Has any mission statement from a church stuck in your memory?

Welcome to Wondercafe2!

A community where we discuss, share, and have some fun together. Join today and become a part of it!

GO3838

Well-Known Member
Summer is a time many of us may visit another church.
Has anyone ever noticed a church's mission statement?
The reason I'm asking is because someone from our Conference Executive told us our church's mission statement "was too lame." (Not his exact words, but certainly the sentiment. But I think his heart is in the right place - he wanted to be honest about his reaction to the mission statement so that we might think about changing it.)
But that got me thinking: do people really notice the mission statement? How many members actually know their church's mission statement? The test of a good mission statement must be that visitors notice it enough to remember it.

Have any mission statements passed that test for you?
 
Frankly I am not convinced congregational mission statements are all that worthwhile anyway....
 
I agree. It was once told to me that a mission statement should be short and should be
pasted on everything from Sunday Bulletin to Ctte and council minutes. What ever work
was done in the church, if it did not relate to the mission statement, it was not a good statement or
good work for the church do be doing.
Well, I don't think I have ever seen this done and most are long and rambling.
 
Ours is - We exist to worship God - learn more about God - serve God and others - and tell people about Jesus.
 
Last edited:
It's more a motto than a mission statement (though our mission statement incorporates the same sentiments):

Challenge the Mind • Nourish the Spirit • Act in the World

I can't find the actual mission statement on our website so I'll grab it off a bulletin when I'm home tonight.
 
When I was serving a pastoral charge in Saskatchewan, we had a misstion and vision workshop. The mission statement we came up with was the "We are called to be the Church" part of the New Creed. Not as short as I would have liked, but very little use of religious langauge.
 
Thanks for your input, everyone.

I've noticed that the mission statements posted here tend to be active and specific.

Perhaps that's what makes a mission statement memorable.

So perhaps my church needs a mission statement that's less vague and also has a verb.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jae
Some churches have both a Mission Statement and also a slogan.

For example - here's the slogan of Scum of the Earth Church ---

"We are a church for the 'left-out and the right-brained' in Denver, CO."

They also have on their website their top 5 rejected slogans ---

"5. Emerging from the emergent church.
4. Our congregation can kick your congregations ass.
3. Same old evangelical crap, different package.
2. Come to see the crazy bathrooms, stay for the sermon.
1. And you thought mega-churches sucked."

Source - http://www.scumoftheearth.net/SOTEC/Welcome.html
 
scum of the earth church -- brilliant :3


another fine example of the global spiritual marketplace
 
Last edited:
Hi, Mission statements can be very important, its called branding. It needs to have an action statement - or show action.

My churches mission statement is to long, and not memorable - thus mean little. The congregation/council etc need buy in.

At work, all our ads/letter head etc all have the mission statement printed on them and everyone knows the mission and what we are called to do. Not so much at church.
 
I have attended four different congregations during my life. I don't recall any of them having a mission statement. Some of the statements I have read online seem more than a wee bit idealistic and could cause people like me to think that there is a bit of dishonesty in how the group is presented to the world,
 
I think that they should be short and to the point - easily remembered and easily put into action.
 
Oh, sorry. Others already said that. It looks pretty alright to me. I know their message is a little more evangelical than UCCan - but I like the concept.
 
Last edited:
They were the rage a few years ago, and then our diocese had one and required (?) parishes to have one. Although I understand the words, I have never understood a single mission statement – by the church or by a company.

However, we used to have very simple statements, almost like a motto, that I always found to the point and easy to understand. I hope they make a comeback.
 
Back
Top