Owning the Vision of Brighton First

The mission of Brighton First is to be a faith community where people know, love and serve God. When we are accomplishing our mission, we are making disciples for Jesus Christ. We also have an "official" vision statement that offers the "big ideas" for how we accomplish our mission.

In recent weeks, I've been working to internalize the vision for our church, so I can pull it up from memory. My theory is that if I am asking myself whether or not a program or event fits our vision, I need to have clarity about what I'm looking for. In addition, being clear about our vision will help me to prayerfully discern what needs to be done to move us forward.

My summary of our vision (This is how we are and will continue to help people know, love and serve God.)

• WORSHIP. Offer worship services that are relevant (connect to life), inspiring (connect to God) and life-changing (transformative).

• DISCIPLESHIP. Excellent programming (classes, groups) for all ages that intentionally shapes disciples for Jesus Christ. (The marks of a Disciple are: being part of the body of Christ, becoming more like Jesus and joining Jesus in ministry.)

• SERVICE. Participate in service that is relational and transformation for all involved

• FELLOWSHIP. In all we do as a body of believers, cultivate relationships that are authentic.

Now, this is my current condensed version of our vision. It is a work in progress. I invite all readers to study Brighton First's Vision Statement below and try my exercise. How would you state the major points of our vision in your own words? If you do this work, please email me the results. I'm curious and I know that I will grow in insight from your thoughts.

Bright First's Vision Statement:

We are followers of Jesus Christ who strive to know God, love God and serve God by serving others. 

Worship: Our worship services are meaningful and relevant. Insightful sermons, heartfelt prayer and inspiring music leave worshippers feeling refreshed, renewed and recommitted to their faith.

Discipleship: We provide learning opportunities for people of all ages to enrich their lives and help them grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We nurture the young, teaching them of God’s awesome power and abiding love, the life and teachings of Jesus and the rich history of God’s people. We offer stimulating classes for adult enrichment as well, including Bible study and discussion groups.

Service: We serve as the hands and feet of Christ, going where there is need and doing God’s work. We build relationships with the people we serve. We find transformational experiences often occur for those who serve as well as those who are served.  Our church provides many opportunities to help individuals identify, develop and use their gifts for the glory of God and service to others.

Fellowship: Our church community offers a wide variety of activities and events that bring people together for fellowship. Participants build authentic relationships and find a sense of belonging. We work and worship together. We serve and celebrate together. We sing and pray and learn and laugh, all of us on life’s journey together.