Christoph Schalk

How To Draw Up A Mission Statement For Your Church
(Part III)
[This series started in eNCDine October 2004]

What role does a "mission statement" play in the life of a church? You can illustrate and explain this question through the image of a "vision tree".
The "mission statement" of a church – like the stem of a tree – bears all the ministries and events (branches and leaves). At the same time, it channels and focuses all the energy in a way that leads the church to do the things that correspond with God's will for this church and produce fruit.

The "mission statement" itself is rooted in core values (roots) and biblical principles (ground). Don't miss the picture of the swing in the Vision Tree, it draws attention to the fact that church ministry which is in line with God's calling will be fun as well.

("Vision Tree" according to Logan & Ogne)

 
How do I recognize God's calling for my church?

A good number of books are available already addressing the question of recognizing God's calling for one's own life, one's ministry, or one's church. Most of them, however, draw on the picture of the lonesome leader who is engaging God all by himself for a vision of the future. The key issue afterwards, of course, will be the communication of this vision to co-workers and church members. And often it is this very issue of communication that makes the implementation of the vision fail. That should not come as a surprise. After all, nobody likes to be pushed around by someone else's vision.

If the discovery of God's calling for the church is not to turn into another bag of tricks, a different approach needs to be chosen. Recognizing the will of God, then, must not be left to the church leaders alone. In fact, the title of this paragraph should be changed to How do we – together – recognize God's calling for our church? That's the only way to make sure that God's calling (and the comprehension thereof) does not turn into an enormous burden for a single person, but makes (church-)life easier for every church member.

Of course, it does not hurt if the church leaders (along with other co-workers and church members) prepare themselves for this overall discovery process by asking God for guidance and reflecting on some key issues:

1. Ask God to show you his calling for your church

In James 4:2 we read, "You do not have, because you do not ask God." When I point out in seminars how important it is to recognize God's calling, I often hear the question, "How, in fact, do I do that?" It seems that some rather abstruse ideas exist in the minds of many Christians, because most of them are really surprised when I respond with another question, "Did you ever ask God to show you his calling?"

Some years ago I discovered a checklist for recognizing God's calling. The first item is simply stated, "I have been praying for at least 10 hours." Prayer in fact is the key when we want to recognize God's calling – no matter if this applies to our personal lives or to our churches: Prayers – on your own or together with others – and in particular prayers that draw on our knowledge of the situation, of people we want to reach, our values, our calling, and our dreams. In our prayers we lift those things to God and at the same time listen to what he has to say about it. I call this "reflective prayer". As I direct a beam of light on to a mirror and see it reflected back, I direct my thoughts to God who will reflect them back – now, however, with his handwriting.

2. Have a close look at your environment

When I say that in our prayers to God we should employ our knowledge of the situation and our target group, I presuppose that we have done some investigation. We need to allow the needs of the people around us to touch us. This might open up a door for a personal encounter with God.

In Matthew 9:36-38 Jesus is touched by the needs of the people around him. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"

Taking a closer look at your setting can be done in a variety of systematic ways: Maybe God will touch your heart as you walk through shopping malls and plazas and watch the people around you. In your situation, it may even make sense to do some demographic research on the age structure of the residents in your city, on their specific needs, on their income, the average number of children, their life style, and so on.

3. Draw up your personal "mission statement"

Drawing up your personal "mission statement" (see part two) will be an ideal starting-point for participating in the joint process of recognizing God's calling for your local church. Why? Because the church is the body of Christ and every single member of this body is important. Your own personal calling will be an integral part of God's calling for your church. So before you start exploring God's calling for your church, it would be good for you (and as many members of your church as possible) to draw up your personal "mission statement" first. Maybe it would be best if as many small groups in your church as possible would work through this book at the beginning of this process.

The Future Search Conference: Dreaming together of the future

What should our church – according to God's plan – look like in ten years? Many leaders are afraid of this question. "That is not possible for me to know!" – "I'm not a fortune teller, am I?" But God "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20). In fact, we cannot imagine what God has in mind to do. Would it not be exciting to get at least some insight into God's plans? Would it not be helpful, even indispensable, to see what God wants to do with our church? God gave birth to the church because it plays such a strategic role in his plan. Would he not be a poor "leader" if he did not brief us on our job? And in fact, God likes giving us direction for our lives (Jam 1:5).

In my experience a so-called "Future Search Conference" can be helpful for a church to explore its specific calling (Marvin Weisbord. How Future Search Conferences Bring People Together to Achieve Breakthrough Innovation, Empowerment, Shared Vision and Collaborative Action. Berrett Koehler Publishing). In such a conference a relatively large group of church members, representing all the formal and informal groups of the church you can think of, come together. They are guided by a moderator to discover their common future and God's calling. This process will not only generate a greater understanding of the shared values and a vision for the church but will also reduce the prejudices between various groups and develop appreciation for one another.

Why Future Search Conferences are working?

1. The "whole church" will be together in one room

For small churches, this might literally be the case – every church member is meeting in one room. In larger churches a cross-section of all the groups, boards, teams and maybe even of the church's neighbourhood will be chosen. The questions needed for the selection of church members are: Whose support is needed? Who represents a larger group? Who would like to participate? Participants not only contribute to the process with their God-given potential (spiritual gifts, insights into the will of God…) but also increase through their own involvement the chance of implementing the vision for their personal lives.

2. You work on that which is common and not on conflict

In many churches conflict impedes effective church development. In others it is the lack of orientation and the fact that everybody works on his or her own. In the course of a Future Search Conference it will become clear what all the church members have in common. You concentrate on what is shared, not on what separates the individuals from one another. This does not mean, however, that disagreements and conflicts are ignored. It is just that they are set aside for the time being.

3. First you reach consent, then you work on an action plan

Premature action is avoided. In this way, participants are prevented from getting lost in too many details. All things remain relatively open. It is only on the third day that the group decides on what to write down for implementation and who needs to do what by what date. Before that the focus is really on collecting and interpreting perceptions and information.

What does the program of a Future Search Conference look like?

32 to 64 persons, building up to eight groups of eight persons each, gather in one room for about 15 hours, within the course of three days. For example, Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, and maybe a few hours on Sunday after the church service. The members spend this time working partly in mixed groups, partly in interest groups, partly on their own, or in plenary sessions. They need to complete five assignments: (1) Look back at their past, (2) Consider contextual factors, (3) Look inside church, (4) Develop a vision for the future, and (5) Draw up a "mission statement" for the church.

1. Look back at their past

The first task is a look back on key events, just like the life line you developed as you worked on your personal "mission statement": How long is it since the first small group in your church started? What was the motivation of the elderly people when they started their Sunday evening service? What was it like back then when the church building was built? Who donated the money for this building?

Working in different groups, the participants will mark highlights and milestones on three different time axes (one for society, one for the church, and one for the personal history). Each group has 30 to 45 minutes for this assignment. They will interpret their findings and present them to the plenary session. The plenary group will then reflect on the meaning of those results for the future: "What does this mean for us? Do we see any train of thoughts? This time can be very valuable if people are asked beforehand to bring along things they attach to personal memories: a church bulletin from the past, photos of the small group back in 1965 or something like this.

2. Consider contextual factors

Tasks 2 directs the participants' attention to trends and influences in the present: What are the present trends? What are the problems and needs of the people around us? How many people are unemployed? What is the divorce rate like? Where are the places where kids can play after school? Who takes care of elderly people? Do we know our target group at all? Maybe additional topics will come up at this point. The key issue will always be to consider how those topics impact the church and how the church deals with them. The participants are challenged to share their observations of the church's environment. The shared image that is developed at this point is much more complete than any individual one. The consequences for the present and the future become clearer.

At this stage participants will be working in mixed groups where everybody can share his or her point of view. Concrete examples can help to explain trends more effectively. In the plenary session the trends which have been recognized will be put together on a flipchart as a mind map. After that, the participants weigh up the trends by attaching post-it notes: The goal here is to build a basis for discussion, not to set priorities. Then, the participants will split up into groups again – this time in interest groups. The task is to analyze the consequences for the church that emerge from the trends. Key questions are: What have we done already in this area? What did God show us already? What do we need to do now?

Each group has 45 minutes to reflect on these questions. The presentation to the plenary session, which follows, is not to exceed 4 minutes. This will close the first day.

3. Look inside church

The second day will begin with discussions in interest groups: What are the developments and trends within the church? What can we be proud of? What is working well in our church? It is important here the groups do not have an improper kind modesty. There will be many good things to be discovered. It would be good to express your gratitude towards God in a time of joint prayer. Afterwards, the following questions need to be addressed: "What do we regret? What are we not pleased with?" The goal here is not to blame anybody but to discover where we have put obstacles in the way ourselves. Now it should have become clear what to take forward and what to leave behind. The participants will begin to feel responsible for the weaknesses that begin to surface. The groups have 45 minutes for reflection and discussion before the findings will be presented and interpreted again in the plenary session: What do we think about what we have just heard? What do we learn from that? What has God shown us through the various challenges?

At this stage it is most helpful for a church profile to have been completed already, describing the strengths and weaknesses of the church on the basis of the quality characteristics of healthy growing churches (C. A. Schwarz. Natural Church Development. NCD Media). Likewise it would be very interesting if a gift inventory were available, showing the distribution of spiritual gifts within the church (Christoph Schalk & Jon Haley. The 3 Colors of Ministry: How to Implement in Your Church. ChurchSmart Resources).

4. Develop a vision for the future

"We are living now in the year 2010. Today belongs to the past. Have a look around: What do you see in our church now? What values shape our church? What biblical principles are at the centre? What ministries and programs have emerged? What have we achieved in the last couple of years?" In this or a similar way the moderator will introduce the next assignment. Various (mixed) groups are now to engage the potential future of the church in creative ways. Through sketches, collages, speeches, newspaper articles and other means the church is presented as pictured in five to ten years. The participants experience the future and get a real sense of what it will feel like. This increases the likelihood of the necessary change taking place.

Each group should have at least two and a half hours for this assignment. This phase of the process begins with a time of silence and meditation, allowing each participant to reflect on what "vision of the future" God has placed in their hearts. Helpful questions are: What makes me really angry or sad? What makes me total excited? What would I criticize in other churches (or in our church)?

The results of the work done in various groups will be presented in plenary session and then analyzed for what they have in common. This phase typically generates a high level of motivation among group members to join efforts and create the envisioned future together. Usually about 80 percent of the scenes portrayed by the various groups will overlap in content. This overlap will be worked out in various mixed groups in light of the following questions: What can our common future look like? What values and biblical principles are to determine the vision for our church? What are the differences?

After all groups have answered these questions, two groups at a time join together and repeat the process. Then you continue in the plenary session – again with the goal to discover what the contributions have in common. The results will be visualized on a flipchart. What should remain is only that which all the group members can support. This may possibly require some time and energy, because some differences will remain. Either you make a list of "unsolved differences" and postpone solving those differences or you ask one representative from each group where there is a disagreement to meet in another room and struggle for a solution in prayer and discussion. The second day will close again with a time of prayer.

5. Drawing up a mission statement for the church

The third day begins with silence: Everybody takes a close look at the notes on the flipchart and takes time for reflection and prayer. Mixed groups will then work on a "mission statement". All the "common ground" that has been explored and established on the days before is to be reflected in the "mission statement." If possible, it should be summarized in a brief statement. Eventually, each group will present its version of the "mission statement" in the plenary session. Often it is possible at this stage for the plenary to develop a first draft of a mutual "mission statement". Careful phrasing is not necessary now. This in fact can be done later on or be delegated to a working group after the Future Search Conference.

Finally, the "mission statement" needs to be checked in light of the following criteria: Does it clearly communicate God's calling for this church? Has our target group been defined? Does it state clearly the needs in our environment which we want to meet? Are other ministries mentioned that are to help us implement what we are called to do? Is the "mission statement" precise, concise, catchy and motivating?

To avoid the risk of having produced a nice piece of paper without any practical relevance, the various interest groups are now asked to reflect on the first consequences of the "mission statement" for their own ministries. What is the meaning of the "mission statement" for the various interest groups? How does it need to be "translated"? A specific action plan is necessary: Who does what by what deadline? In this phase those individuals with a high energy level should be discerned, i.e., people who have a strong interest in a specific issue and therefore are highly motivated to invest whatever it takes to make things happen.

At this point it is also necessary to think about any follow-up needed: Are further meetings necessary? Do we need a working group? When will we continue? Who is responsible for the follow-up needed? Make sure you keep a record of all contributions and results so that nothing gets lost.

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.

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