Strategic Vision

Frank Damazio

Description

Vision is both real and definable. Strategic vision combines real and definable factors that, when mixed wisely and effectively, propels a church forward! Strategic Vision provides a clear set of directives and expectations with which an entire church strategy can be framed. The first step in forming a strategic vision is for the leader to develop a personal vision. This personal vision grows into an all-encompassing kingdom vision with every other level of vision between. From the foundation of a vision leader, all other elements of vision flow.  

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 30 septembre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781441223838
• Langue: English

Extrait

STRATEGIC VISION

Pastor Frank has earned the right to teach the rest of us about leadership in the Body of Christ. I admire his relentless pursuit of Christ and his love for the local church. This book will strengthen, encourage and equip all of us for the assignments God has given us.
B RADY B OYD
Senior Pastor, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Author of Let Her Lead and Sons and Daughters
Some people just write books, but Dr. Frank Damazio is truly the modern “pastoral prophet of the pen.” His insights into both the realms of leadership and strategy are unique, practical, prophetic and at the same time transformative. Every leader would be wise to heed this clear prophetic call to excellence.
D R . C HRIS H ILL
Senior Pastor, The Potter’s House of Denver, Denver, Colorado
Frank Damazio has a track record of building lasting churches and helping leaders create a simple yet profound visions for their churches. This book will help you outline a church model that builds a culture of people committed to your vision and propel your church forward. I highly recommend this book for you and your team!
C HRIS H ODGES
Senior Pastor, Church of the Highlands, Birmingham, Alabama
The first time I met Pastor Frank, I knew I was standing next to a general in the faith. Having built strong works from the ground up, he also knew what it was to step into pastoring an existing influential church and international network where a foundation was already laid. With skill, he honored the heritage, yet brought both the church and the pastors network into a new era of worldwide influence and fruitfulness. That, is strategic vision!
M ICHAEL S MITH
Executive Director, ARC
Whatever Frank writes about leadership, I want to read!
L EE S TROBEL
Bestselling author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith
Pastor Frank has done it again: given us a great resource that will ignite, expand and refine fresh vision in the hearts of leaders! Strategic Vision is a thorough and insightful work, a must-read for those desiring to become effective leaders and great church builders. This book will undoubtedly be in the toolkit of all those we are training for future ministry.
D AVE P ATTERSON
Lead Pastor, The Father’s House, Vacaville and Napa, California

2013 Frank Damazio
Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com
Baker Books edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-2383-8
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Other versions used are:
ESV— Scripture taken from the English Standard Version, Copyright © 2001. The ESV and English Standard Version are trademarks of Good News Publishers.
GNT —Scripture taken from the Good News Translation®, Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
KJV — King James Version. Authorized King James Version.
THE MESSAGE— Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
NET— Quotations designated (NET) are from The NET Bible® Copyright© 2005 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org . All Rights Reserved. Scripture quoted by permission.
NIRV —Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version ® . Copyright © 1996, 1998 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
NIV —Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
NLT —Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation , copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Phillips — The New Testament in Modern English , Revised Edition, J. B. Phillips, Translator. © J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
RSV —From the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission.
I dedicate this book to all present leaders and to all next-generation leaders who will go beyond me and take the vision into the future with bold faith, creative ideas, flexibility, thinking with new thoughts and leading with fresh vision. I especially want to acknowledge my son, Andrew Damazio—he is a future leader along with many next-generation leaders: Jude Fouquier, Jr., Jordan Boyce, Dylan Jones, Melissa Vogel, Angie Riesterer, Chris Durso, Rich Wilkerson, Jr., Carl Lentz, Judah Smith, Joel Houston, Julia Damazio, Marcus and Kim-Maree Janzen, Jeremy Scott, Doug and Donna Lasit, Nathan Finochio, Robert Madu, Asim and Lisa Trent, Poncho Lowder, Phil Dooley, Adam Durso and many, many more. You have all enriched my life, and as I see it, the future is in good hands!
C ONTENTS
I NTRODUCTION
1. T HE L EADER OF S TRATEGIC V ISION
2. T HE T HEOLOGICAL C ONNECTIONS TO V ISION
3. C LEAR V ISION AS THE C OMPASS
4. V ISION F UELED BY P URPOSE
5. E SSENTIALS OF V ISION
6. S TAGES OF V ISION
7. C REATING A C OMPELLING C HURCH M ODEL
8. M AKING V ISION R EALITY
9. V ISION M OMENTUM
10. V ISION T EAMS AND S TRATEGY
11. S IMPLIFIED AND F OCUSED V ISION
12. T HE M AKING OF A G REAT V ISION
13. L ESSONS L EARNED AS A V ISION L EADER
C ONCLUSION
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
E NDNOTES
I NTRODUCTION
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln changed history forever when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, a five-page document that declared slavery illegal in the United States. The proclamation represented countless hours of thinking, strategizing, drafting, debating and even sacrificing lives in the bloody conflict known as the Civil War. But Lincoln had a vision of a country where all people—black and white—could live together as equals, just as the nation’s founding document espoused: “All men are created equal.” He had a firm conviction that slavery was wrong, and he would give his full measure of devotion to building a nation that honored the vision of equality.
Lincoln was a very gifted man. He was addicted to education, staying up many nights to read by candlelight and absorb knowledge and wisdom from leaders and scholars. He earned a law degree and opened his own successful practice. Lincoln was often praised for his skill in the courtroom and his impeccable excellence in writing. When questioned about making a run for the presidency, Lincoln remarked, “I can be nominated, I can be elected, and I can run the government.” He did not say, “I want to be president.” Rather, he saw a nation that was deviating from its intended course and he said, “I have a vision of what this nation could be, and I have the skills necessary to help make the vision a reality.” History shows that that is exactly what he did. His vision became fact. And long after his death, a free country without slavery lives on.
The subject of vision is one of premier interest for all leaders in any walk of life. And although this book is especially aimed at lead pastors, it actually is a book for leaders from all walks of life: the marketplace person, the student, the stay-at-home parent, the church member—all leaders will glean much from this writing.
I am the lead pastor of City Bible Church (CBC), a healthy and life-impacting church in the Pacific Northwest in the United States. Our metro area involves cities in both Oregon and Washington, namely Portland and Vancouver. CBC is 62 years old, and I have been the lead pastor of it for 21 years of that history. Presently we have a congregation of about 6,000 people meeting on seven campuses. We are a multisite church that uses simulcast technology to deliver the same sermon to each service at the same time. I speak live each weekend from different campuses and simulcast to the other campuses. We have a school for kindergarten through grade 12, along with a four-year Bible college, and we host the headquarters of Ministers Fellowship International, a worldwide network of pastors and leaders from several hundred churches.
I am married to the same woman for 37 years at the time of this writing, and we have four grown children. My time is spent in looking for ways to grow the church I lead, continually working on our vision and seeking every possible way we can help people find Christ and become fully devoted followers of Him.
I share these things so that you can see my frame of reference and start to get to know me as we start this journey of unpacking vision. An awesome force and a difficult power to harness, vision has been my passion and frustration for all the years I have been in the ministry, which now numbers more than 40. I pioneered a church that my wife and I pastored for 12 years, and it is still a thriving church. I succeeded a pastor and have led that man’s church for the last 21 years. I know the trials of pioneering, casting new vision and creating a vision from ground zero. I also know what following another person’s vision and cre