In the last week I had two conversations with different women about how we know when God is leading us to do something. One of the women who has been approached to teach a short term women’s class asked, “Should I just say yes because I’m free and really could do it, or do I wait on some kind of sign from the Lord?”
When I asked another woman about the answer to the first woman’s question, she replied, “That depends on what her mission statement is.”
I never thought much about having a personal mission statement and if you’d asked me in the past I’d have said, “I don’t know that it really makes any difference. Mission statements are so trendy.”
I’ve changed my mind about them over time. During my years in Bible Study Fellowship International, we had to memorize the mission statement that was so critical to what BSF is all about. Later I learned that it really helped the leadership of BSF know what it was, and what it wasn’t, about. A very specific mission statement enabled BSF to become the very sound and effective organization it is – equipping well those who study God’s Word there, and training leaders. The mission statement also helped the organization to say “no” to developing a training program for pastors, as one pastor asked them to do, because while it was exciting, it didn’t fulfill their God given mission.
We recently, very prayerfully, sent the pastor of our church away so that he could wait on the Lord for God’s mission for our church in suburban northern New Jersey. He came back with, “A Christ-centered community of good neighbors.” Going forward, our implementation of activities and programs will be based on a solid biblical base, will encourage community among those who attend, and provide outreach to the neighbors who live around us.
Several years ago at the yearly retreat I go to in the spring, one of the speakers spoke about writing a personal mission statement. Here are some of the things she said:
Why formulate a mission statement? It’s important to know what you are here on earth for. . . . we are on a mission. . . .what are we going to do on the journey?
· A mission is a special God given duty to do something.
· Without a mission statement, we get off track and forget what we are doing and why God put us here.
· A mission statement helps us determine to which activities we say “yes” to and to which we say “no”.
· A mission statement helps us initiate and evaluate activities designed for us and those that aren’t.
· We might say that Jesus’ mission statement was “to seek and to save the lost”. That’s why He sought out sinners and went to the cross. It explains why He spent more time with sinners than the religious leaders of his day.
· Your mission will be something that puts to use the unique gifts the Lord has given you. You will love it, because you’ve been gifted to do it, you’re passionate about it, and you are fulfilled doing it.
· Your God given mission will cost great sacrifice.
Your mission is NOT:
- · Your job
- · Your role or responsibility, like wife, sister, friend
- · It’s not your “to do” list
A mission statement expresses: what I am going to do and who I’ll do it with (The kind of people you have a heart for.) It expresses your passion.
· It should be simple and easy to remember.
· A mission statement consists of 2-3 verbs (verbs that describe what you LOVE to do!). You can try brainstorming a few and then choosing 2-3 of them.
The mission statement my friend formulated back in 2002 when we completed this assignment at the retreat was:
- To relate and communicate God’s truth through my life with those with whom I have a relationship.
My mission statement was:
- To inspire in women a love for God and His Word by making the teaching of the Bible alive and practical.
I faced a situation some years ago when I was asked by the women of my church if I would head the women’s ministry team which was just getting started. I had never done anything like that, so I knew it would take me some time to find my way, plus I already had a heavy time commitment in another ministry, and my two girls were still in middle school. I was really confused about what to do, so I called a woman who had been my mentor and asked her advice.
All she had to do was ask me one question. She said, “Your gift is teaching God’s Word. If you take this position, will you still be free to take a teaching assignment when it comes along?” It was a great question and it helped make the decision easy. There would be no way I could remain free to say “yes” to an assignment for which God had uniquely gifted me and take on this additional responsibility. Did I have other gifts that might have made me a good candidate for the position – I had some – but I knew my primary calling was to teach, so I turned the position down.
Knowing that my age (64 this year) has been causing me to revisit God’s plan for me now, my friend and prayer partner Jeannine has been challenging me to think about writing a new mission statement to reflect some of the changes in the way I see the Lord leading me.
Jeannine and I have been prayer partners for a year now and while she calls me HER mentor, the Lord has used Jeannine in my life to challenge me many times, as Solomon says in Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one (wo)man sharpens another.”
So, I’ve been thinking and praying about a new mission statement and today God, through my current reading through the book of Exodus, wrote it for me. Stay tuned for my next blog!
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