Christoph Schalk

What a Mission Statement Can Do For You (Part I)

Disorientation and the inability to make decisions make our life difficult. Some Christians do not know what God has called them to do specifically with their lives. The same applies to many churches. We often live like Alice in Wonderland …

In churches it may look like this: "I could imagine working in other areas of the church, for example in the theatre team for our church service", complained Martina. "But on the other hand, I have too much to do already. I like everything I do, but it is getting too much for me. I can't decide what to do and what not to do. It's so complicated."

"For the next year we have planned the following", a pastor of a village church said proudly to me. "One week of crusade, two church retreats, four marriage preparation seminars for engaged people, various trainings for our co-workers, a prayer seminar and the participation in the next Promise Keeper meeting. Furthermore, we want to build up a counselling ministry in this region with other churches. And surely, it is an affair of honour to participate in the regular interdenominational activities." He looked expectantly at me, probably hoping I would express my admiration. In a neutral manner I asked him about the strategy behind all these activities. "Ah, strategies. We already tried many of them. It's just too complicated. I prefer a pragmatic approach: The essential thing is that something happens!"

Enemy No. 1: Lack of Orientation

Unfortunately, not knowing where we want to go is not as nice and harmless as with Alice in Wonderland. While she seems quite relaxed in not knowing where she's going, an absence of strategy leaves many of us either hyperactive or paralyzed – it depends on the personality. Even worse, we may fail to see that neither of these alternatives offer the real solutions we seek. In fact, lack of orientation is the enemy number one of a simpler yet more fulfilling life in ministry.

Hyperactivity: The most important thing is that something happens

Mark Twain wrote: "When we had completely lost sight of our goal, we doubled our efforts." The lack of orientation often leads to simply doing more, taking on more tasks and programs. Many Christians who lose orientation just do more, seldom stopping to consider if they are on the right track. They become driven by tasks and programs, ending up stressed and agitated. Lacking criteria to help them decide whether to do something or not, they simply try to do everything. At some point they reach burnout and are often lost as active members of the church.

If we want to live a simpler yet more productive life in ministry, we must recognize this trap and find out God's commission for our life: for our participation in the church, for our small group, for our church.

Being paralyzed: I cannot decide

Lack of orientation does not always lead to hyperactivity. Some people react by becoming passive, unable to decide what to do. Right or left, this task or that, possibility 1 or 2 -- a problem without solution. It all seems so complicated. Years can pass without resolving where to get involved.

But all could be so much easier if people could get a foothold on recognizing God's will for their life -- a strong sense of spiritual orientation to life.

Success: Recognizing and doing God's will

The church consultant Robert Logan once defined "success" from a Christian point of view. "Success means: To recognize the will of God and do it." Orientation is the key to such success! The people who know where they are, where they want to go and how to get there have a distinct advantage over those who have no orientation. What's easier? To reside in a city with a map of the city at hand or to visit the city as tourist for the first time? Is it more stressful for the old lady trying to buy her meat in the new supermarket or her neighbour who buys his meat at the butcher's on the corner? Who finds it easier to walk around - the blindfolded child or her friends scampering around her? Orientation makes life easier!

What is right in everyday life is surely right in the life of the church. In my church, we have regular "courses of introduction" for people who are interested in becoming members. Over two evenings participants receive information about our church, becoming "oriented" about what we offer, our structure, our values, our fundamentals of faith, and so on. During two further evenings we help them both discover their spiritual gifts and find their place in the church. This process of orientation makes it much easier for them to decide whether our church is right for them (which in turn makes life easier for us as well). Normally they stay because the process helps them find their place.

As part of our ACTS Training Center program for co-workers, leaders and church planters, I offer a course to help participants put in words their "call", their "vision", their "motto of life" or – as we call it – their "Mission Statement". Regularly participants experience this course as the climax of a whole year of training. A student said: "Now I know where to go! Many decisions are much easier to make now I have formulated my 'Mission Statement'. I now know the general direction I am going in. Knowing this has made the whole year worthwhile."

What is a "Mission Statement"?

In Sirach 3:22 we read: "Reflect upon what you have been commanded, for what is hidden is not your concern." If we want to stay oriented, we need a guiding principle that we can always keep in front of us, a motto of life which always reminds us what God is commanding us to do. This declaration about God's commission for a person is also called "Mission Statement", where "mission" is used in the original sense of "commission". Different research shows that Christians who make an effort to discover God's commission for their life and who put this commission into words as a "Mission Statement" are more likely to reach their life's goals than those who don't.

Often, such a guiding principle can be condensed into one succinct sentence, which can then reflect the commission of a single person, a group, a church or even an entire organisation. The missions organisation "Youth with a Mission" defines its commission in this way: "To know God and to make him known". My personal motto of life is: "More and better churches". Such a declaration helps retain orientation in everyday situations that demand decisions. And it also helps to live a life in accord with God's commission. Many things become simpler, if you have such a motto and use it like a compass in life: it keeps you heading in the right direction.

Not long ago, a leader of a big secular publishing house offered me the role of editor-in-chief of his new magazine project. I have to admit the offer flattered me and was tempting. But my life-motto clearly showed me that the job had nothing to do with God's commission for my life. So, I called him and declined his offer. Why? "For what is hidden is not your concern." Of course I used different words to him, but without having known God's commission for my life, the decision would have been much more difficult. Perhaps I may have even made the wrong decision.

The view behind the scene

"To work out a 'Mission Statement' is in fact the most important single task, because this decision does affect all other decisions." (Stephen Covey, author of the book: "The seven habits of highly effective people")

Having a life-motto makes many things easier. But it takes a lot of work to formulate one. Actually, working on a "Mission Statement" never ends: A "Mission Statement" is merely a written statement about my present understanding of God's call. It is not identical with God's call. It is dynamic and can change over time – not because God's call changes, but because my (preliminary and fragmentary) comprehension of that call changes.

To be correct, a "Mission Statement" is something more than just the single sentence of a life-motto. It is more detailed, can contain several paragraphs and gives an answer to three questions:

Answering these questions helps build a foundation for formulating a motto in the form of a slogan. My complete "Mission Statement" is as follows:

Maybe you noticed: In the first section I worked up the insights of God's Word which became important to me. The second section is about my life vision. The third section mentions the values which shall give me orientation when realizing this vision. And strictly speaking, each section is only the short version of an even more detailed version. Later on, we will speak more about it, when you will formulate your own "Mission Statement".

"Mission Statements" for Churches

Do you remember the pastor of the village church at the beginning of this chapter? He planned actions and actions without having a strategy. "The main thing is that something happens", he argued. As long as his co-workers participate in these activities, probably no one will recognize the absence of clarity about deciding what really matters. The work continues without guiding principles or overall orientation. If this church had a "Mission Statement", they could bundle their actions and have clear direction.

Churches who are "successful" in the sense defined above, put their "Mission Statement" above all strategies, structures, goals, programmes and actions. Once God's commission for a church is recognized and formulated, everything else can be deduced.

Examples of "Mission Statements"

The Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Chicago formulates its "Mission Statement" as follows: "The mission of Willow Creek Community Church is to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ." As consequence of this they formulated a "7-step-strategy", which describes in a detailed manner how they will realize this call.

The Andreas Gemeinde, a Lutheran church in Niederhöchstadt, Germany brings its commission to the point in the following way: "The goal of our church is to help people get to know God and love him with all their heart, help them live in community with other Christians and grow them in faith, and – following the example of Jesus – empower them to serve others." There are five elements in this formulation – "to get to know God", "to live in community", "to grow them in faith", "to serve others" and "to love God with all of your heart".

The ACTS Training Center mission statement reads as follows: "More and better churches by more and better leaders by more and better disciples of Jesus." Its commission is to be the engine for the planting of new churches and the healthy development of existing churches. It has a three-step strategy: start with discipleship training, that turns people in devoted followers of Jesus. Out of this group of "disciples" persons with the appropriate gifts and callings are trained to be leaders. Then they specialize to become church planters, pastors or church consultants. To be sure, not all values and guidelines characterizing ACTS are included in our "Mission Statement". For example, it does not tell you that our training is skill-based and involves coaching; we have a detailed syllabus based on the "Mission Statement" to cover these things. But it is clear enough: If somebody comes to us to receive a theological education, we say: "Sorry, but this is not our calling. We can help you become a better disciple of Jesus. We can train you to become a leader or church planter. If you look for theological knowledge, however, you need to go somewhere else – to a school or training center with that calling."

You see, a "Mission Statement" gives you orientation – and therefore makes decisions about how to live a full life as a Christian much easier.

Your Thoughts:

This chapter was taken and translated from Leichter leben lernen (The Keys to a simpler and more fulfilling life) by Christoph Schalk. Leichter leben lernen is available in German only from CoachNet D.A.CH. Copyright 2003: Christoph Schalk, C&P Publishing, used by permission. [Another chapter will follow in December: How you draw up your own mission statement ... ]

Christoph Schalk lives in Germany and directs the international consultant network of the Institute for Natural Church Development.