During the pre-launch phase of City Church, when we were just a core team, I remember we spent what seemed to be hours and hours together trying to develop our mission statement. It was stressful! Seven years later, here are some thoughts on developing a mission statement for your church:
1. Mission statements are important, but not as important as they are often hyped.
Above all else, mission statements give churches clarity, and that is important. That clarity allows churches to continue to see that “THIS” is what we are about. Mission statements aren’t so important that you have to spend hours trying to get the exact wording correct.
2. The shorter the statement, the better.
To quote Bill O’Reilly, “Keep it pithy.” You want people to be able to memorize the statement, which leads me to my third point, which I think is the most important, concerning mission statements.
3. Your entire church needs to know the mission statement, not just your staff.
A mission statement is often a phrase that is kept on the church website, that a few staff members can recite if they think about it long enough.
If you are going to go through the trouble of having a mission statement, let it be something the entire church can tally around, that provides clarity and a sense of urgency about why you exist as a church in the first place.
At City Church our statement is “For the Gospel, For The City.” Those words are plastered over everything City Church-related, and our members can say it in their sleep. We believe that theology is what fuels mission. Since we believe deeply in the exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are committed to making it known in our city.
It truly is that simple. We want to make disciples in Tallahassee, because we believe the gospel.
Since we are for the Gospel, we want to reach a whole lot of people in our city.
Our Church is about a 100% blend of theology and mission. Not 50/50, but 100%. “For the Gospel, For the City,” helps us stay focused on why we started in the first place. What is it your church needs to rally around and constantly have in front of them? Don’t get caught in semantics, but rather, get caught up in what you do, and why you are doing it!
