November 05, 2007
The Visionary's Version
It’s the time of year when my congregation selects and elects elders. In addition to the Biblical qualifications, our leaders would like elder candidates to have other ‘practical and spiritual characteristics’. One of the things they are looking for in a prospective elder is, “He should be a visionary leader. Our elders are to be men who are not only concerned with the present but who are also concerned about what ramifications their present decisions have on the cause of Christ in the future. Our elders are expected to cast a vision that the church can follow. (Prov. 29:18 KJV, NASB; 1 Peter 5:1-4)" I looked up the Bible references and they just don’t support the ‘visionary’ statements. Personally, I think the Lord has already cast a vision for the church…and He expects us to cast nets.
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Gail;
-----I think the elders should be visionary leaders. In fact, I think they must be visionary leaders. But as you inferred by your conclusion, the contents of the vision is critical. The Lord did give a vision for the church. It is the Word of God. It can not be diminished; it can not be supplemented. It defines the relationship with God, the nature of sin, and the life we must endure that is a combination of the two. It shows and demonstrates attitudes, it makes and exemplifies laws, and it defines and promotes behaviors which become the net that is cast not just to draw in those who need the Lord, but also to hold together those who have the Lord. The vision is not from the imagination of a man, or a group of men. The vision is from the Word and it will smack of the Word if it is true. The Spirit does nothing that breaches the Word in any way, nor does He lead some one with a vision to breach it. If a leader’s vision in any way does contradict any part of the Word, then you know that either he has received no vision, or his eyes are not spiritually focused enough to make out the vision he has. For everything comes back around to what is solid between us all, what we each can hold and know. The Word of God is that stay. Any man’s claims can be brought to it and measured against it by any one else who has the humility to obey it. If they correlate with the Word of God, and breach no part of it, they are beneficial. But if they breach any part of it, they are not a vision, but a comic strip. Sometimes, a bad one.
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