How would you tweet your mission?
Having a clearly articulated mission statement helps to guide a congregation’s leaders in deciding where to put their energy and resources. But often such statements are put together by a committee and can be a bit….(I hate to say it)…wordy. Last year I visited Western Michigan, where the rest of my family still lives. The area has strong Dutch Reformed roots. Grand Rapids (where I grew up) is the home of Calvin College, several Bible colleges and a some well-regarded Christian book publishers. The Grand Rapids Press has a weekly religion section (not just a page) and there are three full pages of church advertisements vying for the attention of the unchurched. Most of the churches who advertised articulated their mission—who they were in the context of the wider community—in a clear, short statement; one that could easily fit into the 140 character limit of a twitter message. The theology of the congregation wasn’t always apparent in the mission statement. I thought it might be fun to look at the different mission statements removed from their denominational affiliation.
- A Multi-Ethnic Church
- Rooted in Truth, Reaching Out with Grace
- The Church on the Hill
- We Welcome and Celebrate Diversity
- 96 years in ministry
- A place where devotion and compassion meet
- Alive in the City – Embracing the World
- An Inclusive, Progressive Community of Faith
- Authentic Church for the Modern World
- Be aware. Be grateful. Be kind.
- Classic Worship, Liberating Theology
- Come and enjoy our traditional style worship services.
- Come Share the Spirit
- Cultivating Religious Freedom, Diversity, Inquiry, and Community
- Free the Mind…Grow the Soul…Change the World
- From 1849 to today.
- Join us in worship this weekend
- Seeking God, Following Christ, Serving Others
- Spiritual Growth, Fellowship, Support and Service Opportunities for All Ages
- Spiritual without being religious
- The Church with a Heart
- Your church home
What assumptions might you make about each faith community? What is their mission—i.e. the work that God is calling them to do in the world? Is it their mission one that calls to you as well? May we find ways to articulate our own missions (whether on the church website’s homepage, a church Facebook® page or even in a newspaper ad) in a way that those who are not yet a part of our faith communities are inspired to join with us. (For the curious, here are the denominational identities of the churches whose mission statements I shared above.)
- Assembly of God
- Christian Reformed
- Congregational
- Church of God in Christ
- Lutheran
- The Salvation Army
- United Methodist
- Trinity United Methodist
- Undenominational
- Interfaith
- Reformed Church in America
- Baptist
- Lutheran
- Unitarian Universalist
- Unaffiliated Liberal
- Congregational
- Undenominational, Bible-based
- United Methodist
- Presbyterian Church
- Unity
- Presbyterian
- Assembly of God