"BEYOND 2020" // SPECIAL YEAR-END LETTER

For several years starting in the early 2000s everywhere I turned, someone was announcing their “Vision 2020” campaign. In the world of non-profits such as churches, camps, para-church ministries and other NGOs, this was fairly common. It seemed that the term referring to the ideal visual health and focus score was just too irresistible to avoid. The calendar year we are completing made the ideal metaphor for so many vision statements and strategic plans, that it was almost obnoxious. But the idea was simple. It was about purpose, direction, and goal setting. Most organizations that developed a plan around this timeline benchmark did so with great hope. They put a goal on paper, strategized on how to accomplish it by the end of the stated term (most were 3 to 5-year plans), and they attempted to execute it with utmost diligence so the “Vision 2020” would become a reality and ultimately be remembered as a great success. Our ministry was no exception.