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Many books and articles have been written on Mission/Vision/Values and their impact on strategy.  Workshops are available, as is material on the internet.  Much of this material overkills the subject.

Most people have been exposed to Mission/Vision/Values in their work or in their involvement in charities or larger churches.  Rather than try to blend together the approaches as learned by individual Launch Team members, it's best to simply assign responsibility to a member of the Launch Team who is involved in Leadership Development (see What Positions Should Be Included On The Launch Team?).  This individual should set up the process for planning, including the definition of Mission/Vision/Values, keeping the process as simple as possible.

Other Best Practices include:

• Heavy review.  The entire Launch Team should review the definition, as well as others outside, e.g. representatives from the Sponsoring Church and from the Barnabas Ministry.  The definition should be added to the website of the church and should be visible in the church office.
• Multiple drafts.  Most statements of Mission/Vision/Values will undergo numerous drafts before they can be considered "final."  Don't get carried away in expensive printing before the review is complete.
• Define from the negative viewpoint as well as the positive.  In the definition process it often helps to define what the Mission and Vision exclude, so as to better understand what they include.  This also helps to flush out unspoken assumptions, as it is common to discover extraneous, unwanted items could be included in a broad, generic definition.
• Find the people who are called to this.  Many who are not will simply become frustrated by the iterative process.  A task force of three to five assisting the responsible individual should be sufficient.  Don't force anyone to do this work.
• Keep it simple.  As your church matures, individual programs may develop to the point of desiring their own statements of Mission, Vision and Values.  Try to resist the urge to allow this.  Why?  Multiple statements of Mission, Vision and Values will complicate people's thinking, confusing some, e.g. visitors, and dividing others, e.g. those who identify with only one program offered by the Church, from the core of the church.

Return to Mission Vision Values

Go on to Mission Vision And Values: Environmental Factors