Relevant and Effective Ministries

When the Ship Ran Aground: A Dream About the Mission of the Church

Several years ago, I had a vivid dream that has stayed with me ever since. At first, it was striking because of its imagery. But over time, its meaning has become a powerful lens through which I see the mission of the Church—and the urgency of following the Holy Spirit in everything we do.

The Dream
In the dream, I was boarding a ship alongside a pastor. We were preparing to set out on a mission. Just before we launched, the navigator warned us, “You need to be prepared for anything—the navigation system is on the fritz.”

Still, the ship launched and began to pick up momentum.

Later that evening, I found myself standing on the deck, looking out over the open ocean. Everything felt calm—until I suddenly saw an island fast approaching. We were moving too fast to stop. With all that momentum and no working navigation system, we had no way to avoid running aground.

The ship crashed violently into the island and plowed through buildings—tearing straight into the heart of the town square. The impact startled the locals, and they came out protesting. Tensions rose, and the crew jumped off the ship to confront them. It was chaotic.

But over time, the conflict de-escalated. The locals and the crew came to an understanding. From there, the crew began working to figure out how we were going to get the ship off the island.

What the Dream Revealed
This dream shook me, and it’s taken time to fully process. But I’ve come to see the ship as a metaphor for the Church—specifically, the Church as the vehicle through which we carry the mission of Jesus into the world. We are meant to deliver His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

But here’s the key insight:
If we are not following the leading of the Holy Spirit—the Navigator—our vision can become unfocused, directionless, and ultimately ineffective.

Momentum without direction can be dangerous. In fact, the faster we move without clarity from the Spirit, the more likely we are to crash—into people, into culture, into unintended consequences.

That’s exactly what happened in the dream. The Church (the ship) had energy, mission, and intention—but not direction. As a result, we broke into a context we didn’t understand and weren’t prepared to engage. We brought damage before we brought healing.

Relevance vs. Compromise
One of the biggest takeaways from this dream is the importance of relevance without compromise.

We must be deeply aware of our context in order to be effective in our mission.

The gospel message is sacred and unchanging—it should never be compromised for the sake of cultural relevance.
But the method of delivery must always be considered.
To reach the hearts and minds of the people we’re called to serve, we must understand their world. Relevance is not selling out. It’s showing up. It’s building bridges instead of bulldozing into the town square.

Relevance opens the door. But effectiveness leads people through it.

A Final Word: Utter Dependence
This dream has become a reminder to me—and perhaps to you—that we are in desperate need of the Holy Spirit’s leadership. The Spirit doesn’t just fine-tune our mission; He defines it. He directs our course. He helps us land in the right place, at the right time, with the right heart.

Without Him, we might still “arrive,” but we’ll likely cause more confusion than transformation.

Let us be people who listen closely to the Navigator. Who build momentum not from ambition, but from alignment. Who walk in both truth and grace. And who never confuse movement with mission.

If this dream resonates with you or your experience in ministry, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s keep the conversation going—and let’s keep the Spirit at the helm.