In effective organizations the plans, strategies, ministry, administrative structures, and relationships are aligned with the organization's vision. The vision gives the organization its unique identity, clarifies direction, and generates cohesion. Administrative structures are designed to support and facilitate the mission. Teams and relationships are formed to carry out plans that have emerged from the mission. In the same way, staff development must be intentionally planned to support the specific vision of your mission location and each of its teams.

Let me give an example. One location we visited recently has a vision to 'evangelize, disciple and train Mozambicans until Niassa will be known as a Christian province.' Their plans for evangelism, church planting, training, and community development flow out of their vision. Since their Discipleship Training School lecture phase includes weekly outreach to a nearby Yao village, they invited a missionary from another organization to give them children's evangelism training. Using what they learned, they initiated children's outreach with the village chief's permission!

Out of their vision, a church planting team has been raised up with a specific vision 'to see each person in the Niassa province evangelized and believers discipled in cell churches with a focus on the Yao people.' Their strategies, goals and objectives flow out of that vision. But, most importantly, for this article, they have been intentional in getting training. One team member went to get training in English so he could communicate internationally and pursue further training. Several key team members went to do the School of Frontier Missions to hone their church planting, cross-cultural communication, and language learning skills. A larger group attended the recent Leadership Training School in Namibia. The team leader has many more resources to use for continual development of his team.

It is evident that the leadership at this location invested planning, time, finances, and resources for developing these staff to more effectively carry out the vision. The leaders sacrificed the staff for months at a time while they went away for training, but their sacrifice underlines the value they place on developing their staff. That is intentional staff development that flows out of vision.

*Different leaders use 'mission' and 'vision' in different ways. For this article vision is used to indicate the focused overall goal of the local mission group.

By Randy and Jane Rhoades