I hope you're well and I'm praying that God will fire you up with fresh vision as you read this encouragement today.

In Habakkuk 2:2 we read these words…

“The Lord says, ‘Write down the vision;
write it clearly on clay tablets
so whoever reads it can run to tell others.’”

The word for “clearly” is the Hebrew word bā'ar. It means to make something clear, distinct and communicable.

It also carries the sense of repeated action. 

Vision leaks. So we need to take every opportunity to remind people of it and reinforce it.

For example, every time we gather our leaders at church, the very first thing we do is revisit the vision and values of Zeo. Why? Because all expression deepens impression. The more it's given out, the more it goes in.

We reinforce vision through regular repetition.

It was the Catholic priest Theodore Hesburgh who once said:

“The very essence of leadership is you have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you can articulate clearly and forcibly on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.”

As a result of clear, consistent communication, we’re seeking to see three responses from people. Three ways vision should positively impact others.

Firstly, vision catchers. These are people who catch the vision. They get it. They understand it. It makes sense to them. They understand the WHY of the problem and the WHAT of the solution.

That’s great. But ideally, we’re looking for more than that.

Secondly, vision carriers. These are people who truly own the vision and show it by investing their time, money and energy into the cause. We need loads of these people, whether in our church, charity or company. This is where the rubber hits the road. Where you know people are really with you.

But there’s a third step beyond catchers and carriers. A step that requires greater investment, but creates the potential for multiplication in impact and influence. It’s what the verse in Habakkuk is talking about.

We long to release vision casters. These are the people who run to tell others.

And when that starts to happen, the lid comes off.

Back in the late 1990s, I was involved with another church leader in a dream to start a schools work charity supported by churches across Hitchin. It was an absolute slog getting unity around it, and it took years.

After countless meetings and conversations, we eventually formed a small team with representatives from every church in town who were genuinely passionate about the vision for a schools work charity.

Together, we created a short presentation and, after even more conversation and collaboration, every church agreed to give it a slot of around six or seven minutes on a particular Sunday.

The idea was simple. Cast the vision across all the churches at the same time and invite both churches corporately and individuals personally to give regularly. If enough support came in, we’d be able to fund a full-time worker.

And that’s exactly what happened.

But we didn’t leave it to chance.

We wrote the presentation carefully, trained our vision casters, got them to rehearse it, gave feedback and refined it, so that by the time they stood up in their churches, they were ready to communicate clearly, confidently and with impact.

The rest, as they say, is history. That charity has now been running for over 20 years, with a team of 4 working across primary and secondary schools.

But it would never have happened if we hadn’t raised up and released vision casters.

So what does this look like for you in your context?

What small steps could you take to regularly reinforce the vision in order to raise up new levels of catchers, carriers and, most of all, casters?

If you want to explore this more with me alongside other leaders, then I'd love you to join us for the Reboot Your Leadership experience. We explore this more thoroughly and practically in session 3 - Getting the right stuff done (exploring vision, strategy and priorities).

Click HERE to find out more, and do come back to me if you have any questions. Here's what recent participant, Phil Hulks, had to say...

"I would highly recommend Reboot to anyone who is aspiring after being useful for God. As well as expanding my understanding of leadership, I found Reboot very practical and down-to-earth. It helped me to face up to and address current issues I was experiencing in my leadership, giving me a new perspective and fresh ways of resolving the challenges I was experiencing."