What’s more important, unity of the people or the vision?

Mar 21, 2008

What’s more important, unity of the people or the vision?

This is a common question that is asked, especially among people who have strong visions and risk alienating people who don’t agree with their visions. This is especially an important question in church, where unity is valued.

Some may argue, it depends on what type of vision. If your vision is biblical, you need to move forward with your vision no matter what. Others will argue that no matter what, people are more important than any lofty idea. Do not alienate people or create divisions for some “vision.”

That’s the entire point: A vision without people is only an agenda.

God ultimately loves his people and his visions are always to move people. His kingdom consists of his people worshiping him and glorifying him forever. If our visions do not ultimately help people, then it’s worthless. A vision is seeing people.

That said, once you know that your vision is ultimately good for the people, the people themselves may not know it. There may be a strong contingency that resists it. Or perhaps the privileged people resist your vision to helping the underprivileged. If that’s the case, then it will always be worth it to put the vision ahead of these people and move forward with doing ministry and really helping people in the long run.

An example of a vision may be: “Helping the poor in Africa.”

But no, that is not a vision, that’s an agenda or idea. There’s no people in that vision. “the poor” is not a person. Yet if you go to Africa, see specific people, hear their stories, and become inspired to help them… THAT is a vision.

What do you think? Do you think the people are more important? or the vision?

5 Comments, Comment or Ping

vangelicmonk

I have to disagree with your interpretation of “vision.” I have a heart and desire to help North Korea/North Koreans. Especially, the refugees. Now for a time I had never met a North Korean or a NK refugee. Does that mean before I met one and only read about them I had an “agenda” but when I met one I had a “vision?”

Could it not be said that if one reads about a poor person in Africa and they are inspired to to help others similar to that person it is a “vision?”

I think one has to define what they mean specifically (outside of examples) when they use certian words. I think it is a bit confusing.

I have both a vision and an agenda for NK. I know the vision is from God, but I do not know if my agenda is. However, God has not told me in any way it is not and it is not “unbiblical.” However, my church (even though it is a Korean church) is not totally on board with my agenda or vision necessarily. That is something I will probably have to work out through other Christian and ngo organizations. That is ok. That does not mean I start my own church to create that unity. The unity comes from Christ and the One Spirit in which we are all baptised in.

Mar 22nd, 2008
Jeremy

This is MastersWay, from Xanga, and I am just responding to your question about Vintage Jesus. I am enjoying it so far. I am reading it kinda like a “devotional book” where I read a chapter a day. It is very good though. It’s refreshing to see someone sharing the theological truths and implications of Jesus in a manner that will actually make sense to someone not schooled in theology.

That said, he doesn’t dumb anything down. He does use some theological jargon and he also compares the Biblical truth with the lies proclaimed by various sects of Christianity and some cults. But even though he is defending Jesus against those false representations of Him, Driscoll does so in a way that, rather than page after page of “Jesus isn’t” statements, he spends almost all of his time talking about who Jesus really is.

It is definitely worth reading.

Mar 22nd, 2008
randplaty

Re:vangelicmonk Well I don’t mean that you have to actually see the people, but if the motivation behind the vision is people… then that’s a vision. Meaning “helping the poor in africa” is not a vision unless you really have a heart for the people. That’s what I mean.

Mar 22nd, 2008
Corrie

I’m reminded of that verse “Without vision, the people perish”. I do believe that vision is important, as long as one’s heart is focused on service, not power. And I think that visions come in various forms. For example, Martin Luther King had a vision of a day when there would be no more racism. I have a vision of a day when there will be no more sexism or objectification of women. These visions inspire us to work against what seems like impossible odds, in order to effect change.

Other people may see a news story, and catch a vision to help address a specific problem (although it may take time for the details to fall into place). I also have a vision of using my music to heal people. I don’t know exactly how I’m going to do that, or how it will unfold in concrete terms, but I trust that God will continue to expand that vision.

There are also spiritual visions, when God reveals something about the world to an individual in a metaphorical picture. But I think that is beyond the scope of this discussion!

I think perhaps you are talking about vision within and for the formal church, specifically? I see a lot of people get seduced by the power inherent in formal structures (like a church, or church movement). I think that’s why we need accountability, and why it is dangerous to concentrate all the responsibility for a congregation / group of people into the hands of one person. When we allow for dialogue, then we can sharpen one another’s visions, and test them against scripture and what we know about the character of God.

Mar 22nd, 2008