(Medical test being conducting in the Village of TumTum Tara, Honduras,
in advance of the distribution of water filters.)
What’s Your Mission Statement?
By Bishop Chris Giesler
Scripture Text: John 3:14-21
Why are you here? What is your purpose in life? What is your mission statement?
How might Jesus have answered those questions?
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17
This statement occurs within the context of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. This is the passage where Nicodemus comes to Jesus, wanting to know just what he is all about. Here, near the beginning of his Gospel, John wants us to know just why Jesus has come to us. This is God’s and Jesus’ mission statement in John. This is important because our mission in life will find its roots in who we understand ourselves to be in relation to God.
To me, this means that God’s ultimate motivation is love. And, it means that through Jesus, God is seeking after each of us. After all, God’s love sent Jesus to the world to save us, not condemn us.
So, we know why God sent Jesus into the world. Now, let’s consider how God is sending us into the world.
(What follows is a method for helping folks to write their mission statement. If you plan to use it, I recommend printing it for people to have in front of them. You could post it on your website or email it ahead of time to folks who watch from home on their computers. As you go down the list with your congregation, you may undoubtedly expand on points as you see fit. )
Writing Your Personal Mission Statement
- Begin by listing the things you do well. Your mission statement should be based on the things with which you are gifted. Where have you found successes in the past? What sorts of things have you done that brought you joy and satisfaction? How have you been affirmed by those around you?
- Another way of looking at this is to think about what you would like people to say about you at your funeral service. How would you want to be remembered?
- Make a list of the things that you value most. You might value equality, peace, justice, freedom, loyalty, or love.
- Next, list some of the areas of the world and some of the unmet needs that might be present there. This could be a park in your neighborhood that needs a group of volunteers to help keep it clean; it could be raising money for a project or being a part of a mission team caring for people on the other side of the world.
- If this list is too long, pair it down by considering where you feel you can make the most significant impact. This means taking your list of gifts and talents and matching them to the unmet needs that you are aware of.
- After matching your talents to unmet needs, if your list is still too long, think about where your heart is most broken by those who are suffering.
- Finally, write a mission statement that is two to five sentences long. This should address things that you can accomplish in the next five years or so. You might also consider writing mission statements that cover ten years and then perhaps twenty years. Each time frame might include different aspects of your life.
- Write your mission statement down and put it where you will see it frequently. Your bathroom mirror, the refrigerator door, or the back of the TV remote or cell phone are good places to do this.
So, if you enjoy spending time with children and have been told that you work well with them, and you value having young people gain an understanding of the Bible, your mission statement might say: “In the next year, I want to offer my time to be a Sunday School teacher in my congregation. In doing so, I will endeavor to be prepared each week by reviewing the curriculum, assembling the needed materials, and working with a partner to teach each class.”
Here again is why God sent us a Savior.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)
How can we love in response to so great a love?
