Pastoral Vision Casting and Other Deadly Sins

I must confess, I've never been a big fan of pastoral vision casting. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all for setting intentional goals and working through strategic plans with my congregation, but as a Baptist, I've always believed that God's vision for the church is revealed not through the pastor or spiritual leader but rather through the Holy Spirit at work amidst the congregation, of which the pastor is but one discerning voice among many. You see, I believe that God speaks most clearly through the faith community, rather than through boards and pastors. As far as I'm concerned, the pastor ought not to be the one who casts God's vision for a congregation, but rather strives to discern the vision being revealed by God amidst the congregation.  And thus, I am always weary of pastors who claim to know God's vision for a particular congregation (especially when such bold assertions are made during the interview process with a pastoral search committee). And I guess I'm as guilty as the next. In fact, I would go as far as to say, it is a destructive deadly sin to think that as pastors, we are the bearers, casters and implementers of God's vision.  And I'm not alone in holding such a view.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in Life Together (1939) puts it best when he writes:

"God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious.  The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself.  He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly.  He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren.  He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure.  When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash.  So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself."

And thus, what begins as a desire to discern God's vision quickly spirals out of control as discernment becomes prideful vision casting, reshaped into preferred outcomes, strategic goals and pastoral expectations which inevitably deteriorate into pastoral arrogance, anger, intolerance, and despair.

Alan J. Roxburgh, in his book Missional Map-Making (2010) describes this futile process as akin to  trying to "herd cats." Describing a similar spiralling descent into discouragement Roxburgh writes:

"I see many church leaders who begin with high levels of energy as they are called to a church or judicatory that wants to go through a process of 'transformation'. The new leader comes in with or develops a plan that is expected to give a new direction over the next five years. How often have I sat with these leaders as they honestly confess that the plan isn't working and they face their own discouragement."(p. 70f.)

Been there. Done that. By the grace of God, I think I'll leave the vision casting to God and instead play my part in assisting the community of faith in discerning where God is at work among us.