Make it Transformational: A Blog for Champion Discipleship

When communicating our ministry’s God-given vision to our people, we must remember to communicate the Four P’s.  Vision without the Four P’s will result in extreme frustration for our people.

The Four P’s come from a wonderful book that has sold over 400,000 copies.  William Bridges wrote, Managing Transitions (Perseus Publishing, 1991, 2003).  Go get it right HERE!

(1) We must communicate the Purpose behind our vision.  Communicating purpose to our people means answering the question, “Why are we doing what we’re doing?”

- We’re counseling women considering abortions so that…

- We’re digging wells in Africa so that…

- We’re providing medical care to the poor so that…

- We’re ministering to individuals affected by disability so that…

- We’re discipling the incarcerated so that…

Our people need to know why we’re doing what we’re doing.  And it’s not enough to simply say, “Because God told us to.”

(2) We must paint the Picture of our vision.  People have imaginations that must be unlocked.  People need to see where we’re going; they won’t just follow an idea.  People need to envision:

- The homeless community well-fed and cared for…

- The African child drinking a cold, refreshing cup of water…

- The mother who didn’t have an abortion playing and laughing in the park with her three year-old daughter… 

In short, people need to see the outcome of the change they are making before (and as they are) making it.  How many times a day did Nehemiah and his people envision a solid, strong, completed wall surrounding Jerusalem?  Countless times I’m sure.

One of the main responsibilities of leaders is to continually paint the picture of all that God has called us to accomplish.  This keeps vision fresh and motivation high.

Hold tight; I’ll explain the next two P’s on Tuesday, July 28th!

And remember, the Mission Increase Foundation has a wonderful FREE workshop coming up in August entitled, Marketing Your Ministry.  To check on locations and to register, go to www.MissionIncrease.org.  

Nehemiah 4:10; 14-15

Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” … I stood up and said, “Don’t be afraid…”  We all returned to the wall, each to his own work.”