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How to Draft A Vision Statement

By chris | December 20, 2006

Every church has a calling to fulfill. I have worked with churches in very close geographic proximity to each other and have marveled at the unique calling each church expressed. It seems that some churches are designed by God to reach people and do things that only they can do. Wouldn’t it be great for churches to stop trying to be like the other church down the street or one on the other side of the country and become the church God designed them to be?

As we have said, first the church much humbly and honestly seek God’s will for them. The how to seek God is beyond the scope of what I am trying to blog about in this seminar. Seeking God should be the primary task of every church. Marketing is only a tool, one among many, that churches use to fulfill the calling they have from God.

As churches have determined their direction, they should put their vision down on paper. It will help them in decision making and planning of all types. With a vision statement, a church can rally their “troops” to become what God has directed them to become.

Let’s look at a few vision statements I have seen from churches

These are not visions, they are slogans! I like the sentiments of these statements, but what do they say about the future? What will the world look like when the vision is accomplished? You don’t know; they are too vague. Perhaps they are too safe.  How do you use a vision statement like these?

First, we must determine what a vision statement does. Imagine the vision statement as the summary statement of the aspirations of the people in the organization. It focuses the programming and planning of the church in a direction that points directly at God’s calling for that church. It tells new people who join the church, what kind of organization they have joined. It is God’s assignment for the church.

I have noted that many churches have such a vague sense of vision, it is impossible for them to sense the thrill of progressing toward completing their assignment. Frankly, many ministries don’t grow because they don’t have a vision for reaching people. Of course “on paper” they desire to “seek and save the lost” but their programming, budgeting, and marketing don’t show it. That’s why many churches do’t seem to have a particular direction or purpose, they don’t know where they are going or why they are doing what they are doing apart from the broad (yet biblical) direction most churches go.

Make the Vision as Big as God’s Calling

Let your statement flow out of a God given calling. I have always believed that God’s calling always comes in connection to his plan for redeeming mankind. Think about the big dreamers in the Bible. Abraham was called to be a blessing to the nations. Not for political power, but to provide the family line for the savior of the world. Joseph had a dream that his entire family would bow down to him. God meant what happened to Joseph for the good of mankind; he preserved the royal line of Christ’s family.

Moses had the dream to lead the children of Israel out of bondage, not just to remove them from slavery, but for the ultimate redemption. Christ became our Passover lamb. Paul was called to be a light to the gentiles, not so he could build a global ministry, but so the gospel would get to our ancestors. So we would be saved.  God calls our churches to the ministry of redemption, not merely run a variety of great programs and grow by inadvertently attracting people from other churches.

Don’t Write a Slogan, State Your God-given Dreams on Paper!

Don’t worry that it doesn’t look good on your letterhead. Forget that! You need to clearly state what your calling is. Let the longer vision statement be a part of your new member orientation, you can use it internally. Externally, you can have a shorter, slogan statement–inside you need the direction you get from a longer document.

Make your vision a faith-statement. One that relies on the abundant resources that comes from God. He has no limitations. If you really have discovered the calling from God for your church, you can count on his 100% provision for what you need.

A few questions to help kick-start your writing:

Vision Requires Audacious Faith

I had the privilege of attending the 25th anniversary of Saddleback Community church a couple years ago. On that day pastor, Rick Warren stood in front of his 25,000 member church assembled at Angel stadium in California and read the vision statement he read to the congregation in his first sermon in 1980. It was very moving because everything in the vision was achieved and far more! The vision statement is also in the book “The Purpose Driven Church” by Warren

The Saddleback Vision

From Pastor Rick’s first sermon, March 30, 1980

It is the dream of a place where the hurting, the depressed, the frustrated, and the confused can find love, acceptance, help, hope, forgiveness, guidance and encouragement.

It is the dream of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the hundreds of thousands of residents in South Orange County

It is the dream of welcoming 20,000 members into the fellowship of our church family—loving, learning, laughing, and living in harmony together.

It is the dream of developing people to spiritual maturity through Bible studies, small groups, seminars, retreats, and a Bible school for our members.

It is the dream of equipping every believer for a significant ministry by helping them discover the gifts and talents God gave them.

It is the dream of sending out hundreds of career missionaries and church workers all around the world, and empowering very member for a personal life mission in the world.

It is the dream of sending our members by the thousands on short-term mission projects to every continent.

It is the dream of starting one daughter church every year.

It is the dream of at least fifty acres of land, on which will be built a regional church for south Orange County—with beautiful, yet simple, facilities including a worship center seating thousands, a counseling and prayer center, classrooms for Bible studies and training lay ministers, and a recreation area. All of this will be designed to minister to the total person—spiritually, physically, and socially—and set in a peaceful inspiring garden landscape.

I stand before you today and state in confident assurance that these dreams will become reality. Why? Because they are inspired by God!

Wow! When Pastor Rick read that vision statement for the first time, he was standing in front of 150 people he hardly knew. Imagine the audacity of the dream of a 20,000 member church! What faith to say specifics about what God is going to do in the future! If you say God inspired you to do something, you better be sure you really did get a word from the Lord! Why can’t more churches make claims like this? Could it be we don’t wait long enough to hear what God is saying to our churches?

Your job as a coach is to learn as much as you can about the church, encourage them to dream again. Help them get craving to seek God and learn how he wants to use them to reach people. My goal is we all become better at helping churches reach more people than ever before.

While we are dreaming, let me share my dream with you. This is my statement for MMC. I belief God has been shaping me for this work all my life. In recent months I have come to believe the direction I need to take is to help others become marketing coaches, not just to be one myself. As I wrangle with this more in prayer and in seeking God, I suspect it will become clearer. I invite your prayers, Could God be calling you to coach others in ministry marketing?

The Vision for Ministry Marketing Coach

I have a dream that I believe has been inspired by God to help ministries achieve the Great Commission.

Topics: Define the Mission |

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