Recently in a staff meeting, we were talking about vision. We agreed that it is important to be clear about who we are as a church and where we are aimed. I firmly believe – if you aim at nothing, you are bound to hit it!
Do you know the vision of our church? Do you know what where we are aimed as a church? How important is it that our members are able to articulate the vision of their church?
At North Point Community Church, in Atlanta, GA, the vision of the church is to create a church that unchurched people love to attend. Their vision is pretty clear and easy to remember. They weigh everything they do in light of their vision. They are a seeker friendly church. That does not mean they do not mature the saints, or have a full cycle discipleship plan, but their focus is to create an environment where unchurched people will feel comfortable and will want to return. They do not do all things, yet they try to do the things they do well!
A vision statement not only gives the church as a whole a target to aim toward, a yardstick to use for measurement, but it also presents to the community a glimpse of who the church desires to be. Using North Point Community Church as an example – people in the community would be right to assume they are not church as usual.
The Great Commission points us toward the goal of every church – to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:19-20 – 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
If we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be about bringing folks to Christ (reaching the unchurched or unsaved), building them up (discipling or equipping the saints) in the faith, and sending them out (outreach or being a disciple) to DO the ministry of Christ.
Currently our vision statement is Living as Disciples of Jesus Christ. How many of you knew that? It comes straight from the Great Commission.
Our current mission or plan to live out our vision is by: Introducing people to Jesus Christ, Developing relationships in Jesus Christ, Making mature disciples of Jesus Christ. You can find these on our website by clicking the link on the lower left that reads: Our Vision and Mission – www.mtoak.org.
Good stuff for sure. Introducing people to Christ is all about reaching the unchurched, the unsaved. Developing relationships in Christ is all about growing disciples, maturing the saints. Making mature disciples of Christ is about taking what we have learned and doing the work of Christ. It is supposed to be circular. We bring people to Christ, build them up in Christ, and send them out to be Christ to a world that needs Christ.
Some of the questions the staff has been wrestling with and will ask other leaders to wrestle with are as follows. Is our vision and mission descriptive of who we are or who we want to be? Is it easy to remember? Is it easy to explain? Is it a useful tool for the church leadership and membership alike?
Would you pray with me as we seek discernment on our focus? God is not through with us yet!
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2 comments:
Mt. Oak mission statements come and they go. Truthfully, I haven't seen that they have had any effect on the church.
I do think vision, or maybe more appropriately, focus is important. When I think of Mt. Oak during different seasons of its life, I think about what made us different. Why were we unique? Why should someone go to Mt. Oak rather than somewhere else?
Our theology is a part of that, especially within the body of the UMC. In part, it is our style of worship. But mostly, it is what do we do?
Mo Fest. Sports ministry. Summer interns. Tim Webster. Youth ministry. Those things made us unique. Today, the thing I think most of is Street Reach. It's different. It's cool. It's touching people.
Vision statement too often are truisms. Nice plaques. The real question is what do we do that others don't. Why should someone worship here rather than somewhere else?
It's like looking at someone's checkbook to understand their priorities. Start with what we are. Where are we different. Are we happy with that. If not, then what. It is really a culture question. And culture is very difficult to change. Usually change will result in the present stakeholders (parishioners, employees, etc.) moving on and a whole new set of stakeholders.
If the vision/mission isn't a statement of what we are, then it will be a change of where we are going. And people will need to be behind that change. It will require strong leadership. A strong explanation for the need to change. An acknowledgement of what we will need to give up. A word picture of what we will look like after that change. Buy-in by the congregation. And a guiding hand of the Holy Spirit.
From John G.:
Statements, slogans, etc are cheap like words without hands on doing. I think the things that we have been doing in the past year are pleasing and evident of growth and folks putting their hands into action. I also see such positive growth and excitment in the young adults that fill our church. Therefore it would seem if a statement is necessary these two things should be part of that message.
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