Vision and Mission

by Don Harkey

It is estimated that there are over 300,000 churches in the United States. This makes churches the most common non-profit organization in this country, and probably in the world. Most people have been to a church at some point in their lives, but have you ever thought of a church as an organization or even as a business?

About 6 years ago, Messiah Lutheran Church in Springfield, Missouri hired a consultant. The consultant interviewed many members of the congregation to assess the overall health of the organization. The results were presented in a report. The report did not contain any earth shattering news. The congregation was healthy, but stagnant. There were no major rifts in the church... no issues that threatened its existance... only a steady attendance record over its 45 year history.

The report contained one critical piece of advice; develop a Vision and Mission. Where are you going? What is your purpose? Why are we here? These were the question posed before the congregants of Messiah Lutheran Church only 6 years ago.

6 years later, the congregation is transformed. It is still the healthy congregation with a strong culture of family that existed during the study. However, today, the church is alive with excitement about the future. This summer, the church will complete a $2.7 million building project at its existing site in Springfield, for which its congregation raised almost $1 million over the previous 3 years.

Almost 100 members of the church spent almost 2 years working on the answers to those original questions and the resulting answers lead to the new energy. The congregation learned a lot about itself in its Mission Statement.

"Guided by the Gospel we: Welcome All to Worship, Make Disciples, Hunger for Ministry, Nurture Youth, Gather Resources for Growing Ministries, and Offer Healing and Care to All in Need"

This simple Mission statement is said after every worship service and is repeated in congregational meetings, team meetings, and anywhere where a little vision is needed. The organization is focused on utilizing its people to find its mission. It knows that its "economic engine" is members of the church who see that the church is fulfilling a need.

Would this type of process work for a "for profit" business? Would it be benefitial for leaders within a business to sit down and discuss the answers to questions like "why are we here" and "what is our purpose"?

The answer is "absolutely"!

As Jim Collins pointed out in "Good to Great", a company that knows what it is passionate about is more successful than companies who focus too much on their dashboards. This is intuitive to anyone who has ever worked with people. People are much more creative and energetic when they are working together toward a common purpose. Remember that "relatedness" is a major factor in personal motivation. Within an organization, profit or not, understanding the passion and common purpose is critical.

Still... non-profits are very different entities. There can't be too much more in common... can there?

Want to learn more about Messiah Lutheran Church? Visit www.messiahmo.org.