Building a "Mission Frame"

Sherry participates in a training exercise
in Church Unique Vision Framing

George Washington Carver wrote, "Where there is no vision, there is no hope." The very nature of the church is to be a people of hope. However, if a church has no vision it is not moving forward in offering the hope of Jesus Christ.

I recently spent three days of training with "navigators" from Auxano, a consulting group that specializing in helping churches through the visioning process. I joined 25 clergy and lay leaders from the Michigan Conference who have been trained in a process to help the local church build a framework for their unique visions.

Auxano's visioning process is based on the work of Will Mancini and begins with the book Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture and Create Movement. Mancini's belief is that the mission, values, strategies and ministry measures of a church are unique to each context. 

The visioning process leads church's to examine their own context and values and to claim a vision framework that is uniquely theirs. The process is long (9 to 10 months!) and the work challenging, but the result is a clarity of strategy and framework for strong, hopeful, dynamic ministry.

My take aways for the church I lead, First United Methodist Church: 

• Our mission statement, "Know God, Love God, Serve God", is a "strategy statement" and not a mission statement. It is a summary of our strategy for strengthening followers of Jesus Christ.
• We have a clear set of values that are informing the decisions we make.
• We have clear measures for what a growing disciple of Jesus Christ is (results of our strategies), but we have failed to make that process clear to the congregation and those who are joining us for the first time.
• I was also reminded that a church that is doing to much, may be going in too many directions to be effective. If we are all "pulling" in the same direction on a few things, we can make a bigger impact.
• I continue to be inspired by the leadership and ministry of the congregation I serve. They serve with big hearts and take risks in the name of Christ with great faith.