Vision: Sipping Our Lattes or Losing Our Lives?

“Vision affects everything. That’s what visions do. If the focus of the church is on having a large crowd in a big place where people can come and feel warm and welcomed, then you and I will plan accordingly.” –David Platt

I had originally wanted to write a post about the relationship between secular leadership models and Christian leadership models. But upon reading this article, the above quote struck me as being the answer to the relationship between “secular” and “Christian.” Many of the methodologies used in the business world “can be” effective in the church (take our class discussion on servant leadership). Yet, I still am among many that say there is a fundamental difference between leadership in the church and leadership in the business world.

The fundamental difference is “vision itself.” The business world has a specific vision of what their company can be. Starbucks' “vision” is to, “Establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world and become a national company with values and guiding principles that employees could be proud of.”

The Church’s (both big C and small c) vision does encompass values and guiding principles—but those ought to encircle God and His glory. Because God is the center of Christian vision, business leadership methodologies and Christian leadership methodologies ought to begin to diverge. If vision indeed affects everything, our priorities in leadership ought to be quite different from the business world.