Purpose & Guiding Principles

Starting Out on the Right Foot By

Creating a Missional Community

Then and Now

• Then:• Forming caring and

well trained leaders for a non-missional church.

• Now:• Forming missional

leaders for a missional church

What we need: Forming Missional Leaders for a Non-missional church

Three Keys to Effective and Healthy Ministry

(From an evangelism study of the ELCA)

• Leadership – a culture of team leadership where clergy and laity work together as a team. Leaders help congregations develop the following:– Purpose – a clear sense by the congregation

of what God is calling them to do– Willingness to change – a spirit of openness

that is willing to initiate change to be faithful and effective

Healthy and Missional Congregations

Jesus Christ

Purpose/Vision Willing to Change Ecclesiology

Foundation forMinistry

Basic Building BlocksMission clarityFlexible/ResilientConnected

Purpose

• Grounded in God’s mission• God’s purpose for your ministry• The lens for everything you do –

keeps team and/or congregation focused

• Helps determine course of action (reference point for decision making)

• Involve a lot of people as you work toward this for the congregation

• Use the purpose to identify the church and include in worship, flyers, bulletins, letters, signs, etc.

Guiding Principles

• Values that are in the vision that we can begin to practice now – may conflict with present behaviors.

• These are embodied in our decisions – provide guidance to help achieve the purpose.

• In the present we need accountability to help us stay the course.

• Should be in sentences that have “I/we” or “God” as the subject and imply behaviors/actions. (i.e. - “Jesus is Lord and Savior” is expressed better as “We follow Jesus as Lord and Savior”_

• Example from Bethel Lutheran Church

What in the World is God Up to?

What in the World is God Up to?

Keeping our feet planted with God and

God’s world

Keeping our feet planted with God and

God’s world

A Look at Acts

• Acts 2:14-39

• Acts 5:12-16

• Acts 10:34-48

• Acts 18:1-8…

The Story of Acts

God’s MissionDear world,I am on a mission…

Love, God

Another Look at Acts

• Acts 1:6-11

• Acts 2:1-11

• Acts 6:1-7

• Acts 8:26-40

• Acts 10:34-48

The Story of Acts

God’s Purpose for the Church

Dear world,

I have given this world the church. And so, my purpose for the church is

Love,

God

God’s Mission & the ChurchOur purpose is to be about God’s mission…

To be a witness to and A participant in…

God’s mission to bless and save all of creation

Our purpose is to be about God’s mission…

To be a witness to and A participant in…

God’s mission to bless and save all of creation

Clarity – Making behavioral claims

• Jesus is Lord and Savior• Deepening faith

strengthens our discipleship

• Everyone is a minister• God sends us as gifts to

the world.• We love to tell the story.• We invite all to join us in

God’s work.

• We follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

• We deepen our faith to strengthen our discipleship.

• We honor, equip and encourage the ministry of every person.

• God sends us as gifts to the world.

• We love to tell the story.• We invite all to join us in

God’s work.

Some Resources

• Look at vibrant congregations – most of them have core values or guiding principles

• Retreat format in the back of Living Lutheran I still retain copyright on. We can post on synod web site.