How Does Your Mission Stack Up?

By: John Gibson

Mission is a interesting word; it's one that has multiple meanings driven by the context of how you use it. It can be a noun. It can be an assignment that is carried out. It could be a group of people being sent, an operation carried out by a military aircraft, a building where people go to serve others, a vocation or a calling in an individual's life—and it can even be a main directive for a church. There’s lots of options and plenty of room for interpretation. In my perspective, that’s enough reason for it to be misunderstood, taken out of context, disregarded over a span of time and even “drifted” from its original meaning and purpose.

The word is derived from Latin, like many words we use. Funny thing, this root word with so many interpretations means one thing—sending. The word “Mittere” means to send, to dispatch or release. The modern context of the word mission is rooted in the combining of “Mittere” and “Missio” which together meant the “sending of the Holy Spirit into the world.” This has been the primary interpretation since it was first used in the mid-16th century. According to the Bible, (and credit to Rick Warren for the interpretation) the Holy Spirit is here on Earth to make men more aware of their need for Jesus Christ.

Put simply, your mission—if written in context of the original meaning—should be centered around reaching people and making them more aware of their need for Jesus. Which seems common enough, as most church mission statements are about Christ and the Commission. So then, if everyone’s pretty solid on what missions are about, how do those missions drift?

I remember one early morning, right before I took off on an international flight to the Philippines. I had some morbid thoughts about what could go wrong, quickly followed by some prayers and promises. Maybe you’ve experienced the very same thought process: “Have I been the best dad?” “If I was to die in this plane, would my kids be OK, and would I be remembered fondly?”

Cut and paste in your own fears, but I fervently and quickly prayed and promised God that I would do better. I promised, if I could live another day I would be the very best dad! Soon afterwards my best intentions slipped back to being the second or third best dad ever. Talk about mission drift! This is what happens with mission statements, even when we come at them with the best of intentions. Life, competing interests, majority rules, weak leadership or even wayward leadership soon create a chasm between the mission and what is actually happening in the life of your church.

Your mission may state, “We will do all things short of sin to reach the lost!” But when was the last time you actually invited someone to church, or did something that didn’t center around the weekend experience? Or perhaps, “In Christ’s name we will serve the least of these…” yet, the last time a dollar from your general budget went to something other than paychecks or the mortgage was when you asked the church for a special offering. Yet mission drift also happens in church staff culture. Even though we preach about it, and shout about reaching our neighbors to our congregation, most of your staff probably have all Christian friends and family. The last time they talked to a lost person was when they were on vacation in Europe. Is your mission statement the effective action that it was designed to be? Or, is it just words on a wall or a statement that is heard but ignored, overwhelmed by the white noise of comfort and edification?

What tell-tale signs are you seeing in your church culture? Most third or fourth level leaders, and especially your volunteers, can see where the mission of the church is compromised. Many may just sit and watch as your mission slips away, just like the waves of a lake, continuously lapping over and over, and eroding the banks of a island of best intentions.

But here’s the good news! God has a plan for your church! It is excellent and it is good! Sometimes we just need a gut check, an objective eye, and a plan for course correction. Is it easy to get back on course? Of course not, change is never simple or easy. But it’s worth it. The right culture and a refocus on your mission as a church leads to more changed lives, and an exciting new energy that impacts communities locally and globally with the un-compromised message of Jesus!