Vision and Mission Statements

I've done "Vision" and "Mission" Statements for a long time, all the way back to my Aberdeen Youth Minister days.


This week I've heard the simplest definitions for the two that I've ever heard.


Vision- What You See. (From Andy Stanley, "Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be.")


Mission- What You Do.


In short, vision is what you see (in the future) and mission is how you achieve your vision, or what you do to get there.


As we were discussing all of this, Scott Olson, the CEO of International Teams gave us what he thinks would be the Vision and Mission Statement hanging on the wall of the office of GOD- the CEO of the Universe!!


Vision: (what you want to see, remember?)- Revelation 7:9  ⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.


Mission Statement: (What we do/How we get there)- Matthew 28:18-20 ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”


In case you're wondering, the Global Vision for I-Teams is "Lives and communities transformed by the power of God."  That's what we want to see.


Our Mission?  How we're going to do it?  "We Bring People Together To Help The Oppressed".  In case "the oppressed" sounds a little vague, we have a focus on the Economically Oppressed (the poor), the Physically Oppressed (the slave), and the Spiritual Oppressed (the blind, as in "blinded to the truth").