This weekend, the leadership at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is rolling out the Vision Frame to the congregation. The “flow” of the rollout, designed with senior pastor Greg Finke and executive pastor Vince Parks, is to move from awareness to understanding to action. Many times when vision is communicated, the opportunity to deepen understanding is missed. Understanding is a bridge between hearing and acting.
The root idea behind the term “to understand” does not use “under” in the typical sense of “underneath,” but in the sense of “standing between or among.” It is a term for proximity- to “be close to.”
Since 1640, the term “make out” has been used to convey the idea of making something more understandable; making it clear and meaningful. In fact, the sexual use of the word was not used until 1939. This adaptation of the term provides an interesting facet and connotation for leaders helping their followers "get close to" vision.
The question is, are you making out the vision for your people, not just by talking at them, but by getting close and helping them really understand it? Consider the definitions for the verb "to understand" and apply them to vision:
- Do people perceive the meaning of the vision?
- Are people thoroughly familiar with the vision?
- Do people grasp the significance of the vision?
- Do people regard the vision as firmly communicated?
- Do people accept the vision as true and from God?
- Have people assigned their own meaning by interpreting the vision for themselves?
Keep making out the vision and don't forget to share your ideas with others via Open Source Vision Casting: Share your ideas on twitter using the #visiondrip hashtag.