Your Purpose Statement, sometimes called a Mission Statement will encompass all of the precepts we talked about, arranged in a logical and systematic order. Remember, God is the One who guides us, and this Purpose Statement is the mechanism of communication to convey His call to you and the rest of the church. There is no right or wrong way to do this; you can tailor it to suit your situation. It can even be written as a story. Just make sure you are leading by God's direction!
Suggestions:
·Remember the shorter and more to the point it is, the better people will remember and follow it!
·Start on the top of the page with your Vision of no more than 100 words.
·Then move to the Mission, which can be a sentence slogan that summarizes the Vision.
·Write out the Purpose by bullet points or as a story, however you feel you can communicate it best. This is the main text, so try to keep it all on one to three pages.
·Now write out your Core Values. These are the essential beliefs you have. It is not your doctrinal statement, but the essence of your theology as values and virtue. Why does your church exist? Who are you, and what do you do? This can be a few words, or a page of bullet points.
·Now write out your Goals, and put them in a time line. "We hope by God's grace to accomplish…" Make sure the goals are clear and quantifiable statements of how the Vision and Purpose will be accomplished.
·Now you may consider adding a Distinctive. This would be a statement or bullet points that say why you are different, and why people would want to come to your church. How is your church different from others in the community? Do not put down the other churches by making yours sound better. We are all the Body of Christ!
·All these statements are your expressions of your call, and reason to be and do in your church family and community. They are to define you and guide you to God's Will and plan!
·Once you have written these things down, pray over and approve them. Make sure you have consensus in the boardroom. If not, you have more work to do. Once it is approved, make a copy available to everyone. Enthusiastically go over it in an all-church meeting, and be prepared to answer any questions and/or objections positively. Be open to criticism, as many people will not like change. Be prepared to make small baby steps if there is a lot of opposition. It is best to already have gone to key older people in your church, the previous movers and shakers, and get them behind you. If not, you will have a lot of problems!
·Then on a separate sheet of paper write out your strategies. These are the hands and feet to the Vision. What will be the resources, programs, obstructions, objectives, and costs to accomplish your vision and goals? What will be your expected results? Remember God's timing!
·Have a plan to evaluate and adjust your Purpose Statement. As you begin, you will find things you may not have thought of, and you will need to fine-tune it.
·Consider how you will maintain the Vision and its "momentum" over the longer term? (By following the suggestions from How to lead and Manage the Church)
