You’ve probably heard management and leadership contrasted: “Management deals with what already exists; leadership deals with what will or should exist.” “Management deals with present realities; leadership deals with future possibilities.” When it comes to mission (what we are to do) and vision (what we are seeking to become or accomplish):
Mission dwells in the realm of management; pursuing our mission is our duty, while
Vision grows in the garden of leadership; pursuing our vision is our dream.
It’s also true that mission prods us from behind; vision draws us from the future.
Mission seems to be saying “go” whereas vision seems to be saying “Let’s Go!”
There is a sense in which it is true that if all you’re giving your people is mission, than all you’re giving them is law. If you give them vision, you’re giving them gospel, the good news about what we or our church will become.
There is an element of faith in vision that isn’t necessarily present in mission.
A mission may be obeyed without faith or joy or expectation, but a vision is pursued with faith and joy. It takes a lot of courage to say, “Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” f/Acts 27:34
Consider Wm Carey’s famous words:
“Attempt great things for God” – that’s MISSION
“Expect great things from God” – that’s VISION
“It is in the very going forward that God will meet you.” JC Ryle
Paul gave churches lots of “vision” material…his dreams for what they could become:
In Ephesians 1:17ff & Ephesians 3:16-21, Paul’s awesome prayers for the Ephesian believers, he sets forth a vision of what they can be as love-struck, Spirit-empowered individuals. Besides this dream for them as individuals, he also, in chapters two and three, shares his vision for them as a church body, loving and serving each other as Jews and Gentiles, even manifesting God’s genius to the angels (3:10) in the process.
In Philippians 1:6, 1:27ff and 2:14-16 Paul suggests a vision for another church: being brought to perfection by God, striving together for the gospel as if they were “one man,” and doing so without fear; shining like stars and holding forth the word of life in the middle of a crooked and depraved generation.
In Romans 15:7 Paul shares a dream for the Romans (and it’s not the only “vision” material in the book). He sees the Romans following Christ Jesus with a spirit of unity, glorifying God with one heart and mouth.
Best of all, Jesus gave us MISSION and VISION:
Matthew 28:18-20, the most famous “great commission” passage is mostly mission. “Make disciples” is a flat-out command. But the last phrase, “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” is vision, not mission.
Matthew 16:18, the “great prediction,” is all vision: “…I will build my church and the gates of hades will not prevail against it.”
Finally, Acts 1:8 is a breathtaking vision of the church in action: “…you will receive power…you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.”
