What If God Has Put a Dream in Your Heart?

There are moments in ministry when you stop and look around and think, How did we get here?

This summer at Camp Compass was one of those moments for me.

Across three weeks, 138 young people from communities across Northern Canada gathered to have fun, build friendships, hear the Gospel, and encounter Jesus. More than 30 young people surrendered their lives to Christ, and 24 took the next step of publicly declaring their faith through water baptism.

But as incredible as those numbers are, they aren’t actually what I think about when I look back on this summer.

I think about a dream.

Camp Compass started with a burden—a desire to create a place where young people from across the North could encounter Jesus. It wasn’t something that appeared fully formed. There wasn’t a perfect plan, a massive budget, or a guarantee that everything would work.

There was simply a sense that God was asking us to do something.

And I’ve learned something along the way:

Sometimes the dream God puts in your heart is bigger than what you currently have in your hands.

Maybe you know what that feels like. Maybe there is something you’ve been praying about for your church, your community, your ministry, or the next generation. Maybe you have thought, Someone should do something about this. And perhaps, just maybe, God is asking you to be that person.

A Dream Usually Starts Small

When God puts a dream in your heart, it is tempting to immediately think about everything you don’t have.

We didn’t have everything we needed for Camp Compass when the idea began. We didn’t have all the funding. We didn’t have every volunteer. We didn’t have every answer. We certainly didn’t have a guarantee of the outcome. But we did have a conviction that this mattered. So we started with what we had.

I think pastors can get stuck here. We see the finished product of someone else’s ministry and compare it to our starting point.

We see the conference, the building, the camp, the church plant, the outreach initiative, the leadership pipeline—and forget that every one of those things started as an idea in someone’s heart.

Don’t despise the beginning because it doesn’t look like the dream yet.

Ask yourself: What is the smallest faithful step I can take right now?

You may not be able to launch the entire ministry, but you can gather five people.

Maybe you can’t fund the whole vision, but you can start praying and asking God to open doors.

Maybe you don’t have a facility, but you can use someone else’s.

Maybe you don’t have a team, but you can find the first person who believes with you.

Start somewhere.

Don’t Wait Until You Have Everything

One of the biggest lessons Camp Compass has taught me is that provision often follows obedience.

That doesn’t mean we should be reckless or ignore wise planning. Faith isn’t an excuse for poor stewardship. But there is a difference between planning wisely and waiting indefinitely until every uncertainty disappears. At some point, you have to move.

For Camp Compass, that meant asking people to believe in the vision with us. Churches gave. Organizations partnered. Families contributed. Individuals prayed. Volunteers showed up.

This summer, those partnerships helped sponsor 83 campers.

Think about that.

Eighty-three young people were able to attend because people decided that the dream was worth investing in. A dream becomes much bigger when you invite other people into it.

Pastor, you don’t have to carry the entire dream yourself.

Find the people who can see what you see.

Tell them the story. Cast the vision. Give them something tangible to believe in. Then give them an opportunity to participate.

Sometimes the first person you need isn’t someone who can write a big cheque.

It might be someone who will pray. It might be someone who will volunteer. It might be someone who has a skill you don’t have. It might be another pastor who has already figured out something you’re struggling with.

Don’t just ask, “How can I make this happen?” Ask, “Who might God want to bring alongside me?”

Build the Dream Around the Mission

One of the reasons Camp Compass matters to me is because the camp itself isn’t the ultimate goal. The goal is Jesus.

The games, activities, friendships, food, laughter, late nights and crazy camp moments are all important. But they’re vehicles for something greater. We want young people to encounter Jesus.

That distinction matters for every ministry dream.

It’s easy to become so focused on the thing we’re building that we forget why we’re building it. A new program isn’t the goal. A building isn’t the goal. A new event isn’t the goal. A bigger social media presence isn’t the goal. Church growth isn’t even ultimately the goal.

People being transformed by Jesus is the goal.

When you know the why, it becomes much easier to make decisions about the what and the how.

So if you have a dream you’re carrying, write down the mission underneath it.

Ask:

Why do I believe God is asking us to do this?

Who will be helped if we do it?

What Kingdom outcome are we praying for?

That clarity will keep you going when the dream gets difficult.

Expect the Dream to Change You Too

Something else happened at Camp Compass that I didn’t necessarily expect.

God didn’t just move in the lives of the campers. He moved in our leaders. Counsellors, volunteers and staff came ready to serve, but many discovered that God wanted to do something in them too. There was renewed passion, deeper unity, healing, freedom and fresh encounters with the Holy Spirit.

I’ve discovered that this is often what happens when we pursue something God has placed in our hearts.

The dream changes the dreamer.

We think we’re building something for other people, and God starts building something in us.

The process develops our faith. It teaches us perseverance. It exposes our weaknesses. It forces us to ask for help. It teaches us to trust God with things we cannot control.

So don’t be surprised if pursuing the dream is as much about what God wants to do in you as it is about what He wants to do through you.

Measure More Than Numbers

This summer we can celebrate 138 campers, 30-plus salvations, 24 baptisms and 83 sponsored campers.

We should celebrate those things! But numbers are only valuable when they represent people. Behind every number is a story. There are young people who now know Jesus.

There are families who have been impacted.

There are leaders who have been strengthened.

There are communities that will feel the ripple effects of what happened this summer.

So when you’re pursuing your dream, don’t only measure what is easiest to count.

Ask better questions.

Who is different because we did this?

Who is closer to Jesus?

Who is now equipped to lead?

What has changed in our community?

What might happen five or ten years from now because we said yes today?

Kingdom impact often takes longer to see than the event itself.

We planted seeds this summer. Now we pray that those seeds take deep root.

Take the Next Step

If God has put a dream in your heart, I want to encourage you: don’t give up on it simply because it isn’t a reality yet.

Pray about it.

Write it down.

Clarify the mission.

Take the smallest faithful step.

Invite someone into it.

Ask God for provision.

Build a team.

Stay flexible.

Celebrate progress.

And keep going.

Camp Compass didn’t happen because we had everything figured out. It happened because we kept saying yes to the next step. And when we look back now, I am reminded of Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:20:

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…”

That is what I believe about the dreams God puts in the hearts of pastors and leaders.

You may only see the beginning. God sees what it could become.

You may see limitations. God sees possibilities.

You may see what you don’t have. God sees what He can provide.

So if there is a God-given dream sitting in your heart today, don’t bury it because the circumstances aren’t perfect.

Pray.

Take the next step.

Trust God.

And watch what He does.

Because Camp Compass has reminded me once again:

When we give God our yes, He can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine.

And honestly? I believe this is only the beginning.

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