No, you don't need a cooler mission statement so you can call it a mantra. No you don't need a better sounding slogan. You need to know what the heck your church or ministry is ultimately supposed to be doing and you need to state in a clear, concise and compelling way. This is a leadership statement to direct and integrate all of your thinking, speaking and acting. Let me repeat- this is a leadership statement, not a marketing statement.
Start leading today by doing one or more of these activities.
#1 Rewrite your mission on a sheet of paper as many times as there are words in it. Each time write a different word in ALL CAPS. Reflect on each word of the mission. (Note: If your mission has more than 20 words in it, its too long. Proceed to idea #7)
#2 Look at your worship guide from last Sunday. List all of the ministry opportunity categories that were promoted and force rank them with regard to how effective each is at fulfilling the mission. (Great to do as a team.)
#3 Write the mission real big on a white board or white pad in your office and see how people interact with it.
#4 Ask the next ten people you meet in your church office or church service if they know the mission of the church. (Make it fun and tell them you are doing research for blogger friend.) Pay attention to their response. (And let me know what happened.)
#5 Do this exercise with a person you are eating lunch with: Write the mission on a napkin and ask them, "What does this mission mean to you?" Listen. Then ask them, "When, if at all, did this mission come into your conscious thought?" Listen again.
#6 Create a five minute devotional using your mission, finding an appropriate biblical text to share. Use the devotional with the different groups you lead this week.
#7 Read this FREE chapter from Church Unique on mission. It's called Carry the Holy Orders. If you need to re-articulate your mission statement, spend 30 minutes planning time and decision-making steps to get it done.
#8 Make a list of five people that you believe model the mission of your ministry. Send all five of them a quick note to say something like, "Thanks for living the mission. You inspire me!"
#9 Write your personal "shadow mission." What tends to drive you practically? What tends to drive your church practically? Go ahead and really write it out. (For example, a shadow mission might be, "We want to draw bigger crowds every Sunday with great teaching and worship." Compare and contrast the shadow mission with the real mission. Repent. Share this with other leaders.
#10 Spend time in prayer with you leadership team using your mission. Create time and space to pray through the mission and each word of the mission.