When the temperatures cool down and the kids head back to school, life resumes a sense of routine and normalcy. (Of course, for my friends in the southern hemisphere, you’re just getting warmed up, but bear with me…)
Early Fall tends to be an optimum time for shepherds to speak to the flock about the journey ahead over the next twelve months or so.
From a financial standpoint, there are still a few months left before the end-of-year giving surge, and the holidays tend to be a time when people feel most generous. From a programming standpoint, as a sense of rhythm and routine sets in, people are most willing to try volunteering in an area. And from an attendance standpoint, vacations are over and people who are deciding to visit churches are making a short list of a few they’d like to try.
Because the fall happens to be in the final weeks of Pentecost season, leading up to Advent, it’s also an optimum time to speak to the church’s identity as the institution Jesus commissioned to extend God’s Kingdom and the good news of Christ into every community. We’ve been empowered by the Spirit to take every opportunity to show and share the good news with everyone.
Therefore, it’s an optimum time to preach a “vision series.” And what, exactly, is a vision series?
What Is a Vision Sermon Series?
Preaching should, of course, always be rich in biblical theology, applied to the lives of church attenders. But pastors are shepherds of a flock, and flocks move through seasons, and the shepherd’s responsibility is not only to feed, nourish, and protect, but also to lead the flock in the right direction in the appropriate seasons.
Since preaching is the primary means of shaping the spiritual life of a congregation, one of the responsibilities of the pastor is to shape the life that the body as a whole takes on. The New Testament epistles, themselves, are excellent examples of discourses intended to be read to churches that included a lot of vision about how the church could be a witness to Christ in the world.
I wrote a full post offering 4 principles and 4 tips about preaching a strong church vision sermon series over at Preaching for Change…
About the Cover Art: Photo by Nycholas Benaia on Unsplash.
