Mason Jars & Rethinking Vision

Challenging thought at the end of the quote from Will Mancini...

A pumpkin farmer was strolling through his rows of beautiful green leaves. At the beginning of the season, the acorn size pumpkins were beginning to add dots to the landscape. When he glanced down he noticed a clear glass jar and curiosity got the best of him. He brought the jar over to one of his pumpkin buds, slipped the small pumpkin inside and left it sitting there in the field.

Months later, with the experiment long forgotten, the farmer walked his land with great satisfaction as large beautiful pumpkins covered the patch. Startled, he noticed the glass jar totally intact, yet completely filled up with that little pumpkin that grew inside. It was hard not to notice how the thin glass barrier defined the shape of the orange mass within. The pumpkin was only one third of the size it should have been.

The problem for this little pumpkin is the same problem for most churches today. Rather than growing to their full potential based on their unique DNA, they conform to the shape of external molds or models. These “glass jars” create invisible barriers for growth and predetermine the shape of community for churches across the country.

Visionary leadership today seems to be about more “jar-sharing” than about DNA-discovering. Therefore, it’s time to redeem vision by recasting it. We must rethink what it means to be visionary- to see it in a different light. Missional leaders can “break the mold” one church at a time by leading their people into God’s unparalleled future for their church.

As promised, challenging thought: have the Five Purposes (Purpose-Driven Church) become a glass jar for my church?

this story is from the amazing FREE resource, the Church Unique Visual Summary