What Are Vision and Mission Statements?

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Our Vision Statement indicates how God views His people. Some biblical vision statements include

The church is God’s possession–to the praise of His glory”.		The church is the bride of Christ.
The church is the dwelling place of God.		The church is the household of God.
The church is a city in which God dwells.		The church is a foretaste of heaven.
The church is people who are grafted into Christ, the Vine.		The church is the body of Christ.
The church is God’s people, His inheritance (Deuteronomy 9:29)
The church is those who have God’s laws in their minds and written on their hearts, and He will be their God, and they shall be His people. (Hebrews 8:10)
The church is those who affirm that God is the strength of our heart and our portion forever (Psalm 73:26)
The church is a house caused to cling to the Lord that they may become His people, for renown, for praise, and for glory (Jeremiah 13:11)
In general, God views His people as
	a) related to Him (in the midst of them in blessing) and
	b) responding appropriately to Him.

 

If our Vision Statement answers the question of “Who are God’s People?”, Our Mission Statement answers this question – Given who we are in our relationship with God, what is our purpose?

 

Examples of biblical mission statements include:

Work out your salvation (i.e., given the fact of salvation, live out the implications of that salvation.)

By the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service of worship

All authority has been given to Jesus, therefore go and make disciples.

The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

 

It is commonly noted that the imperatives of Scripture are the consequences of the indicatives of salvation (what Christ has done, is doing, and will do to save His people).

 

Vision statements emphasize the “indicative” side of that saying.

Mission Statement, as shown above, are derived from some of the broadest biblical “imperatives”.