Run with the Vision that’s already there!
I will never forget the time when our Pastors came to my husband and I to commission us as the youth leaders of our church. We both had served in youth ministry alongside the youth pastor at the time and really enjoyed being an example. However, once that title came to us, we started feeling the pressure. Within a few short years, we were trying to become a ministry within ourselves. We felt the pressure to be big and noticed. We began to compare ourselves with other ministries around us. We would approach our Pastor with ideas about plans we wanted to pursue, yet were told “no” many times. Sometimes it would be a hard pill to swallow, especially when we really thought we had a great idea or clear direction. Yet, we stayed faithful in what we were asked to do—disciple the teens—even when we thought different.
It was in those moments of being steadfast when I realized why many youth pastors, children’s pastors, and other ministry leaders would walk away from something they said they were “called” to do. A sense of pride and ownership comes upon them and begins to stir in their spirit that their vision should be a priority, too! I know—I dealt with it within myself! People become impatient. They take on this idea that the Pastor wasn’t hearing from God if they were not allowed to do the things they wanted to do as the “leader” over that specific area. Sooner or later, they quit, move on, or tell the Pastor that they feel their time is done serving in that particular ministry. But, praise God for the Holy Spirit in our lives!! As my husband and I began to seek out God for answers, rather than pushing our agenda, He began teaching us through the Word what it means to truly be the body of Christ, a team player, and a help to our Pastors.
In Habakkuk 2:2, God is talking to the man of God, the voice to the people at that appointed time. God told him to write the vision down and make it plain, so that he who reads it, may run with it.
When I began to meditate and understand the meaning of this passage, I realized something about my own life. I was not in the prayer closet with my Pastor when he received the vision to start the church. I was not in those private moments when God began to make the vision clear for our church. I simply heard the vision from my pastor, saw the vision on paper, and it was up to me what I do with it.
All throughout the Old Testament and even New Testament, God gave clear orders to those He appointed for leadership. From there, the leaders began to appoint others to help fulfill what God has called them to do.
Let’s look at Exodus 18:17-21.
I love the counsel of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, in this passage. He told Moses that both the people he was ministering to and Moses himself would wear out if he didn’t have help in ministry. Jethro encouraged Moses appoint people to help him, to teach them the statutes of the Lord, making known to them how to live so that they could be a help to him in ministry. Moses appointed some over small groups and entrusted others to larger groups. Together, they accomplished the task at hand.
In Acts 6:1-3, we see a similar situation.
The church began to grow and take shape. Visible needs began to pop up around them. This caused the leadership, the five-fold ministers, to look around the congregation and place people in ministry to help fulfill the need of the church. They chose people with certain qualities to help them fulfill God’s plan, and it worked!
In just these two passages, I learned an insightful revelation. Those who were appointed to serve, minister, take care of widows, or help solve matters did not go tell the Pastor, “Hey, I feel called to be the Children’s Pastor, or Young Adult Leader.” It was the Pastors and Elders who did the appointing. The leadership began to look out amongst the people and found able and willing vessels who were full of faith, had a good reputation, and full of the spirit of God. They were trustworthy and began to help carry the load of ministry, following the vision that was already put into place.
You see, as a second-tier minister, it’s our job to run with the vision, not re-create it. Anything with two visions is DI-vision. It’s separated. It’s our job as leaders within our ministry to ensure that those who have been entrusted in our care are always directed toward the vision of the house. My pastors did not come to me and ask if I would start another church of teenagers with my own awesome vision. They came to us to see if we would help disciple the church members who were in the age range of 13-18. It’s that simple. We were called to disciple teens and help ignite growth within the body, fulfilling the vision.
Look at Ephesians 4:11-16.
When Jesus left the fivefold gifts to the church, He said they were for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. This was for our growth and maturity. God did this for us! And the most humbling understanding is that my pastor appointed me to help in this endeavor! My pastors saw something in my husband and I that would help the church grow. And now, I have a part to play in equipping young people for ministry! After 14 years of being the youth leaders, we still have been entrusted to carry out this amazing task—teaching teens the Word of God and helping them to grow up as Christians, and we couldn’t be any happier!
I’m not the youth leader because I am cool or I can relate to teenagers best. I am not the youth leader because they all seem to flock to me. Churches with these type of leaders bring up a congregation of carnal teens who are perverted by the world, who love God with their lips but deny Him in their daily walk. They become selfish and entitled to have their desires met and push their way of thinking of how the church should be ran. This is not the generation I want to bring up.
On the other hand, I have been appointed by my pastors to set a standard and to live holy. When my focus becomes more on me and less on the assignment God has given me, then my assignment begins to change to fit me. This is not good. I have been anointed by God and appointed by my Pastor to fulfill the task in front of me, all while being an example to the body of Christ.
According to Exodus 18, Acts 6, 1 Timothy 3:1-15 and 1 Timothy 4:6, I should:
- Fear God
- Have a good reputation
- Walk in truth & sound doctrine
- Be full of the Holy Spirit
- Be above reproach
- Temperate
- Hospitable
- Prudent
- Respectable
- Able to teach
- Not addicted to anything
If you have been appointed by your pastor to fulfill areas in your church, I encourage you to examine your life, your motives and your zeal for the vision of the house. Begin talking about the vision, praying it, and living it. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and creativity to accomplish it. Help strengthen the local church by serving whole heartedly, training others around you to serve with a good attitude and with the unity of the Spirit. Your Pastors have written the vision down. It’s up to you to run with it and take as many people with you as you can! After all, your Pastor has set you in the position you are in to help equip people, to serve them, and carry out the vision. The results, according to Acts 6:7, are salvation, healing, deliverance, and GROWTH! Be a team player! Know the vision and run with it!
Stacy Bonet
Author
Stacy Bonet is a passionate woman of God who preaches truth without compromise to this generation. Her heart is to see people come face to face with Jesus Christ and follow in His footsteps. Inspiring both young and old to know their purpose in life, she preaches with a fervency that will ignite a passion to pursue what you were born to do. An Evangelist at heart, Stacy travels around the country and world proclaiming the name of Jesus and bringing as many people as she can with her to experience the true heartbeat of Christ—MISSIONS!
You can contact Stacy Bonet by email or by phone:
270-268-0731
Visit www.jmsm.org to find out more information on upcoming mission opportunities!