In the past, when pastors discussed visions, they usually thought of building churches, forming new ministries, or sending missionaries. However, after the pandemic, pastors began to realize that a church needs to have a clear understanding of its vision and promote the vision through a unified team to materialize it.
Recently, Yao Hui, a grassroots pastor from East China, shared his experience with how his church received and promoted visions.
Yao Hui pointed out that the vision is actually a clear vision given by God. He expounded the relationship between vision, mission, team, and materialization through four steps.
First of all, Yao mentioned that in a revelation of God, He expects people to see his will, walk in the vision, and make it come true.
"Many people misinterpret their visions and mistakenly think of their mission or declaration of action as a vision, which causes them to stumble when they act because the vision that God has given them is not immediately clear. Vision is what is in God's will and connects to the future insight that God has provided," he said.
"Since a church has a vision first, and then it has a corresponding mission team. If the followers of the pastor share the same spirit, when they hear about the visions the pastor has seen, a sense of mission will emerge, and everyone will come together to make plans that are in line with the vision," he added.
Third, he emphasized that cohesive teams are necessary for achieving visions. When the church can establish a unified team, those who receive the vision can achieve it with different missions and burdens. The realization of the mission requires diverse and unified teamwork that integrates people with different gifts. The ministry should be united in the Holy Spirit and keep moving forward.
Last but not least, he stated that the basis for those who receive visions and missions is that they have been born again and called by the Lord. "He who is not born again is not united in the Holy Spirit and cannot receive the vision. In addition, everyone on the team needs to be a good believer in Christ, not a weak believer who has just believed in the Lord for too long. Just because he has enthusiasm does not mean that he can join the work. It requires a certain foundation of faith."
Yao also mentioned that in the stories from the Old Testament to the New Testament, any team has the right to fight only if it is united in God. In the Old Testament, Joshua won a war or drove out his enemies not by one person but by a team of elite soldiers with one spirit and mind. Unity in God’s will gives birth to heavenly authority so that the enemy can be driven away.
The pastor also shared his experience of failure. He said, “I have also started some ministries to promote visions. We invited colleagues to participate, but they suddenly quit after working with us for a while. Although they joined the team, they did not feel the same spirit and did not meet the vision. So they failed to establish an absolute trust and commitment relationship with the people who received the vision. People on the team should first agree with the vision and then rely on the Lord to follow it. Otherwise, they will leave the team for various reasons later. The third is that the team should lead and have a spiritually healthy life, relationship, and culture together.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
曾几何时，许多教会牧者一想到异象时，通常会想到建教堂，建新事工，或是差派宣教士。但在疫情三年过去后，一些牧者开始意识到，教会需要对异象有清晰的认识，以及透过合一的团队推进异象，使之落地生根。
近日，一位来自华东基层牧者耀辉分享了他对于教会如何领受异象和推动异象的经验。
耀辉指出，异象其实是上帝给人的清晰且有画面感的一幅画。他把异象、使命、团队和落地之间的关系通过四步来阐述。
首先他提到：在上帝给人的启示中，祂希望人能够去看见祂的旨意、走进这幅画里，让它落地成为现实。
很多人错误地理解异象，他们把使命和行动宣言当成了异象，这样走着走着就会迷失，是因为起初上帝给的图画并没有看清楚。异象是在上帝旨意里的一种看见，与未来上帝给人的先见的一种连接。
接着他说道：教会是因为先有异象，而后生出相应的使命。当信众听到牧者所看见图画被描述出来时，跟随的人如果与牧者同感一灵，这个过程中使命感就会应运而生，大家便会聚在一起制定与异象相匹配的计划。
后来他提醒道：异象的成就必须要有合一的团队。当教会能够建立合一的团队，领受异象的人才能够带着不同的使命和负担去成就这个异象。使命的达成需要的多样化且合一的团队，它包含了不同恩赐的人，做不同的事情，且在圣灵里合一，坚持不懈地往前走。
第四点，他说道：对于领受异象、使命的人，前提是他是被主呼召的人、重生的人。没有重生的人，没有在圣灵里合一的人，他是无法领受异象的。除此之外，团队的每一人需要是基督徒的精兵，而不是刚信主生命弱小的信徒。不是因为他只是有热情，就可以加入进来，是需要一定的信仰基础才行的。
耀辉另外提出，从旧约到新约的故事里，任何一个团队，唯有在上帝里合一，才有争战的权柄。旧约中，约书亚赢得一场战争的胜利，或是要赶出仇敌，不是靠一个人 ，而是靠同心合一的精兵团队。在上帝旨意里的合一，生发出属天的权柄，这样才可以把敌人赶走。
耀辉也分享了他失败的经历，他说：“我曾经也开过一些事工，以此来推动异象。我们邀请一些同工参与进来，有的人跟我们走了一段时间，突然也就退出了。他们虽然加入了团队，但是没有同感一灵，没有迎接异象，因此就没有与领受异象的人建立绝对信任和委身的关系。团队里的人，首先是要认同异象，其次是靠主跟随异象，否则，他们后期会以各种理由离开团队。第三是这一群人在一起有一个健康的生命、关系、文化。”
牧者谈：教会要有清晰的异象 更要有团队推进异象
In the past, when pastors discussed visions, they usually thought of building churches, forming new ministries, or sending missionaries. However, after the pandemic, pastors began to realize that a church needs to have a clear understanding of its vision and promote the vision through a unified team to materialize it.
Recently, Yao Hui, a grassroots pastor from East China, shared his experience with how his church received and promoted visions.
Yao Hui pointed out that the vision is actually a clear vision given by God. He expounded the relationship between vision, mission, team, and materialization through four steps.
First of all, Yao mentioned that in a revelation of God, He expects people to see his will, walk in the vision, and make it come true.
"Many people misinterpret their visions and mistakenly think of their mission or declaration of action as a vision, which causes them to stumble when they act because the vision that God has given them is not immediately clear. Vision is what is in God's will and connects to the future insight that God has provided," he said.
"Since a church has a vision first, and then it has a corresponding mission team. If the followers of the pastor share the same spirit, when they hear about the visions the pastor has seen, a sense of mission will emerge, and everyone will come together to make plans that are in line with the vision," he added.
Third, he emphasized that cohesive teams are necessary for achieving visions. When the church can establish a unified team, those who receive the vision can achieve it with different missions and burdens. The realization of the mission requires diverse and unified teamwork that integrates people with different gifts. The ministry should be united in the Holy Spirit and keep moving forward.
Last but not least, he stated that the basis for those who receive visions and missions is that they have been born again and called by the Lord. "He who is not born again is not united in the Holy Spirit and cannot receive the vision. In addition, everyone on the team needs to be a good believer in Christ, not a weak believer who has just believed in the Lord for too long. Just because he has enthusiasm does not mean that he can join the work. It requires a certain foundation of faith."
Yao also mentioned that in the stories from the Old Testament to the New Testament, any team has the right to fight only if it is united in God. In the Old Testament, Joshua won a war or drove out his enemies not by one person but by a team of elite soldiers with one spirit and mind. Unity in God’s will gives birth to heavenly authority so that the enemy can be driven away.
The pastor also shared his experience of failure. He said, “I have also started some ministries to promote visions. We invited colleagues to participate, but they suddenly quit after working with us for a while. Although they joined the team, they did not feel the same spirit and did not meet the vision. So they failed to establish an absolute trust and commitment relationship with the people who received the vision. People on the team should first agree with the vision and then rely on the Lord to follow it. Otherwise, they will leave the team for various reasons later. The third is that the team should lead and have a spiritually healthy life, relationship, and culture together.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
Pastor: The Vital Role of Teamwork in Realizing Church Visions
