Lack of vision and direction limits the modern church. Many Christians just go from fad to fad, with nothing followed through to completion. Many churches have to obtain a vision by copying other successful churches. The Bible says that without a vision the people will perish (Prov 29:18). A dearth of prophets has caused a lack of vision in the church. The church needs prophets to give a clear call to battle. It is currently losing the battle because it does not have a focused strategy. A great babble of voices all claim to have the truth and Christians are tossed around by every new wave that comes along. A clear prophetic voice is needed to prepare the church for victory. The most urgent need of the modern church is for the restoration of the prophetic ministry. In recent years, the gift of prophecy has been rediscovered, but there is still a desperate shortage of prophets. The church will not come to true maturity until prophets are being raised up among God's people. The prophetic ministry is a fundamental aspect of the eldership. Without a prophet, a church will be weak in vision and at risk of sinfulness. The reason we have so many immature and weak churches is that prophets are missing from their leadership. Likewise, without an evangelist the church will not grow. The main reason that the prophetic ministry is not functioning in the modern church is that most churches are led by a pastor-leader, so most prophets have had to become pastors to find a place of ministry. This is not a solution, because the church operates best when elders are functioning in their true ministry and not trying to be something they are not. All of the ascension ministries of leadership are needed for a church to grow to maturity. The prophetic ministry must be part of the foundation of the church. Without a prophet, a church will be prone to sin. A strong church needs the righteousness that only comes when prophets are present. The modern church has millions of pastors, but only a few prophets. This serious imbalance has severely weakened the body of Christ.