Values/DNA?
One thing that we have been going to do for a long time is look at our values and how they are implemented. After thinking through some of the stuff and going to a Values discussion at the Vineyard National conference in Philip island. Christina came up with the great idea that broadly, very broadly our DNA and values should…
‘To the best of our ability, imitate those of the life of Christ’.
Everything that you do should fit under this meta theme.
When we first started our journey at Ranges we imitated and took onboard those of the church which sent us of. The Values were (They now have a new set of values, on their blog)
worship, evangelism, compassion and equipping the saints.
As with most things in Church planting I would do it differently. Initially I think I would tailor the values around gifting of who was part of the community. For example for us initially there would have been a stronger emphasis on hospitality.
There are two aspects now that we are thinking through. What we are doing now, and where we want to go. Again previously our emphasis was were we are going. I think this is important but I think time spent on the here and now is more importance and should be used as the indicator of where you are going. That the here and now can be quite specific, so for example. We are starting a compassion ministry which gives free soup out in Monbulk. While looking ahead it should be broad, almost daring. For example we want to be a church or network which reproduces, while not putting on any limitations of what this reproduction looks like.
The Naked pastor just wrote a blog post which resonates we me. He calls it ‘Being’, while I would call it ‘here and now’
I used to pray and wait and then articulate the vision and set out a one, three and five year plan with great gusto and with leadership and congregational support and fanfare. But I have stopped because I believe it destroys, in a violently sinister way, the lives of people and the life of a community. It’s presumptuous and cruel and inhumane. I have been on the receiving end of this visionary kind of pogrom and I will no longer have any part of it. I realize how tantalizing, how dizzyingly intoxicating, visionary thinking and purpose-driven living can be. It tastes good, but it’s poison.
….
Like my daughter, I have no plans for her life. I do father her in such a way that she may have the wherewithal to be a healthy, wise and confident woman. THAT will be her contribution to the world! Take care of the roots and the tree will bear fruit. And it will bear fruit in accordance with its unique kind. I pastor a community that I try to keep free of vision, goal-setting and agendas. That’s my work for the most part. Many people now have grown an acute distaste for agendas on their lives. One such woman visited me earlier today and says that she can smell someone’s plan for her life way down the road and avoids it like the plague because she sees it as soul-destroying. I think that is radically rebellious but radically healthy.
carpe diem
Hi Scott & Christina,
I’ve just read the ‘new’ vision/ mission statement for Vineyard Lilydale, its very good, very sound, very biblical and very boring…its far to ‘safe’ it very much resembles the mission statement that one sees in the reception of most businesses, it looks good and sounds good, but fails at the same to provide the necessary catalyst to carry it out. Christina I like your single theme, it caries with it a challenge at the same time. One of the great things about Ranges, is there is a sense of ‘liquidity’ in everything we do, water by its very nature will find its way to the lowest level, mission statements set an ideal that most find very difficult. You can’t legislate compassion it is caught and not taught. The problem with mission statements is that they serve to highlight the great divide that already exists. And so one is constantly reminded in-terms of the ideal and the reality(which is usually very different) that already exists, in my opinion (and my corporate experience)it is an unhealthy divide, they simple end up being another set of commands that most find impossible to implement, modernity loves mission/ vision statements, I much prefer a central theme, one that serves at them same time to attract and draw, and yours does this.
Thanks for your comment Bob, in reflection I think the majority of church vision/mission statements are boring. They are really just are saying the same thing using different words! Or putting it another way describing boxes for people to fit. I can see how it is helpful to a business with good set objectives. The trouble is I’m not sure that Jesus used vision statements and told his disciples to use this or that model of ministry. Compartmentalizing or specializing ministry. Jesus accepted a broad range of people many who probably would not have fitted easily in a western type of church.