I am convinced that many of the folks who have a problem with Vision Planning (even the Biblical model) – and those folks include some very good friends of mine) stem from the same problem folks have who want to do ‘annual performance reviews’ on their pastor/ordained staff.  I think it stems from the lack of understanding of the ‘Two Office View’ of Elders.

Business models should not to be used in the church, but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

In a recent article on The Aquila Report, PCA Teaching Elder Timothy Hammons gives a harsh critique to an article about unhealthy churches by zeroing in on the issue of a church having a Vision Plan.

As readers of my website/FB page are well aware, I am no fan of using business models in the church.  I believe it is exceptionally wrong to use them in a search for a new pastor, although the vast majority of churches continue to do that (see the section on Pulpit Committees on the website).

There is also the problem with using business models in doing an ‘annual performance review’ of the pastor.  I’ll return to this issue later in this article.

Hammon’s article goes into great detail in tearing down the principles underlying the article he referenced, and I commend him for that work.  That particular business model way of doing things is indeed worldly, and therefore wrong.

But at the close of the article he goes to the other extreme where he essentially dismisses ALL vision planning when he writes:  “In fact, most people who say the church needs vision statements, usually have something to sell the church. This should be a clear warning about the danger of vision statements.”  He even leaves the implication that the only thing that is needed is ‘happiness in God’s Word’ by which he means the preaching and teaching of the Bible.

Perhaps Mr. Hammons suffers from the George H.W. Bush syndrome, and wants no part of ‘The Vision Thing’ as the former president passed it off while he was a candidate.  Or perhaps he has failed to take into consideration the clear Biblical teaching that the church MUST be involved in planning, whether they call it Vision Planning or not.

The New Testament is filled with examples of the church planning for the future.  The election of Deacons was a plan to start and carry on a needed ministry.  Paul exhorted Timothy to recruit and train Elders, an absolutely needed ministry.  In fact, Paul in Ephesians 4 makes planning for ministry the very heart of the work of Elders, when he writes in verse 12 that their responsibility is: “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

The work of ministry in the church is built upon the foundation of Biblical preaching and teaching, but it goes much, much further than simply having people listen, but not act.  And in order to act (in ministry) there must be a plan, there must be training, and there must be encouragement.  It is at this point that Elders ‘earn their keep’, so to speak.

If a church is to be involved in ministry, they must decide what their core values are so they have a framework to work with. Then they must decide which ministries to be involved in, at what level, and for whom they will be provided.

Let me say right here and now that a ‘Program Driven’ church is not a good thing at all.  But a ‘program-less’ church cannot exist, because it fails to carry out the clear teaching of the scriptures.

Every church must decide what the spiritual gifts of the people involved in their particular body are, so they know what they can and cannot do.  And they also need to decide which forms of ministry are best to put these spiritual gifts to use.  And that takes planning.  I like to call it Vision Planning, and I think there is warrant for that in Nehemiah 2 (see the section on Survey Research at my website).

I am convinced that many of the folks who have a problem with Vision Planning (even the Biblical model) – and those folks include some very good friends of mine) stem from the same problem folks have who want to do ‘annual performance reviews’ on their pastor/ordained staff.  I think it stems from the lack of understanding of the ‘Two Office View’ of Elders.

In the PCA we practice a Two Office View where ALL Elders (whether referred to as Teaching Elders or Ruling Elders) are responsible to fulfill the Ephesians 4:12 imperative.  Those who have read my book on Biblical Church Government will recognize that this is the essential text which brought the PCA to our current position.

Chapter 8 of our Book of Church order puts the principle into practice when it says in Section 8-3:

It belongs to those in the office of elder, both severally and jointly, to watch diligently over the flock committed to his charge, that no corruption of doctrine or of morals enter therein. They must exercise government and discipline, and take oversight not only of the spiritual interests of the particular church, but also the Church generally when called thereunto. They should visit the people at their homes, especially the sick. They should instruct the ignorant, comfort the mourner, nourish and guard the children of the Church. They should set a worthy example to the flock entrusted to their care by their zeal to evangelize the unconverted and make disciples. All those duties which private Christians are bound to discharge by the law of love are especially incumbent upon them by divine vocation, and are to be discharged as official duties. They should pray with and for the people, being careful and diligent in seeking the fruit of the preached Word among the flock.

This is not a job description for pastors.  This is a job description for ALL Elders.  The only thing that Teaching Elders are to do, in addition to these instructions, is in Section 8-5:

When a man is called to labor as a teaching elder, it belongs to his order, in addition to those functions he shares with all other elders, to feed the flock by reading, expounding and preaching the Word of God and to administer the Sacraments.

So, returning now to my problem with doing ‘annual performance reviews’ of pastors, we can see that the entire Session should undergo periodic ‘performance reviews’.  And I believe this can best be done by doing some formal Vision Planning (OK, you can call it Ministry Planning) every 3 to 5 years.

Yes, we must work hard not to let the world’s methods of doing business restrain the work of the church.  But at the same time, let us not be so foolish to think that all a healthy church needs is good preaching and teaching.  Flush away all that bathwater, but hang on tightly to that baby!

Don K. Clements is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, living in the Appalachian Mountains in western Virginia.  He is an Affiliate Evangelist with Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship and is the Founder and Director of Metokos Ministries.