheering for the pastor but not carrying the vision themselves. “Great vision, Pastor. We look forward to seeing how you get on with that.”
This may simply be a separate statement qualifying and clarifying what key words mean. Clarity allows you to measure progress, set milestones, and mobilise people. Without it, vision remains a slogan instead of shaping strategy.
- Not Connected to People’s Calling
Perhaps the most common mistake is when vision stays at an organisational level and does not connect with the congregation — or, even better, with people’s individual calling. When the vision stays at the organisational level, people remain as consumers, cheerleaders, or contributors, but not carriers.
I remember discussing vision with one pastor who told me, “I think we’ve nailed vision. Everyone knows our vision, can recite it, and understands what it means.” I replied, “That’s so good. And can they all tell you the part they play in fulfilling it?” There was a pause. Then came the honest answer: “Ah… maybe we still have some work to do.”
If your congregation is not personally connected to the vision, you are leaving most of your team on the bench. This is key. Vision is not fulfilled when everyone can repeat the statement; it is fulfilled when everyone can connect their personal calling with the church’s calling and carry the vision forward together.
The best way to mobilise a church is by empowering people in their own calling. Ephesians 4:12 in The Passion Translation captures this beautifully:
“And their [the fivefold] calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ.”
When you equip people in their own calling, you enlarge the church. Think about it: a person’s passion is connected to their calling — there is already energy and motivation linked to it. So when you help people clarify their calling, you tap into that God-given energy. Then, by showing them how their calling fits with the church’s vision, you connect that passion to the larger mission of the church. This releases incredible power and potential.
Now imagine this is happening not just with a few in your church but with everyone. What difference do you think that would make? What greater Kingdom impact could you have in your community?
Without connecting the congregation to the vision, the impact of a church will always be limited. It is the equivalent of two rowers in an eight-person boat doing all the work. You may be moving, but it is only a fraction of what could be achieved.
When vision stays at the organisational level, a tragic side effect can occur: pastors take a utilitarian approach to their people. They begin to value people primarily for their usefulness in building the church’s capacity, rather than for who they are or what God has called them to. The focus becomes positioning people to serve, rather than raising them up and releasing them into their own Kingdom calling.
This approach may strengthen organisational capacity, but it limits exponential impact. You might “grow” the church but you are not fully advancing the Kingdom. As strange as it sounds, it needs be to clarified: people’s personal callings are not in competition with the church’s vision. On the contrary, when individual calling and corporate vision are connected, Kingdom DNA is activated, and the whole body grows stronger. This is what mobilising your people does.
Turning Vision into Momentum
The common thread in all five mistakes is this: vision becomes something leaders hold, rather than something the whole church carries.
When it is discerned prayerfully, written simply, clarified clearly, communicated passionately, and connected personally, vision becomes a living force that mobilises the people of God. When this occurs, a pastor’s load is lightened, their enthusiasm brightens, and the church’s impact increases.
When it comes to vision, ask yourself:
- Do your people know what your vision actually is?
- Do they understand what it means?
- Can they clearly tell you the part they play in fulfilling it?
Here is a simple checklist of shifts that might be needed to help you implement vision and mobilise your people for greater Kingdom impact:
- Create – Prayerfully discern your vision. There are key questions I ask churches that help reveal what theirs might be.
- Clarify – Be clear about what it means and what it looks like. You cannot implement what is not understood.
- Be Concise – Make sure it is simple and transferable. Complexity disrupts communication and implementation.
- Communicate – Ownership of vision often requires hearing it many times and in multiple ways over time.
- Connect – When people know not only how they fit into the vision, but also how their calling fits, it creates genuine mobilisation and momentum.
What is Your Next Step?
If your church wants to move from carrying the vision for your people to carrying it with them, I would love to help you begin that journey. Together we can discern, clarify, and connect your vision so that every person finds their place and calling within it.
My heart is to see us create churches where the whole body rows together — where pastors lead with passion, people are mobilised with purpose, and the Kingdom moves forward with power.
👉 Contact me at richard@thrivingchurcheshq.com.
