Vision 100 Leadership Stretch Cont.

One of the factors that Vision 10o leaders need to constantly address and check is the subtle power of denominational competitiveness.

As a movement Vision 100, because of it's clear values, has been, by God’s grace, reasonably successful in resisting denominational competitiveness and replacing it with gospel generosity towards each other. We have achieved this by joining together through the Vision 100 organisation as follows:

(1)  Sharing resources – preaching, training, Ministry Challenge and other conferences, ideas

(2)  Raising and disseminating funds through Vision 100 Resources

(3)  One joint church plant – Cornerstone (now a Presbyterian work)

(4)  Supporting the University work (AFES & FOCUS) across all participating denominations

(5) Vision 100 leadership and prayer meetings

At present we have several churches from two denominations (Presbyterian and Christian Reformed) and two independent churches (Crowded House in Spreyton and the Evangelical Reformed Church in Launceston) in the network. These churches all share the values of the Vision 100 movement, which are critical to a genuine working together under Christ and in the gospel.

Several other churches have been encouraged to participate, but because they do not share the Vision 100 values, have other priorities, or lack of gospel leadership, have not participated in or joined the Network (St Johns, Anglican and Baptist churches, CRC Hobart and the CRC Launceston). Some of these churches suffer from an unhealthy commitment, either to the denomination, or to liberal theology.

Vision 100 is against independentism, and sees great value in it’s member churches being part of a denomination. Through a radical commitment to the gospel, we want member churches to have a reforming effect in the denominations. At the same time we recognise the dangers of being infected by ‘denominational malaise.’ How are we to guard against the subtle power of denominationalism infecting the movement?

(1)  The Vision 100 leaders continuing to set and example of gospel generosity across the network in practical ways (giving, preaching, training, practical help).

(2) To seek to make Vision 100 networking activities a priority, especially where they are more singularly focussed on the spread of the gospel through local churches. (ie. Tea and Talk has ‘died’ and we are encouraging elders and church leaders to attend the Vision 100 Leadership and Prayer meetings)

(3) Network leaders meeting and working together for the sake of the gospel to support each other, to encourage stepping out in faith and to keep each other accountable.

(4) Promote the denominations working together through joint church planting and other activities through 'Pauline' teams, made up of leaders from various denominations.

(5)  To, as much as possible, direct non-local church financial resources to Vision 100 for distribution even if it is ear marked for a particular work. We need to enlist the wealthy gospel-hearted folk in our churches to regular giving to Vision 100.

Vision 100 Leadership Stretch cont.

Only a living, responsive faith in Christ, persistent pleading prayer, a preparedness to sacrifice comfort, and a humble dependence on the grace of God will lead to the break-throughs necessary for genuine Kingdom growth.

In order for Vision 100 to be like this the leadership needs to be stretched to address the following areas as previously noted:

1. The lack of praying together

2. The subtle power of denominational competitiveness

3. A growing independence in the network

4. The lack of a ‘Pauline team’ Biblical model of leadership

5. The limited flexibility in function and pay of existing and new leaders

6. The loss of urgency for one to one discipleship of all members

I'll address each one of these over the coming weeks.

The lack of praying together

Prayer is not some sort of ‘magic.’  It is essentially a vital expression of our relationship with our Heavenly Father through His Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of truth.

The spheres of prayer are the individual, the church, and the world.  As a child of God, I have been convicted by the Spirit, of my sin and of the great salvation extended to me through the finished work of Christ. That wonderful salvation has brought me into a fellowship of love with other believers (the church). It has also caught me up in the mission of Christ - the spontaneous joyful, Holy Spirit-directed expansion of the church bringing the gospel to a lost world. Each sphere needs my attention, first and foremost in my persistent, pleading prayer.

The key strengthening Agent of the Vision 100 movement is the Holy Spirit. There is nothing like urgent, honest, pleading prayer to quicken us to the Spirit’s power in us and working through us. We need to regularly and persistently call all Vision 100 partners to such prayer. What is it that stands in the way of such prayer? Here are some suggestions:

(1)  Leaders not meeting together solely for prayer. We need a regular gathering of all leaders for times of open, heart-felt, urgent prayer.

(2)  Leaders not communicating the need for prayer (the reason for this requires some soul searching).  We need to make a much greater effort in calling people within the movement to persistent, pleading prayer every Sunday. As leaders we should teach our people how to pray in these times especially by our example. Perhaps we could also produce/find some suitable set prayers for congregational use to help us in this.

(3)  A lack of penitence. We need to, by the Spirit’s conviction, give opportunity for times of confession and repentance from specific sins committed by those within the movement (ie. some dangers we regularly face & fall too include pride (in position, status, ability, influence), lack faith and true dependence on God, materialism and the lack of willingness to sacrifice, including half-heartedness, lack of love for the lost, and a low expectation that the gospel will save – there may be other that the Spirit will convict us of.) Such conviction will only come through the Word of God radically applied to the culture of our day. Where is this happening in our movement?

(4)  Loss of confidence in (& dependence on) the power of Christ & his gospel. We need a clearer vision of the Ascended Christ and of his mission. Christ has all authority and is the Head or Commander-in-chief of the church. The church (that’s us) is to be the Lord’s forward movement in a lost world Such a vision will drive us to pray. We should consider a focus on this in our preaching throughout the movement.