Hi, it's Kristen again! I'm excited to introduce the first of our guest bloggers to you. We have invited some awesome leaders and influencers to offer their thoughts on each of our sessions.  We are honored to have their perspectives, and we invite you to share your own comments as well. 

My first blush response to Bill’s opening talk is that, when I heard Bill raise the value of “Process,” it surprised me but resonated with me. We leaders do hate process, but it’s in the process where people gain buy in, where you see things from others you would never think of or see. We’ve suffered greatly from not doing process well, whether it’s making program or staff changes. When we don’t do process well, people get hurt, mad, offended, and devalued. Then Bill’s absolutely right. You don’t get owners.

It’s scary, I think, to open your ideas and vision up to key leaders and staff. “This is my baby,” we think, “Don’t mess with it.” But, now, we even submit our weekend messages to team process. I certainly hear from God in ways that other staff and other leaders don’t. So when it comes to vision, I still need to hear from God. That’s where the vision starts, I believe. I think Bill would agree with that. But the whole idea of letting others weigh in and process that vision with you is a new take on it. And I absolutely agree with getting away with your key leaders and staff for a retreat and letting them in on what you think God is telling you. We do this every year, and it certainly begins with me, but then we spend two days together talking about it, refining it, poking holes in it. By the time we’re done, we have huge buy in, and I have the confidence that we’re heading down the right trail. The one area that I’d offer, by way of a challenge to Bill’s talk, is that he mentioned that this was an 18-month vision deal for the next five years. I think there are strategic seasons when a church has to look at their five-year deal and take 18 months to create the vision. When you’re going to build a $100 million dollar facility, you need a five-year plan with 18 months to develop and refine. But there are also annual visions that don’t, and can’t, take 18 months to develop. It takes two or three months to develop, and the amount of groups you test fly it on will be fewer.  In short, the size of the vision determines the length of the process.  Also, when you invite people into the vision process, make sure they’re the right people. Far too many visions are killed by people who are visionless and gutless. Invite people into the vision process who have courage, integrity, and are in support of kingdom work and your leadership.