Mission / Vision Statements
I have always had a love/hate relationship with mission / vision statements. When they are done well, are easy to understand, and are relevant to the group of folks who created it, they can be a real help in accomplishing that which said group is called to accomplish. But when they are not done well, they can become vapid and meaningless, calling people to nothing at all.
I've walked with congregations three times through the development of new mission/vision statements. The first was Ottawa River UMC in Toledo. We spent a great deal of time in discernment, created a wonderfully catchy statement, and then I was moved two months later. That church later merged with another and its mission was subsumed by other priorities. The statement accomplished little.
The next time I had the chance to be involved in this was at King Ave. UMC here in Columbus. We spent some time in 2001 developing a new statement (which I think has since been replaced or modified). It was held up and proclaimed by the clergy and lay leadership of the church and the congregation lived into it quite well.
The latest opportunity has been here at Church of the Good Shepherd, United Methodist. We spent the last quarter of 2008 working hard on discernment. We spent time building a timeline of the church's ministry and celebrating all of the strengths that have developed in our 40 year history (The church is younger than I am!). We spent time considering the present situation of the church and our surrounding community. And we spent time looking toward the future considering what we think God may be calling us to do.
We then had a 1/2 day retreat for church leaders to walk through all of the notes and memories that had been produced in that process and narrowed down priorities based on them. Then a small group was appointed to take all of that information and create a statement that articulated the process we'd been through.
It's too early to say whether this mission/vision statement will be a helpful tool for us here at Good Shepherd, but we certainly intend for it to be. As of January, 2009, here is our mission / vision statement:
The Mission and Vision of
Church of the Good Shepherd, United Methodist
Columbus, Ohio
Our vision is to live out the presence of Jesus in a diverse and thriving urban neighborhood.
And we do so in this way:
· We ensure an atmosphere within the church which fosters innovation, pride, risk-taking, inclusion, diversity, faith, love and acceptance.
· We provide creative opportunities for our church family to serve others through worship, witness and mission.
· We establish, update, and maintain community relationships that result in partnerships for ministry.
· We empower church staff and leadership to anticipate and meet the needs and challenges of a multi-racial, culturally diverse community of all ages and lifestyles.
· We evaluate ministries annually and new directions are consistent with the needs and priorities of our church family and our community.
I've walked with congregations three times through the development of new mission/vision statements. The first was Ottawa River UMC in Toledo. We spent a great deal of time in discernment, created a wonderfully catchy statement, and then I was moved two months later. That church later merged with another and its mission was subsumed by other priorities. The statement accomplished little.
The next time I had the chance to be involved in this was at King Ave. UMC here in Columbus. We spent some time in 2001 developing a new statement (which I think has since been replaced or modified). It was held up and proclaimed by the clergy and lay leadership of the church and the congregation lived into it quite well.
The latest opportunity has been here at Church of the Good Shepherd, United Methodist. We spent the last quarter of 2008 working hard on discernment. We spent time building a timeline of the church's ministry and celebrating all of the strengths that have developed in our 40 year history (The church is younger than I am!). We spent time considering the present situation of the church and our surrounding community. And we spent time looking toward the future considering what we think God may be calling us to do.
We then had a 1/2 day retreat for church leaders to walk through all of the notes and memories that had been produced in that process and narrowed down priorities based on them. Then a small group was appointed to take all of that information and create a statement that articulated the process we'd been through.
It's too early to say whether this mission/vision statement will be a helpful tool for us here at Good Shepherd, but we certainly intend for it to be. As of January, 2009, here is our mission / vision statement:
The Mission and Vision of
Church of the Good Shepherd, United Methodist
Columbus, Ohio
Our vision is to live out the presence of Jesus in a diverse and thriving urban neighborhood.
And we do so in this way:
· We ensure an atmosphere within the church which fosters innovation, pride, risk-taking, inclusion, diversity, faith, love and acceptance.
· We provide creative opportunities for our church family to serve others through worship, witness and mission.
· We establish, update, and maintain community relationships that result in partnerships for ministry.
· We empower church staff and leadership to anticipate and meet the needs and challenges of a multi-racial, culturally diverse community of all ages and lifestyles.
· We evaluate ministries annually and new directions are consistent with the needs and priorities of our church family and our community.
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