Vision is Crucial

The current sermon series at Cornerstone Church where I am a member and leader is all about the ministry's vision for 2011. Associate Pastor Rick Cochran has taken it upon himself to do as the Amplified Bible directs in Habakkuk 2:2 to "write the vision and engrave it so plainly on tablets that everyone who passes by may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by." Pastor Rick did not literally carve the vision into stone tablets, but he did spend hours tediously mapping out the details and describing each aspect of the vision. He compiled the information into individual folders for each leader of the church. He held a meeting for the leaders to inform them of the details and compel them to take part. Finally, he took the vision public, making it available to the entire congregation via Sunday morning service.
Pastor Rick understands that people follow clear and precise vision. People want to know that the person leading them has foresight to see what is ahead and a map to guide the way. He knows that in order to lead others he must first have a precise map and second, clear sight or vision.
I went on a trip to St. Louis last weekend with my two best friends. The whole weekend the GPS that was supposed to be guiding me efficiently about the city kept redirecting every two seconds and they quickly lost faith in my ability to get them where they wanted to go. My map was not precise, so they were cautious and questioned before they were compelled to follow my lead. On the way home that Saturday night, there was  a torrential downpour and I could barely see the car in front of me, let alone the road. Because they are my best friends they recognized that I was probably more stressed and worried about the dangerous conditions and my ability to navigate safely through than they were. My vision was compromised. Had I been in the passenger seat in this situation, I might not have been so trusting if I looked over and saw the driver leaning forward with his/her face inches from the steering wheel straining to see what is ahead.
Proper vision casting is a crucial part of being an effective leader. It is incredibly difficult to get people to follow you if they catch on to the fact that you have no idea where you are going!