Vision is a difficult thing to pin down. It’s a mental and heart picture of what could be and what should be, it’s the energizing motivation that moves people to pour energy into a project, into a church, into a life.

January is vision month. Everyone is at it. People start going to the gym, a vague plan based on a vague awareness that they should be looking after themselves more for some reason. The vague vision is probably part of why people attend only vaguely once February arrives. People make New Year’s resolutions, again based on some vague awareness of what should be, or what shouldn’t be in their lives.

Why do people come to church? Is it the habit of a lifetime and that habit happens to bring them to the same church as you? Is it a vague awareness of what should be, and so they vaguely attend the church you attend? Or is there a crystal clear vision that energizes, mobilizes and invigorates? I suppose there are three types of churches that come to mind:

1. The “Yes we have a vision, but I’m not sure exactly how to define it” church – This is the church that has some statement somewhere, perhaps something relating to the three functions of the church, or something vaguely connected to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. But if it is undefined (or impossible to remember), what value does it have? If we don’t know it, why should anyone else? If we don’t know it, we aren’t energized by it or committed to it and it is borderline irrelevant to the life of the church. January is a great month to clarify with crystal precision the vision of the church.

2. The “Our vision changes each year” church – This is the church that chooses a vision verse for the year, preaches on it in January and then may or may not return to it during the year. It is worth asking what difference this makes, and why a clear “what could be and what should be” picture of the preferred future of this church is not articulated and re-articulated regularly.

3. The “We resist contemporary approaches to vision statements” church – This is the church that puffs out the chest and makes statements about the biblical vision for all local churches being a local expression of the same global vision which is articulated in Scripture. Agreed. But if people are coming to church because of habit, or because it is the nearest option with the right denominational tag, then perhaps it’s time to articulate clearly what that biblical vision for all churches is . . . for your church.

There are other churches too. The “We’ve never thought about it” church, and perhaps even the “clear and compelling vision in place and regularly re-articulated” church. What kind of a church are you in? January is coming, vision month. What’s the plan?