Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
My friend had been pastoring for over fifty years. As we shared lunch I listened to him. He was bitter, disappointed, and defeated. His voice was full of lament for the things he didn’t do. He was a gifted pastor, but had always played it safe. I know too many gifted leaders who have big dreams, but have never found the courage to leave safe harbor. People often mistake a dream for a vision. Dreams are a dime a dozen. People are quick to make declarations of what they want to do, some have huge dreams.
Vision is the foundation of a leader’s efforts. Vision is the key that unlocks the potential of the leader. Vision is the mustard seed God grows within the leader that he/she will spread out into the soil; cultivate; watch as it bears Kingdom fruit, flourishes, and becomes a harvest.
My 17-year-old son is a car enthusiast. He can tell the year of a Mustang or most any other car just by looking at the tail lights. He dreams of being an entrepreneur one day and owning several of those “whips” (slang for fast cars). His response when I ask him what he’s going to do to make that dream a reality, “I’m just going to start my own business.” That’s a dream, but it’s not a vision. I’m thrilled he’s dreaming. Dreams are infant visions. But, I pray that he will one day become a mature visionary.
The difference between a dream and a vision is a plan. Without a plan dreams are not likely to become a reality. However, prayerful planning exponentially increases the likelihood of success, which I define as realizing one’s dreams.
When I planted my first church I had big dreams, but did very little planning. I just assumed I would take the same approach I had with my businesses. I’d advertise, open the doors, and people would come. As a result, it floundered for three years until I finally sat down and prayerfully created a plan.
When I started my first business, and I approached the bank for a business loan, they wouldn’t even talk to me until I had a business plan. That was in 1999 and you guessed it, that company thrived and is still in existence today.
Even the best visions fail. Regardless of how well we plan, unexpected things happen. Chaos, it seems, is always waiting and hiding around the corner and working to sabotage our Kingdom efforts. One can never plan for every eventuality. I know one church planter who had worked hard on his vision. He and his team had checked all the boxes, cast their vision repeatedly far and wide. They had gathered a great team of leaders and a strong core group of over 100 people. They had been working their timeline, and carefully planned their launch date. When launch Sunday arrived, it was the first Sunday after the world shutdown due to Covid 19. You can imagine their disappointment.
So why plan? While a plan doesn’t guarantee success, the lack of a plan almost guarantees failure, or worse, complete inaction. Failing to plan is planning to fail. The only thing worse than failing to plan is never trying. A good plan feeds the leader’s courage to leave safe harbor and begin to discover and explore.
The leader is also a key component of a well prayed up and thought out plan. John Maxwell is fond of saying, “Everything rises and falls on leadership”, which is why leaders must continue to develop. Leaders are learners. While not anywhere close to exhaustive, here are a few characteristics I believe are important for any Christian leader, all of which can be learned or are the result of a surrendered life to Jesus.
Character-Show me a high capacity leader with bad character, and I’ll show you a leader who is prone to ethical and moral failure. He/She might have what appears to be overwhelming success, but eventually cracks will appear and the dream will come crashing down like the Tower of Babel.The kingdom landscape is filled with leaders both in the distant and recent past who had short term success but failed morally or ethically as a result of bad character. Good character breeds confidence. Strong character, the willingness to be faithful even when no one is watching, is a key component of a leader with a good vision.
Adaptability-Leadership, especially in the Twenty-first century, requires adaptability. While my friend’s church was unable to launch as planned, he didn’t give up. He adapted, and eventually the world reopened. He continued casting his vision. He continued to encourage his launch team, and the day came where they celebrated the launch of their new church. Adaptability must be a key component of every plan and a key attribute for any Christian leader today.
Resilience-I do not know of a leader at any level who has not failed at some point. The question is not, “Will we fall?” The question is, “Will we lay on the ground and wallow in it, screaming ‘Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.’” A resilient leader looks for opportunities to learn as a result of failure. Ask a mentor or coach to help you see your blind spots. Talk with others, brainstorm to determine what went wrong, and learn from it. Don’t let failure shake your confidence. Use it as an opportunity to learn. Without resilience, a leader will likely give up.
Prayerful-The key to resilience is prayer. Prayer keeps a leader in touch with the Holy Spirt who is the source of the trade winds that power the sails of the vision to keep moving. Before a leader puts the first foot on the floor each morning, he/she needs to pray for God to continually renew his/her vision, to guide one’s steps and conversations throughout the day, and keep the fire burning inside him/her. If God can move mountains, moving you is a piece of cake!
Intrinsically motivated-Everyone has lazy days, but a good Christian leader doesn’t need someone calling him/her every morning to wake up. God gave you the vision and just as only Moses could approach the Pharaoh and demand in the name of YHWH for him to “Let my people go!”, only you can communicate the vision God gave you. Resist the temptation to compare yourself to others. That is a potential foothold of the enemy that someone else could do it better, which results in inaction.
This is not a recipe for success. I do not believe one exists. Sometimes evil prevails in the midst of the daily skirmishes. However, we can be confident, despite possible failures and setbacks, that God will win the war for the hearts and minds of His people. This is a recipe for taking action. Every leader is uniquely gifted by God for His purposes. “So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” “Be strong and courageous; do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT).
Dr. Jeffery D. Skinner serves as Director of Coached DOT Academy Training for Dynamic Church Planting International and Chaplain for MarketPlace Chaplains. Published an Essay in the book Uncontrolling Love, is Serial Entrepreneur, has planted churches for over 16 years, as well as coaches and mentors Church planters from around the world.