In August of 1964, standing before the backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King delivered the speech of his lifetime and perhaps the speech of his generation.  It was a speech that served as the seedbed of social change.  Dr. King was a leader.  "I Have a Dream" was his vision for change that a generation of African Americans already felt in their hearts.  What he saw was a better America--an America of equality and brotherhood.   And his dream fueled a thousand other dreams, many of which have become reality.  This is the power of vision.   Every movement begins with such a vision or dream. 

 What is vision?

Steven Covey has written, "All things are created twice."  First there is the mental creation and then, second, comes the physical creation of that idea.  Vision pertains to this first creation.  We have to envision something before we can shape it into reality.  From a Christian perspective, vision is the ability to clearly see and articulate where God wants us to go or what God wants us to do in a given situation.  Vision is the bridge between present and future reality.  As one man stated, "If you want to find a needle in a haystack it is almost impossible. Yet if you place a magnet on the edge of the haystack, the needles jump out."  Vision is that magnet that attracts followers and resources.

 The importance of vision

The authors of The Flight of the Buffalo (Warner Books, 1993) write, "Vision is the beginning point for leading the journey.  Vision focuses.  Vision inspires...Vision is our alarm clock in the morning, our caffeine in the evening.  Vision touches the heart.  It becomes the criterion against which all behavior is measured.  Vision becomes the glasses that tightly focus all of our sights and actions on that which we want to be tomorrow--not what we were yesterday or what we are today.  The focus on vision disciplines us to think strategically.  The vision is the framework for leading the journey."

 The story is told of three bricklayers working on the same job, each of whom was asked the question, "What are you doing?"  The first responded, "I'm laying bricks."  The second said, "I'm putting up a wall."  The third responded, "I'm constructing a grand cathedral."  All three were engaged in the same work, but only one had a vision for what he was really doing.  To stay motivated, your staff, volunteers and student disciples must embrace a personal vision of what God wants them to do on campus.  Most people can't thrive on corporate vision alone...it may be too large for them. But they do need vision for their own ministries.  Don't allow them to set foot on campus without vision.  The strenuous work of campus ministry will soon drain them of life and energy if they are not empowered with vision. Proverbs 29:18a -- "Where there is no vision, the people perish."  (King James Version)