Oh, painful memories of being locked up in our director's home having to come up with a mission statement. All of us, in one day, none of us agreeing on anything. We wound up with a mission statement that mirrored what we already had, just using slightly similar words.
You're right, if a church needs a mission statement, it's too far lost to find it.
Most LCMS Districts have a mission statement and strategic planning committees. Obviously, our bloated district offices have to justify their existence as they continue to drain financial resources away from the Synod.
We were told by the accreditation committee that our Lutheran day school had to have a mission statement to meet accreditation standards. I just cringed and clammed up figuring it would go faster if I said nothing. I was wrong. A mountain of school board time was spent to come up with a simple statement. It seemed a bit pointless.
The words, the phrases, the adjectives, and the mission statements sound exactly like the same stuff we did in the public school system about how to better serve our "customers". So typical and trendy.
Writing a Mission Statement was meant to light a fire under the pew of those parishes who are doing absolutely nothing in outreach.
Too many parishes are simply in a survival mode and never look outside their 4 walls. Small parishes expect the St. Louis or Fort Wayne Seminary to send them a candidate even if they can not pay him decent salary.
Oh, painful memories of being locked up in our director's home having to come up with a mission statement. All of us, in one day, none of us agreeing on anything. We wound up with a mission statement that mirrored what we already had, just using slightly similar words.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, if a church needs a mission statement, it's too far lost to find it.
You should also add vision statements and strategic planning committees to the list.
ReplyDeleteMost LCMS Districts have a mission
ReplyDeletestatement and strategic planning
committees. Obviously, our bloated
district offices have to justify
their existence as they continue to
drain financial resources away from
the Synod.
We were told by the accreditation committee that our Lutheran day school had to have a mission statement to meet accreditation standards. I just cringed and clammed up figuring it would go faster if I said nothing. I was wrong. A mountain of school board time was spent to come up with a simple statement. It seemed a bit pointless.
ReplyDeleteThe words, the phrases, the adjectives, and the mission statements sound exactly like the same stuff we did in the public school system about how to better serve our "customers". So typical and trendy.
ReplyDeleteWriting a Mission Statement was
ReplyDeletemeant to light a fire under the
pew of those parishes who are doing
absolutely nothing in outreach.
Too many parishes are simply in a
survival mode and never look outside
their 4 walls. Small parishes
expect the St. Louis or Fort Wayne
Seminary to send them a candidate
even if they can not pay him
decent salary.
Anonymous said: "Writing a Mission Statement was meant to light a fire under the pew of those parishes who are doing absolutely nothing..."
ReplyDeleteIf the Word of God, if the Gospel, cannot light the fire...how can a mission sstatement do it?
Bill H.
I'll stick to God's mission statement in Holy Scripture. That is sufficient and you can't beat the Holy Spirit anyway.
ReplyDelete