VISIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
We all have dreams. Many times they are unspoken dreams but they exist and affect us. When a new pastor is coming on the scene, both the pastor and the congregation has dreams of what may now happen. Not all dreams are realistic but even unrealistic dreams have their power on us and our relationships.
The problem with the expectations of a congregation is that they are reflective of the multiple personalities of the congregation. Yet until they are shared, a member of the congregation may assume that what s/he dreams is shared by the rest of the congregation. It doesn’t make any of the dreams invalid just because others dream differently but it does add a touch of reality to realize that your dreams may be in competition with those of others.
LOOKING BACK LOOKING AHEAD
Sometimes it is helpful to project ahead and see how our dreams look from the perspective of the future. Consider inviting as many members as are willing to write a brief statement of what they hope the new pastor will say about this congregation five years from now. Notice, you are not asking what you hope the pastor will do or accomplish but what the pastor will say about the congregation five years from now. It might make a fun but valuable experience to have a congregational meeting around a good meal and sharing what others have written. In doing so, you are building a picture of how the church’s behavior can affect the ministry of the new pastor as s/he move in among them.
HEARING A PASTOR’S DREAMS
Another side to this equation is the unspoken dreams of the pastor as s/he offers ministry to this new congregation. It might be helpful for the pastor to share in this process. Ask the new pastor to write five statements about what s/he hopes the congregation will say about him or her five years from now. By projecting ahead five years, you get beyond specific programs and begin to paint a direction for a larger picture.
Again, in neither case, are we speaking of programs or even accomplishments. We are speaking of the impact of what we do on the other. What will they say about us? How will we be perceived. The effort to articulate these dreams can have an impact on everyone’s behavior.
