Dreams and Visions

by Bill Ireland

We wouldn’t be anywhere without our dreams. Whatever our dreams and whatever our visions—well, they motivate us and get us going. When we were young, we dreamed about what we would be when we grew up—maybe an astronaut or a doctor. In early adulthood, we dreamed about our careers, marriage, and family; what putting roots down into adult life would look like. Without a doubt, every successful venture, every successful business began with a dream. “I’m going to be my own boss,” or “I think I can provide something no one else can.” As we age, we dream about what lies beyond the horizon of this life. Dreams and visions keep us alive. The wisdom writer captured the essence of this truth when he wrote, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)

What’s true for individuals is also true for churches—dreams and visions keep us alive. Thriving congregations are always asking, “What’s next?” Obviously, I can’t do your dreaming for you; I can, however, throw out some ideas for us to sleep on in hopes of generating some new dreams.

Let me begin with this: I’m convinced new dreams and visions will emerge when we think of ourselves first as disciples of Jesus rather than members of this church. Followers, not “be-longers!”

The Gospels primarily describe Jesus as a teacher who was in the people development business. He called people to be with him and to learn to follow his way of showing up in the world. He pursued this task through a variety of avenues. Many times, he handed out instructions about what to do when. He also asked his disciples a lot of open-ended questions—questions that forced them to think, questions that required them to shift their perspective. As well, Jesus urged his followers to try their hand at doing what he did. “You’ve heard me preach, you’ve seen me heal—now, you go try and do the same.” When they returned, he asked them, “What did you learn?” All these moves add up to something very, very important: Jesus was not interested in passing along information; no, his primary mission was the transformation of people! He wanted his followers to be something.

Here’s what that means. When we think of ourselves primarily as members, we focus on things like who’s in charge and what the church can do for me. We buy into the mindset exemplified in the old commercial: “Membership has its privileges.” But everything changes when we start thinking of ourselves as disciples. We start asking questions like, “What is God calling me to do today?” and “How can God use me in this situation?”

Secondly, we will dream new dreams and catch new visions when we dare to become a church that is always asking, “What is God calling us to do here and now?” What is our mission now?”

When Jesus stood before Pilate at his trial, he said something that has long resonated with me: “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world…” The most striking thing about that affirmation is, Jesus knew who he was and why he was. He had identified his “this”—his reason for being. He had clarity about his purpose and mission and never turned it loose even when his survival was on the line.

Following his example is even more imperative today. Hartford Seminary recently released the findings of a 20-year study of congregational life. A lot of their findings are sobering. For example, the researchers there have called attention to the rise of the “nones” in our country—people who have no religious affiliation at all. Try this one. In the aftermath of COVID, the percentage of members who are willing to invest time and energy to the work of the church is down by 50%. As I said, sobering stuff.

When we hear news like this, it’s natural for us to get anxious and fearful. We panic and start thinking about what we need to do to survive. We let our fears take us hostage, and we lose hope. In that light, here’s the most important thing I can offer: our number one priority is not survival but mission! Job one is not devoting our energies to keeping the lights on. Job one is not trying to go back to way things used to be. No! Job one is to ask and keep on asking the all-important question: Why are we here? How can God use who we are right now?

Finally, we will also live into the future when we dare to take on something we’re not sure we can do. The thing about our best dreams is they make us uncomfortable—they stretch us and ask something of us.

Rinker Buck offers us a real-life illustration of this in his latest book, Life on the Mississippi. In the book, Buck chronicles his attempt to build a flatboat and sail down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. Once he built his boat, he needed a crew, and one of the people who signed on was a man named Brady Carr, a former Marine and publisher, who had some experience navigating the Ohio. At one point in their journey, Buck and his crew awakened to find the Ohio River nearly socked in by fog. Despite the thick fog, Carr encouraged Buck to cut loose from the bank and venture out into the river. Buck followed Carr’s suggestion and by late morning the fog had given way to a beautiful sunlit day. Later on, Buck asked Carr why he had encouraged them to take that course of action. Carr replied: “I wanted to try the fog just to test myself, and you.”

I hope you caught that: I wanted to test myself.

I’m convinced congregations are at their best when they climb out on a limb and try something they’re not sure they can do. Something where failure is a live option and success is not guaranteed. If the church succeeds, great! If not, what can the congregation learn from the experience?

I have no doubt you can add to this list of dreams and visions—those that will breathe new life and energy into your congregation. One truth, however, remains constant: without a new dream we risk becoming insignificant and irrelevant. Without a dream or a vision, a congregation perishes. Now, more than ever, it’s time for our congregations to dream on!