2006-11-28

BJ#2 Have A Mission Statement

This is part 2 of the series "Principles and Strategies for Business Success according to Jesus". The 1st one is "The Golden Rule for Business Success". I have decided to change the long name into a short one - "Business by Jesus" or in short form BJ for easier identification of my postings.

Why You Need a Mission Statement
A mission statement gives us the purpose and meaning of our existence. It direct our efforts. Mission is for the long term. The methods used to achieve the mission could change with time but the purpose should remain. If the mission changes, then the corporate takes on a new identity.
  • Mat 6:21 Your heart will be where your treasure is.
Mission should be our treasure - the thing we hold to be of utmost important. If you don't feel for your mission, either the mission is wrong or you need to change. If you are the owner, then change it to the thing you treasure most. If you are working for a corporate where you could not change the mission, you should perhaps change your job. If you are the Chairman or the CEO, and you are passionate about your mission, you still need to do one more step, communicate your passion about the mission down the line, all the way to the one serving your customers. The mission should be the treasure in our heart and our heart should be for the mission. Everyone in the company should feel the same way for the mission.

Mission Statement has a Single Purpose
  • Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mission statement should create a single focus. If you felt that there are many targets you want to achieve, then you are still not at the right mission statement yet. You need to go a level higher, abstract all the targets to a single purpose. You may need to ask why ... why do you want to achieve this target or goal ? or What is the purpose you are trying to achieve when you want to reach this target. Some one says we should ask WHY 5 times. Eventually, we should have a hierarchy of goals with the top-most, the root, being the Mission. Mat 6:24 tells us that no man can serve two masters, so we need to get the mission down to one purpose.

Example of the Best Mission Statement
  • Mat 28:18 Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
  • Mat 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
  • Mat 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
The mission statement is "Go make Jesus' Disciples of All Nations".

The single purpose is "make Jesus' disciples". It is action packed with GO and the extend and scope of work is "All Nations" or "Globally" in today language.

The other parts tell of the HOW to make disciples:
  1. Baptize them into the Body of the Church
  2. Teach them (what Jesus taught)
and the Resources given.
  1. Authority of Christ v18
  2. Presence & Empowerment of Christ v20
  3. The Bible - what Jesus taught.
What makes a Good Mission Statement
We can summarized into the following qualities:
  1. Of Long Term Value and Worth - treasures of the heart.
  2. Singleness in Purpose
  3. Action Verbs: GO, Become, Be .....
  4. The Scope, the How and the What of resources.
Can you apply the above 4 points to your present mission statement and see it can be improved ?

Additional Views for Christians about the Commission of Christ.
  1. We are called not just to make converts, though it is the first step, but to bring them up into disciples of Christ, or Clones of Christ in modern terms.
  2. We must, ourselves, be Christ's disciple, before we can help others to be like-Christ. We should have His Word in our hearts, think and feel as Him, through communicating with Him daily and through His Words, and behave as He would behave.
  3. We must be Role-Model for others to follow.The method is to teach His Word (not our opinions) and by our exemplified living out His Word. i.e teaching is more than talking. we teach by talking and walking, each reinforces the other.
  4. Some one put it this way... 1st I show you. 2nd You do as I do. 3rd You show others. 4th Others do as You .....

    2Ti 2:2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

For a personal mission statement, please see #BJ2a Your Personal Mission Statement
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BJ#0 Business According to Jesus TOC --|--BJ#3 Vision Statement

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