The Maundatum Mission

Too many mission statements, according to experts in corporate America, are “jargony, quasi-poetry.” The church can’t do better than going back to John 13.

Quick — recite your church’s mission statement. Can you do it without looking at it? How about the rest of the congregation? Can they recite it by memory in a worship setting as well as they can say the Lord’s Prayer?

If the answer is yes, then congratulations: You’ve managed to craft a mission statement that’s been branded in everyone’s consciousness. If, on the other hand, you can’t seem to recall the exact wording or people scratch their heads and wonder what you’re talking about when you bring it up, be comforted by the fact that you aren’t alone.

Although a lot of hours, flip-chart paper, marker ink and coffee get consumed while crafting mission statements in boardrooms and retreat centers, the truth is that very few such statements ever become fully engrained in an organization’s culture.

“Mission statements are like corporate Hallmark cards,” writes Nancy Lublin in Fast Company magazine. “Often written in a bland cursive font and plastered conspicuously at headquarters, these...