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In February of 1997 our church needed to raise a million dollars in a four-month period in order to begin constructing our first building. 

 First, however, I had to settle something in my heart. I was about to ask our congregation to make a financial sacrifice in order to launch our building program. But up until that time I had not personally given sacrificially to further the ministry of our church. I was taught as a child to give ten percent off the top. That’s what I had always done. But that was not sacrificial.

As I prepared to ask our congregation to give, I knew God wanted me to do more. As the leader, I had to lead the way. If I was expecting our people to give sacrificially, I had to do the same. So I prayed the prayer God always seems to answer in the clearest way, “Lord, how much do you want Sandra and me to give?”

Almost immediately, an idea popped into my mind – the kind I have learned to take seriously while at the same time moving cautiously.

The longer I prayed, the more convinced I became. I was supposed to contribute to the building fund by not taking my salary from the church during the four months we were raising the money. I also felt impressed to announce my decision to our congregation. That seemed a bit extreme. I never felt it was anyone else’s business how much I gave. But in this particular case I felt it was my duty as the leader to demonstrate my willingness to put my money where my vision was.

There is something inauthentic about someone who casts a vision for which he or she will not personally sacrifice. If God has birthed a vision in you, it is only a matter of time until he asks you to sacrifice. What you do at that juncture will in all likelihood determine the future success or failure of your vision. It will certainly determine your capacity to garner the support of others. In that moment you will be forced to decide if what could be, really should be. If you move forward, the vision will become a part of you. If you cross the line of sacrifice, your potential to lead others across will soar. But if you retreat, you will always wonder.

But you’ll need courage. The courage to commit. The courage to invest what you deem most valuable in a dream that may net little or no return.

I don’t know what would have happened if Sandra and I had backed away from the challenge to give sacrificially. I have a feeling that if we had flinched, what took place would not have happened.

By Sunday though I was having second thoughts: What if people think I’m bragging? What if people feel manipulated? How are we ever going to recover financially? I don’t know when I have ever been so nervous before a message. But when I stood to speak, I knew I was doing exactly what I was supposed to do.

The following is an excerpt from the sermon that night:

As I studied for tonight’s message, God convicted me of two things. First, as your leader, it is my responsibility to challenge you to go where you have never gone before. And frankly, I have a tendency to hold back. Partly because of my personality. Partly out of a fear of being misunderstood. And partly out of sensitivity to those who are putting their toes back into the religious waters for the first time and who are expecting a pitch for money. The second thing I have been convicted of is that as your leader, I must lead the way in both sacrifice and risk. Both my feet must be planted squarely in the vision. I’ve got to let go of the side of the pool and wade out into the deep water and ask you to follow me.

When we as a body are willing to commit wholeheartedly to this vision, I believe God is going to do something special. Nehemiah was specific in his instruction to the people regarding the rebuilding of the wall. I need to be specific as well. The time has come for us to begin our building. The time has come for us to put our hands to the good work…

Most of us give out of savings, and I assumed I would do the same.

But God wants us to wade way out. I felt it was important to let you know how critical this juncture is for us as a church. We cannot give as we have given in the past. The time has come for us to fully embrace the vision God has given us by giving sacrificially.

When you give sacrificially or in some other way abandon your comfort zone in order to pursue a God-ordained vision, something happens on the inside. At that point you become a follower as well as a leader. Andy Stanley

I went on to share my decision not to take any salary for the next four months. That was one of the most difficult things I have ever done as a pastor. And yet I knew in my heart that as a leader, as the primary guardian of the vision, that was what I had to do.

That was a turning point for our congregation. They put their hands to the good work. In four months, we raised $1,046,000.00. But more importantly, this exercise of faith sparked a season of spiritual renewal for our congregation.

Sacrifice for the sake of a God-ordained vision paves the way for spiritual renewal.

When you give sacrificially or in some other way abandon your comfort zone in order to pursue a God-ordained vision, something happens on the inside. At that point you become a follower as well as a leader.

Through sacrifice we submit ourselves to the thing God wants to do. We sign on in a tangible way to his agenda at the expense of our own. The net result is that we submit ourselves to God. That simple act of humility almost always sparks renewal.

Adapted from Visioneering © 1999 by Andy Stanley. Used by permission of Multnomah Publishers, Inc. Excerpt may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.