On Vision, In General

For good reason, much has been made of vision – its necessity, its purpose and power, and so much more – often with great depth and nuance. I am grateful for it all in many ways, and for the purposes of this post I am grateful that the wealth of material allows me to get to the point. How do I process vision?

Vision is the picture you choose to move towards. Many people live without ever articulating a vision for their own lives. This explains why marketing is so powerful: it provides an image to move towards. Practically speaking, vision provides direction, which is exactly what people and organizations need to grow and develop. If we have direction, we can measure progress because we know if we are headed the right way.

Vision is not static however. Imagine yourself on a road that leads up to the top of a mountain. The road itself, even with a long straight approach is only visible until a certain point. Even as you progress, the road may disappear around a bend. This is because there is always the big picture (think landscape) and what is currently in focus and view. The goal is the top of the mountain, but what you see along the way changes. Once you reach the top of the mountain there is always even more to see.

When we discuss our vision for HopeUC Cincinnati it is with that framework. We have big dreams. We want to do so many things in serving the communities of Cincinnati, showing them the love of God to the absolute best of our ability. We want to develop disciples and release them into ministry all over the city. That is part of the big picture. We also need to articulate what is in front of us. What does the first part of the journey look like? We want to answer that question for you as well as provide that big, landscape view kind of picture. I look forward to sharing some of our vision in the coming blog posts, so stay tuned.