Thank God for Visionary Leadership!
Dear Foothills Family,
The Foothills congregation is richly blessed to have visionary leaders who are optimistic about our future! At the last meeting of our Church Board our Head Elder, Tom McSherry, shared an update on the progress of our plans for the new worship center/sanctuary. This Sabbath, Richard Harrison, our Board Chair, will share God's Word with us. He has a visionary view toward the bright future God is guiding us to. It's an exciting time for this church!
A little "leadership joke" goes like this: "The Past, The Present, and The Future walked into a bar. It was tense."
Sometimes, when in the present moment, we look back at how God has led us and then turn and look forward to envision where God is leading us, we can feel tense or insecure, or...we can connect the vision to our God-given purpose and begin to get excited and energized! One leadership expert said, " A healthy vision of the future requires an accurate knowledge of the past."
The Bible is rich in examples of past visionary leaders who helped to shape history. Two of the most effective leaders were:
- Moses. He led the Israelites out of Egypt toward the Promised Land.
- Jesus Christ. He established the foundation of the Christian faith. And provided peace for our souls through the gift of salvation for us.
Proverbs 29:18 says: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Vision is not just a nice thing to have, it is essential for us and our church to survive and succeed. The vision of our leaders must align with the Christian values of faith, hope and love. Our purpose and mission of reaching as many people as we can with the saving, healing love of Jesus and inviting folk from all over to join with us in the "Joyful Walk with Jesus" must be served by this vision.
FAITH--a strong faith in God and His calling for us to walk with Him into the bright future He envisions for us--this is our foundation for trust, generosity, work, and endurance.
HOPE--When our trust in God is unshakeable, we will look forward to the possibilities the future holds for our purpose with optimism and hope!
LOVE--Remembering that our goal is to stay connected to the larger mission of sharing God's LOVE with the world, it is essential that God’s love for us flows through and out of us into the lives of all who come to us at Foothills, and into our community and relational circles.
Visionary leadership, rooted in the biblical principles of faith, hope and love (1 Cor. 13), will inspire us to step forward and continue our quest to live the unique vision God has given us. As we remain grounded in these biblical values, we can reach new heights together, for the glory of God!
With much love,
Pastor Duff
