My pastor asked me to come to his office one afternoon.

He said, "Clint, I support you and your ministry. BUT! I need to know what you are doing so I can support you. I don't want to control what you do, but how can I support what you are doing when I do not have any idea where you are going."

I learned a big lesson that day. I have served as a children's pastor at five different churches, and I learned early that proper vision casting is critical.

If my church's leadership does not know where I am heading, I will not have their support when problems arise.

My pastor compared it to a cowboy who jumped on his horse and said, "Let's go!" He takes off in a gallop, and after riding a while, he stops and looks back. As the dust settles, to his surprise, no one is following him. That is what a leader looks like who does not correctly cast his or her vision.

The other day I read a report on the increase in gold pricing. The price of gold has increased by 72 percent in the last two years! If you purchased an ounce of gold in 2018 at $1,360 per ounce, it is now worth $1,888 an ounce today. I would say that gold is a good investment. You are probably wondering where I am going here. Have you ever thought about eternal investments? What you invest here on Earth does not last. We cannot take it with us when we leave this world.

There is an old saying, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”

This is very true in ministry.

If you are not careful, you can go through years of ministry and never have a vision that drives you.

You see, church does not have to be boring or mundane from Sunday to Wednesday to Sunday and all over again.

When I started in Children's Ministry, I felt somewhat lost at the time. I was brand new to ministry in general and especially with children. I did not understand the importance of policies or a protective plan for children. As I trained and prepared for the ministry, I learned an essential key to simplicity. That key is to use (with permission) other leader's and church's ideas, handbooks, policies, and procedures. I asked many churches along the way if I could get a copy of their preschool and children's ministry policies, and they were always willing to give me a copy. They would tell me, “Make them your own.” They are yours for your ministry. So that is just what I did. I would make several copies and sit down with my leadership team, small group director, preschool coordinator, and whoever else served in leadership roles in preschool and children's ministry, and we would make them work for our church.