I grew up in Houston around the NASA Space Center. My friend’s dad worked there, so on occasion, he’d take us to work with him. Having close access to all things related to outer space fascinated me, and I wanted to learn more. That Christmas, I asked my parents for a telescope. You can imagine my disappointment when I opened their gift to find a microscope rather than a telescope. I had no interest in magnifying tiny objects. Rather, I wanted to see how big our solar system’s objects really are.
When it comes to leadership in the church, we must be telescope people, not microscope people. As collegiate leaders, we take students to the telescope, lift their gaze, and help them see by faith the big vision of who God is and where He is leading His people.
Many collegiate leaders have settled for a small vision, but God is not calling us to a generic, low-risk vision. He is calling leaders to cast a greater vision to college students, one that raises their eyes to what He can do. He wants the next generation to consider the possibilities of a spiritual movement they could be part of. He is calling them to immerse themselves in the belief that He can do amazing things through them as His Church.
So, how do we, as leaders, develop and cast an expansive, faith-filled vision to the next generation?
Vision Is Caught, Not Created
Developing a vision doesn’t begin with us. It’s not something we devise on our own. A vision that’s worth students giving their lives to is one that’s caught, not created.
To catch God’s vision, put yourself in the way of God’s voice. Be intentional to sit where you hear Him speak, mainly through His Word. Ask Him to speak to you and reveal Himself to you. Tell Him you’re ready to receive. Then ask Him to give you the grace to clarify the vision He gives and to amplify it.
Ask Him to give you wisdom to determine the distinction between His role and your role. It’s not on you to reach 20,000 college students in your own strength. If He has given you that vision, the Holy Spirit will do His part as you take faithful steps in yours.
How Did Jesus Cast Vision to His Disciples?
After the resurrection in Acts 1, Jesus appeared to His disciples. They wondered if He’d bring about an earthly kingdom in Israel after He had been raised. But this was not Jesus’ vision. Instead of chastising them for not understanding His plan, He met them where they were and raised their eyes to a larger vision. In Acts 1:7, He redirected their question, and then in verse 8, He spoke three truths to them to help them catch His vision that was much greater than earthly victories.
1. Jesus reminded the disciples they were not alone.
“You will receive power” (Acts 1:8a).
Gen Z has been characterized as having overwhelming fear. If we’re going to raise their vision, we must tell them God is not calling them to His vision alone. They will wonder if they can do it, if they have what it takes. But when that fear comes on, they must be assured, just as Jesus’ first disciples were, that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit to do this work. His Spirit goes with them, equipping them to accomplish what God is calling them to do.
2. Jesus reframed the disciples’ calling.
“You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8b).
He tells them they are going to be His missionaries. They will be witnesses to share the truth of what they’ve heard and seen from Him. Similarly, our students need to have their identity reframed. How they view themselves will determine how they receive the vision before them and how they will choose to operate in it. They are also His witnesses. This is who they are, the ultimate calling on their lives.
3. Jesus renewed the reality of their context.
“… in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8c)
The disciples had been content only to be concerned with the earthly kingdom of Israel, their home, but Jesus expanded their vision to see that He would use them not only in the small geographical space where they felt comfortable; He would take them to the ends of the earth. Our students need to have their eyes lifted to the reality that their influence is much larger than they may anticipate, beyond their college campuses and dorms. Let’s help to set their gaze higher by casting a more expansive vision just as Jesus did.
5 Ways to Develop an Expansive Vision
How do we follow Jesus’ lead in calling college students to a higher vision? Here are five ways to develop an expansive vision.
1. Live in the future.
As we develop a picture of what to call students to, we must live in the future or at least spend some time there. What do I mean by “live in the future”? We begin to prayerfully ask ourselves:
- What could be?
- What might this look like?
- How could this play itself out?
When we live in the future of what could be, we’re able to describe it and give students a picture of what life could look like if God moves on their campus. When we begin to fast-forward what’s in our minds, we can communicate with crystal clarity and with concrete pictures of what it could look like.
2. Embrace multiplication-disciple-making math.
Often, we overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in ten years. When we begin to think about our vision and how seeing it accomplished could have a massive impact, we need to shift our thinking to say that we’re not just going to make disciples, but we’re going to make disciples who make disciples. Growth will soar exponentially when we think and work with multiplication instead of addition.
3. Increase your appetite for risk-taking and begin feeding your imagination.
What if we could suspend our doubt for a moment? What if we actually believed God could do the impossible?
Walt Disney knew the value of taking time to imagine. Some of his most astounding creations originated from WED Enterprises, where he intentionally set aside time to imagine what could be. What if we did that for the kingdom of God? Let’s increase our capacity for risks and ask God to give us bold ideas to make His name great.
4. Discover your doubt and build your belief.
We are rarely gut-level honest with ourselves to notice where we live in doubt and unbelief, but we cannot call others up to a higher vision if our own faith hinders us from moving forward by faith. Let’s take the time to ask God to search our hearts and reveal the areas we’ve been living more in doubt and where we need to push into belief.
When my family began planting churches across the West, we asked ourselves what our biggest fears were. What could go wrong? If we name our fears, it’s amazing how they become smaller and smaller.
5. Recognize that college students need a bigger why.
Author Mark Sayers says that everyone has three needs: freedom, connection, and purpose. Students’ freedom and connection buckets are often overflowing, but they lack purpose in these pivotal years. When we think about how God works in people’s lives, it’s usually in moments of crisis or transition. Isn’t that the freshman year? So, we meet college students where they are and cast them a big vision that offers them a purpose in God’s plan. We can offer them true, gospel purpose they’ll rise to meet.
So, is your vision too small? I challenge you to think bigger and ask by faith: What could God really do? Ask the audacious what if? Will you pray prayers that are as big as the God you serve? I believe leaders are poised at this moment to develop expansive, faith-filled visions that the next generation will rise to meet and exceed.
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This article was adapted from a session of the Collegiate Coaching Network. To learn more or to join, click here
Published July 11, 2025
