My dad has been a fisherman my whole life. I remember the days where it seemed like every Saturday morning I was being woken at the butt-crack of dawn, place in a vehicle, and eventually sat on a live-well turned bench on my dads fishing boat. I was the bait girl, mainly because I got too bored just fishing. I didn’t see the fun in it, nor did I see the skill attached. But I went, and looking back, I really value those times. My dad was a trolling fisherman, using live bait, and casting his reel when he thought the time was right. He had a strategy to fishing, and was usually successful. I remember always wanting to use the net, it just seemed more efficient. Seriously, lets throw a giant hole-filled blanket out there and gather all the fish at once! I mean, Jesus did it! Every time I made this suggestion, my dad said no, it didn’t catch the fish he wanted.
In leadership in ministry, the term ‘casting vision’ is used constantly. It is integral to a successful ministry. Without a doubt, ministry is one of the hardest jobs out there, and a lot of that comes from the fact that in leadership, you are not managing employees, you are leading volunteers. In this case, people don’t show up because they get paid or because they have to; they show up because they want to. The only leverage we have is our vision. Every time the phrase ‘casting vision’ was used, I imagined the need to throw this huge blanket of goals, purpose, desires, and need out there, hoping that the right volunteers would hop on board, and jump into my net. It turns out, that isn’t exactly the way it is. I found that when I chose to just throw these blanket statements out, I did not see the results I desired. I realized that my dad had this strategy when it came to fishing. He knew what he wanted, and used the right bait to get what he wanted. Casting vision is the same way; if I want to have leaders who love student ministry, understand the value of building relationships, and are relevant, I need to cast vision that applies to those people. And this is easier said than done. I find that often, I can talk about what I am passionate all day long, but until I realize what my leaders need to hear to get their attention, grab hold of their hearts, stir passion, and get them to get exactly what the vision is and run with it.
Who would have thought, all those years of fishing has taught me a thing or two. Thanks dad!
