For the week of January 03, 2005
Mission Statements |
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By: Tom Bandy |
Biblical visions are revealed, never created. That principle is forgotten so often! Churches accommodate to the corporate culture around them by assuming vision to be a function of strategic planning. Instead, vision is a function of adult faith formation … an extension of spiritual growth. Churches with high expectations for adult spiritual growth are more likely to be seized by Biblical visions, while churches with low expectation for spiritual growth are more likely to resort to incremental strategic planning. The mission statements of the former become powerful engines driving and aligning ministry; the mission statements of the latter are largely ignored and soon forgotten.
Great mission statements come out of big, Biblical visions … and visions come out of ferment of adult spiritual growth at the heart of the congregation. The mission statement is really an attempt to communicate something of vital importance to the world that cannot really be contained in words. That’s why the statement should be short, filled with action words and powerful metaphors, and include images or songs.
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