How Do I create Mission, Vision, Core Values For My Church Plant?

It's pretty common for one of your earliest steps in church planting to write a Mission Statement and also Vision and Values Statement. Understanding the differences in these and composing them correctly can really help you communicate with clarity. As the church plant grows transferring mission, vision, and values to your people will be key in accomplishing big things for the Lord.

What is Church Planters Ask?

God's given you a vision to plant a church. You're gifted and maybe have the team ready to go. However, there are thousands of details and hundreds of questions that you have. In this podcast we will answer some of the common questions and answer listener submitted questions to help you fulfill the call the Lord's given you.

Danny Parmelee: 00:08

Welcome back everyone to 101 questions that church planners ask. I'm your host, Danny Parmelee. Today, we wanna answer the question, how do I write a mission and vision statement? We'll also be including there writing your core values. And for a lot of church planters, they're required to write these as part of the prospectus or ministry plan.

Danny Parmelee: 00:31

And if you've taken a class in church planting, this is probably one of the early assignments that you had to do. Now for churches and businesses, this is so routine that oftentimes it becomes just a meaningless words in a business plan, or a plaque that kind of just hangs on the wall. And we do not want that to be the case. I believe that this process can really help guide you, and guide the church plant, kind of the hopes and futures that you have, and not just an exercise kind of in in empty words and platitudes type of thing. So having a clearly defined mission, and vision, and values is especially important as a young church startup because people want to know what you're all about, and if that aligns with who they are and what they wanna contribute to.

Danny Parmelee: 01:21

So even as you're raising financial support, supporters want to know what you're all about. And I wanna start out with a few kind of definitions, because many times I hear planters using some of these terms interchangeably, and while there certainly is some crossover, they are different. So knowing the differences will help you kind of in the writing process. So a mission statement is all about what you do. It's who you serve, and how you do it.

Danny Parmelee: 01:50

Think about your mission statement as the here and now. This is what you are actually doing. So if, for example, you're in school, you know, after school tutoring program, your mission statement could be something like, we serve underprivileged children by providing high quality teaching and tutoring. See, my example here kind of identifies what you're doing, who you're serving, kind of how it's happening. Where a vision statement is all about the future and the preferred reality.

Danny Parmelee: 02:25

So this is what you hope to accomplish. Not what you're doing right now, but what you hope to accomplish later on in the future. And you should never really accomplish your vision statement. Or if you do, then you need to write a new or larger one. So let's, take a different example.

Danny Parmelee: 02:42

Let's say that you're a nonprofit or a ministry that installs wells and water purification, your mission statement might be, we provide high quality wells and water purification systems, you know, to rural villages in Ethiopia. K? So same thing, you're identifying, this is what you do. You you basically, you build wells. But your vision statement might be, bring pure and accessible drinking water to every family in Ethiopia.

Danny Parmelee: 03:12

Okay. So you see here, that's pretty audacious, and a vision statement should have that. Okay? So that you you have these big audacious goals, kind of the wow factor, and let's say you did reach that vision, well then you just have to expand it. And maybe it's, you know, expanding it to other countries, or you're then gonna bring not only pure water, but affordable housing, but you have these huge goals, preferred reality in the future.

Danny Parmelee: 03:38

So the main thing I'm wanting you to differentiate, is to understand that mission is here and now, and this is what you actually do, where the vision statement is what could happen if you live out your mission to its highest degree. So now let's get more specific to Church Plant's mission statement. And while I have some excellent news for you, your mission statement has already been given to you. So now this is not just a Jesus Juke, but sincerely, your mission should be the same as every church around the world, and the same as your great great great grandfather's mission statement, and the one that he had, because Jesus gave it to the church and it has never changed. And I really want to emphasize this, only because I've seen so many planters and churches get this wrong, and to understand that the mission's already been given to us.

Danny Parmelee: 04:33

So Matthew twenty eight eighteen, we all have it memorized, go and make disciples of all nations. So there you have it. All the way through 20, you know, teaching, you know, baptizing, and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus commanded. So when your mission statement diverts from this, this is where I believe that church churches and church planters get in trouble. So for example, if your church's mission statement is, we will love the people of X Y Z City, I think that this falls short of the great commission.

Danny Parmelee: 05:08

I think it's really important that you do love people, and it's even a key ingredient in making disciples, but in my opinion, it falls short. Here's an actual mission statement that I pulled from the web. I won't give the church's name, but, you know, if you're listening, can send me a hate email or something like that. To create a radically inclusive, just and loving community, mobilize to alleviate suffering, and break the cycles of poverty and marginalization. K.

Danny Parmelee: 05:40

Again, wonderful things here, but this could actually work for organizations that aren't even a church, and this is from a church. And again, those things are great things, but this is not getting to the heart of what Jesus said. It might even be some of the hows. It might even be some of the vision part of it, where eventually, when you live out the vision of reaching people for Christ, and raising them up as followers of Christ that this stuff happens, but that is not your mission. So now, I'm not saying that you have to use the exact words of Matthew twenty eight eighteen through 20.

Danny Parmelee: 06:19

Not at all. I think that there's creative ways to communicate or repackage, if you will, the Great Commission. I think the easiest way to start this process is just to understand the Great Commission has two main components to it. Evangelism and discipleship. And the church has the responsibility to proclaim the gospel.

Danny Parmelee: 06:41

That is our go first part, and then the make disciples or teaching them to obey. It's that lifelong process of sanctification. I posted on Facebook and Instagram inviting listeners and followers to send their examples. One of the submissions I received was from Christian Fellowship Free Church in Chicago, Illinois. There's a couple of things that I really appreciated about their mission statement.

Danny Parmelee: 07:08

First, they actually put Matthew twenty eight eighteen through 20 right under their statement. So it's like, hey, no hiding. We didn't come up with this. We're not super creative. This is from Jesus.

Danny Parmelee: 07:19

And they clearly align their stance or their statement with the given marching orders from Jesus. So their their mission statement captures both evangelism and discipleship components of the Great Commission. So their mission statement is this, becoming Christ like, proclaiming Christ. Okay. That's it.

Danny Parmelee: 07:40

Just just that. Becoming Christ like, proclaiming Christ. Now, personally, I would reverse the order of these, because, you know, but I get the evangelism discipleship is kind of a chicken and egg argument, but I digress. I'm talking about what I really like about their statement, becoming Christ like and proclaiming Christ. Okay.

Danny Parmelee: 08:00

So you have both of the things captured there. The two elements of evangelism and discipleship. They're gonna proclaim the gospel, and as people come to Christ, they're gonna be raised up as disciples. Now my guess is, that if you were to ask people who are in their church, what's the mission of this church? I am willing to bet money.

Danny Parmelee: 08:21

I will bet support money, that a majority of the people will be able to recite back to you, becoming Christ like and proclaiming Christ. So listen to me right now. It's one thing for a mission statement to be on a plaque and on a wall, but when you get to the point that your congregation is able to recite it, more of a chance that they are going to be living it out. Now, I know plenty of church planners who when I ask them their mission statement of their church, they pause, their eyes kind of like scroll, kind of roll to the back of their head as they're trying to kind of remember the flowery paragraph that they came up with and put together, but they can barely get it out of their mouth. Now, don't make that mistake.

Danny Parmelee: 09:05

If it doesn't just roll off your tongue, and you can barely get it out, then it's gonna be really difficult for your people to remember it. And the more difficult it is for them to remember it, the less likely they are to embrace it. So some other examples of mission statements that are creative and unique, but they still capture the great commission of evangelism and discipleship, you know, that was mandated to us from Jesus. Let me just give you a couple. So, to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

Danny Parmelee: 09:35

K. Maybe you recognize that. That's from Life Church. Obviously, they're reaching, you know, thousands upon thousands of people. Simple, but captures exactly the mission statement of Jesus.

Danny Parmelee: 09:45

Here's another one. This is from City on a Hill in Australia. Know Jesus and make Jesus known. So there you go. You have the evangelism discipleship part.

Danny Parmelee: 09:54

Northpoint, Andy Stanley, to lead people into growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Evangelism discipleship. So one of our Brazilian subscribers, he submitted his. So thankful that he's listening. His is to lead people to know and to be like Jesus.

Danny Parmelee: 10:13

So that is Bethany Church from Porte Alegre, all the way in Southern Brazil, and we love our Brazilian brothers and sisters that are doing stuff and have a number of subscribers, just because I have some church planning stuff going on in Brazil. So a little shout out to all the Brazilians that are listening. So anyways, you get the idea. Short, clear, maybe even catchy, but absolutely about the proclamation of the gospel and raising up people who live like Jesus. Alright.

Danny Parmelee: 10:45

Let's move on to vision statement. This is where it is game on. I mean, I hope that I hammered that every church's mission should essentially be the same. You know, I'd argue that vision is all about the unique call of each church. How that mission is accomplished can look totally different from church to church.

Danny Parmelee: 11:09

So without going into too much of a tangent, but the very essence of church planting, and having multiple churches is based off the reality that takes many churches, and different types of churches to reach many people. So if you remember as I laid out the definitions in the beginning, the mission is what you do, and the here and now, and the vision is what you hope to accomplish. So your vision statement should be all about what you foresee the church accomplishing. Dream for a moment. If the church you plant did really reach for Christ and started living for, you know, having people live for Jesus, what would that look like in your context?

Danny Parmelee: 11:51

And just just dream for a moment, you know, marriage is being strengthened, addictions overcome, social equality, eradicating homelessness, violence disappearing, churches being planted. I mean, and on and on and on. Just start just jotting down. Dream a bit of what it would be like with this church that you're planting. Greg McKinney from Glory Church in Kansas City, his vision statement says, we see a city changed by homes that are changed.

Danny Parmelee: 12:19

See, love this because you see that the small goes into the big, and people can wrap their head around just just one single home being changed. And as another home has changed, and another home has changed, eventually, the entire city can change. That's one of those go big or go home type of vision statements. In other words, hey, what are you doing with your church plant? Well, we hope to change the city.

Danny Parmelee: 12:44

And your vision can contain quantitative and qualitative elements to it. So qualitative vision components would be like, you know, bring peace and prosperity to the city. I mean, you can't totally measure it. Whereas a quantitative would have some hard measurable numbers to them. So for example, NuSong Church in California has a vision to plant 100 churches, and teach 100 other churches to plant a hundred churches.

Danny Parmelee: 13:17

So what they're saying is they're they kind of talk about 100 times 100, essentially planting 10,000 churches. Okay? Perry Noble, which, you know, disclaimer, I don't think that you should model your church planting or pastoring after him. However, as far as vision casting, it always stuck out to me because, you know, he set this audacious vision and goal to reach a hundred thousand people in his city. So both of these examples, they have clear numbers.

Danny Parmelee: 13:48

And what both of them have is this wow factor. Planting 10,000 churches. Reaching a hundred thousand people. That's what vision is all about. And if if God has birthed a dream in your heart, it's your job to cast that vision, and to invite people into it.

Danny Parmelee: 14:08

That bold vision should grab some attention, and force people to recognize that this cannot be accomplished without God showing up in a miraculous way. K. Let's move on to core values. Core values get a lot less attention, but really they they shouldn't. Core values are statements that drive your culture and decision making.

Danny Parmelee: 14:32

There are two types of core values. Those that are your true core values, and those that are aspirational. Meaning that every church, pastor, planter, leader, person, we all have core values, even if they aren't written down. And our core values show up in our actions and our behaviors. We're aspirational values, meaning that these are things that we might write down because we want them to be true, or you know, maybe we want others, if we write them down, we want others to strive towards this, you know, type of value and goal.

Danny Parmelee: 15:09

So, like it or not, as the lead pastor, the core values of the church will reflect your personal core values and passions. If you're passionate about global missions, I guarantee it's gonna be reflected in your budget, and the activities that you do as a church. If you have strong convictions about meeting the needs of marginalized people, it's gonna be reflected in your ministries, your facilities, your spending, everything. And so just understand that that's really kinda gonna be the starting place. As I said, there's this crossover that happens between mission, vision, and core values.

Danny Parmelee: 15:47

Now, it's not uncommon that as a church plant, you come up with your list of core values, and they change and evolve over the years, or maybe better yet, they're discovered over the years, and then they're written down. So maybe this relieves some stress for you that you don't have to get it perfect right away, right out of the gate. You might even lean more on some of your aspirational values, like in other words, this is what we hope, or this is what I hope the church looks like, and and as people step up and live out what you desire. What's great about core values, is that it gives you platform to call the church out and to live them out. I go to a church plant in Gallatin, Tennessee called Renovation Church, and one of their core values is generosity is our privilege.

Danny Parmelee: 16:34

Now, of course, lots of churches put, you know, a core value of generosity, but it's a different thing to actually live that out on a regular basis. And from the start of the plant, our lead pastor Cody Woodard, he started what he calls, love one offering. So basically, once a month, everybody in the church, you know, pitches in an extra dollar into the offering plate, when we passed offering plates that is. And I don't remember exactly, but we were only two to three months old into the plant, and they took one of these loved one offerings, and you know, people threw in their extra dollar. But someone in the congregation stepped up and donated an entire car.

Danny Parmelee: 17:09

Not an old junker, but like a super nice car that was only couple years old. There was nothing wrong with it. And there happened to be a young man who needed some car repairs done, and he couldn't afford to fix his old junker car. And so it was this moment that, you know, Cody said, hey, let's use this loved one offering. We're gonna we're gonna get this car, and we're gonna give it to this young man.

Danny Parmelee: 17:34

And it was amazing to see, because this was all captured on video. Pastor Cody throws in the keys. He's got this look on his face, and it was this moment that energized the church. And everybody was like, yes. This is what our church is about.

Danny Parmelee: 17:50

We are about giving generously. And so the church continues to give generously, and people within the church give generously to the church. It was like it just spurred on all of these acts of generosity. Now, I don't think that every core value that you have has to be super spiritual either. I follow on Instagram a church called Factory Church, that's in North Carolina.

Danny Parmelee: 18:14

And they have some of the most hilarious posts. So go ahead and follow them on Instagram. I'm sure they'd love to have some extra followers. And you'll just be shocked, and go, oh my goodness. I can't believe that a church is posting stuff like this.

Danny Parmelee: 18:28

Now, I have never seen their core values, and maybe they don't even have core values listed out. But an absolute core value that they have is being fun, and unconventional. And going back to one of my first points, I am guessing, I've never met the pastor before. He's probably hilarious and probably is the life of the party. So, where you can get into trouble, is if you list core values that mismatch your actions.

Danny Parmelee: 18:57

So especially, even thinking of aspirational ones. This is why you have to be careful of just copying another churches and writing down, saying, that sounds really nice. That sounds like a really cool church. I'm just gonna copy down their core values and kind of hope that we live these out. I've seen many churches list in their core values excellence, and then you see that their website barely works, you know, the church building is falling apart, the worship service seems like no one even put a thought into the experience, and worst of all, you know, they're brewing Folgers coffee.

Danny Parmelee: 19:29

K. Now, hear me on this. I actually think that all of those things are okay for a church. I think you can have a dumpy building. I think you can have a horrible website.

Danny Parmelee: 19:36

I think you can serve the worst coffee, and you can still be a very glorifying church, a fruitful church that is reaching people for Christ, raising up disciples, just don't say that your church core value is excellent. Especially when the outside world is quick to point out hypocrisy and church hypocrisy. Or if you say that your core value is about reaching the marginalized, and your parking lot is filled with, you know, German imports and Teslas, and you got a $200,000 LED wall screen, and you have no money in your budget, you know, for the homeless, or widows, orphans, and things like that. You get the idea. So, here comes some core values.

Danny Parmelee: 20:21

These are just some that I some of you submitted on on Instagram and and Facebook. So I'll just read off a couple of these. See beauty in brokenness. Servant leadership is our calling. People matter to God, therefore they matter to us.

Danny Parmelee: 20:42

Grounded in grace. Authentic in our walk. Now, if you're googling, you know, you can just Google church core values. It might at least give you somewhat of a starting point, and you can kind of start to make a list, and the ones that kind of really, kind of, you know, excite you, and that you kind of resonate, and maybe you wanna just write those down, and then kind of word them to kind of match who who you are. So let me wrap it up by saying these kind of final things for each area.

Danny Parmelee: 21:11

So your mission has already been given to you by Jesus. Therefore, mission statement should reflect the great commission of evangelism and discipleship. Right? It should reflect gospel proclamation and sanctification. Number two, the vision is the future that you are trusting God to do in and through the church.

Danny Parmelee: 21:34

Ask God to give you a big vision, and then call people to it. Finally, number three, core values are those kind of top anchors that will guide your decision making. They're who you are, kind of how you operate, your actions, and your behaviors that eventually become evident to other people. And while it's okay to start with some ash aspirational values, the more honest you are and articulate your true values, the better. Now, you can head over to the blog.

Danny Parmelee: 22:06

I've linked some different, you know, church visions and value pages. Maybe it'll just give you kind of a starting point. There's lots of different ways you can word it, kind of format it. And I just wanna say, thank you so much for listening. And remember, if you have a question about church planting, head over to churchplantersask.com.

Danny Parmelee: 22:25

You can leave us a message, or you can direct message us on Facebook or Instagram. We'd love to hear from you. And until next time, keep asking those questions.