The Power of Vision: Discover and Apply God's Plan for Your Life and Ministry

by George Barna

According to George Barna, uncovering God's vision for your ministry is not an option. It's essential for the most productive ministry that will accomplish God's goals for building his kingdom. Ministry leaders with a clear picture from God of where they are headed are much more likely to experience a successful journey. In this book, Barna uncovers how God has shared his vision throughout history, how vision is different from mission, common practices and beliefs that inhibit true vision, practical steps toward experiencing and carrying out God's unique vision for them, and ways to share and promote congregational ownership of the vision.

208 pages, Paperback

Published June 5, 2018

About the author

George Barna was raised and educated on the East Coast before moving to California in the early 1980s. He held executive positions in advertising, public policy, political campaigns, and media/marketing research before beginning his own company, the Barna Research Group (now The Barna Group), in 1984. The firm analyzes American culture and creates resources and experiences designed to facilitate moral and spiritual transformation. Located in Ventura, California, The Barna Group provides primary research as well as developmental resources and analytic diagnostics. The company has served several hundred parachurch ministries and thousands of Christian churches throughout the country. It has also supplied research to for-profit corporations such as Ford Motor Company, The Walt Disney Company, Visa USA, and Prudential, and has assisted the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army as well.

To date, George Barna has written more than 40 books, predominantly in the areas of leadership, trends, spiritual development, and church health. Included among them are bestsellers such as Revolution, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, The Frog in the Kettle, The Power of Vision, and Pagan Christianity? Several of his books have received national awards. He has also written for numerous periodicals and has published various syndicated reports on topics related to faith and lifestyle. He also writes a bimonthly research report, The Barna Update, which is accessed by hundreds of thousands of people through his firm's Web site (www.barna.org). His work is frequently cited as an authoritative source by the media. He has been hailed as "the most quoted person in the Christian church today" and is counted among its most influential leaders. In 2009, George initiated Metaformation, a new organization designed to help people maximize their potential. More information about his current projects is available from www.georgebarna.com.

Barna is a popular speaker at ministry conferences around the world and has taught at several universities and seminaries. He has served as a pastor of a large multiethnic church, has been involved in several church plants, and currently leads an organic church. He has served on the board of directors of various organizations. After graduating summa cum laude from Boston College, Barna earned two master's degrees from Rutgers University. At Rutgers, he was awarded the Eagleton Fellowship. He also received a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. He lives with his wife and their three daughters in Southern California. He enjoys spending time with his family, writing, reading novels, playing and listening to guitar, relaxing on the beach, visiting bookstores, and eating pizza.

Reviews

[Jen Bradbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

After beginning my new role as the Minister of Youth and Family at my congregation last summer, I immediately examined the vision for the ministry I’d inherited. While I didn’t find it particularly compelling, I knew the best thing I could do was to live into it for a time. So, I did – intentionally paying attention to the ways our ministry was and wasn’t living out its vision.

Then, after being in my role for six months, I assembled a team and together we held a two-day visioning retreat during which we crafted a new vision statement for our ministry along with a set of values. The retreat was good; life-giving even. One of the things that made it so was the work I did in advance to prepare for it.

Among other things, I read The Power of Vision: Discover & Apply God’s Plan for Your Life and Ministry by George Barna. This helpful resource takes leaders through several important lessons, first explaining what vision is and then comparing and contrasting it with the often confused “mission”. The Power of Vision also explores strategies for articulating the vision to others – something that I think organizations (especially churches) often fail at.

The Power of Vision is extremely readable and accessible – making it a helpful manual for any leader wanting to craft or reexamine its organization’s vision. Its Study Guide also provides helpful questions for leaders to work through as they begin this process.

In short, The Power of Vision is well worth the money for any leader thinking about their organization’s vision. But be forewarned – it’s a book that’s designed to be used, not merely read and forgotten about. It’ll work best in those settings where leaders take a group of people through it together in order to ensure that their organization’s vision truly reflects its collective identity and not just their own.

***************************************************

Thanks to Baker Books for graciously sending me a copy of The Power of Vision to review. All opinions are my own.

[Jessie Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative, inspiring book about vision. Each chapter starts with chapter highlights which give the reader valuable insight into what is ahead. Material is broken down into digest-able chunks. There are a lot of basic definitions. Clear information on what vision is and isn't, difference between Godly vision and worldly/business/human vision, as well as many myths people have regarding vision (and the corresponding realities) are presented. The book begins by breaking down the difference between mission and vision and moves on to developing a vision and implementation. The major focus of the book is pastor vision but the last chapter focuses on individual vision development and implementation. I found even the material meant for pastors can easily be applied to lay people and development of personal Godly vision. Barna uses examples from the greats of the Bible: David, Nehemiah, Paul etc to prove his points and encourage the reader. There is also extensive helpful information about how to seek God's vision as opposed to a vision we individually create for ourselves. The reader is encouraged through extensive encouragement and benefits for keeping vision and further challenged with vision killers. Finally, the appendix is an invaluable study guide to further help readers develop and implement vision in their lives personally and in their churches.
Overall this book was encouraging to me personally as a lay person. I have a lot to think on and ponder as I seek God's vision for my life as a result of reading this book. It was an encouraging motivating book that I would recommend to new pastors who are just starting or in seminary and more seasoned pastors who seek vision improvement (or first time creation even) as well as lay people within the church.
I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishing. This has in no way influenced my review. I was under no compulsion to write a review. All thoughts are my own.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this latest edition of The Power of Vision Barna explores the continued importance of church leaders having God’s vision for their church. Barna’s working defintion for what vision is is “a clear mental image of preferable future imparted by God to His chosen servants to advance His kingdom and is based on an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances.”

In thirteen chapters Barna explores the meaning of vision, the importance of vision, and the impact of vision for ministry in the local church. I do think Barna gets his components of capturing God’s vision wrong in his sixth chapter he begins with self knowledge moves to contextual knowledge and ends with knowing God. You can’t rightly know yourself unless you know God, you can’t rightly understand the context you are in apart from knowing God. I believe that knowledge of God is foundational for every aspect of the Christian life. He helpfully points to the importance of prayer but should have addressed prayer before knowledge of self and context.

I have a bit of apprehensiveness in regards to book like this as they place a great deal of emphasis on something the New Testament in silent on. Paul doesn’t encourage Timothy and Titus to be visionary leaders, he encourages to be faithful leaders. Barna presents vision as this almost gnostic secret knowledge that God only provides to a select few, whereas in the New Testament we do have God’s vision for the church a community of disciples making disciples walking in holiness.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of the book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.

[Travis Heystek · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Power of Vision” starts out strong by explaining the difference behind a mission statement and a vision statement. I appreciated hearing the difference from a “professional” perspective. Most churches that I have been a part of define their mission statement, core values, and vision statement as iterations of the same basic point. This book exposes the potentially fatal flaw in this thinking, which is that the vision statement should be highly specific to your context while a mission statement is often more basic. Too many churches leave vision statements to vague leaving too much room for flexibility away from the vision.
Barna does a good job explaining that many businesses/churches use mission and vision statements interchangeably. I found this to be true as I was reading and observing church mission statements while I’ve been looking at churches to apply at. Overall this book is very strong, especially at the back where there is a study guide to help you determine vision for your context. This would be especially useful when explaining your vision to church leadership. The biggest weak point for me was there was a certain lack of “inspiration.” There weren’t a lot of case study type situations or “turn around” stories. Many times the evidence is what compels me to agree with a writer, and while I don’t doubt anything Barna writes here I felt myself hoping for more evidence. For that reason this book is just getting three stars for me. Still a great resource, but it lacks a certain punch I was looking for.

[victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very unique writing and compelling to read with also giving us to process and discovery the most important component in all the activities associated with God’s vision. This is simple confirmation and simple truth ideals of God created you, He has called you to a specific ministry, and he wants to impart to you His ideal of what that ministry id and how best to accomplish His perfect outcomes through all of us. I highly recommend to everyone must to read this book. “ I received complimentary a copy of this book from Baker Books Bloggers for this review”.

[Rand Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barna starts with a bang and then, from my vantage point, fizzles out. The first four chapters deal with defining vision and mission and the myths surrounding them. The remaining chapters focus on finding vision. Barna is convinced this is solely the job of the pastor. Coming from a plurality of elders model, this didn't sit right with me. Half of the book is a small group discussion guide appendix. Why would a small group study a book designed for just pastors?

[Ashley Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent tool for Christian organizations.

[Frank Gil · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s better than I thought it was going to be. Solid leadership principles.

[Lovely Loveday]

The Power of Vision: Discover and Apply God's Plan for Your Life and Ministry by George Barna is an insightful read that is full of scripture, self-help, and reflection. There are questions throughout that are sure to make you think and the study guide at the back is in question and answer format. This informative read is an insightful look at the power of your thoughts and visions.