A couple of years ago we “borrowed” a purpose statement for our church from another church. Our purpose is “Making more and better followers of Jesus Christ.” However, as we were looking for a way to better “own” our purpose, we wanted a practical expression of what we mean. We especially wanted to give a more concrete picture of what we envision when we use the words “better followers.” For help, we turned to the Scriptures. We examined the words of Jesus plus the letters written by Paul, Peter and James. We were searching for those qualities that either received praise by Christ or were evidences of supernatural work (and therefore, a cause for thanksgiving by the NT authors). Jesus, Paul, Peter and James all reference “faith” as a key indicator of the Spirit’s work in making someone a better follower of Jesus. I like Andy Stanley’s description of faith – confidence that God is who he claims to be and that he will do all that he has promised. It is with this in mind that we wrote the first half of our mission/purpose – “helping more and more people become full of faith!”
Two other characteristics are often referenced as evidence of the Spirit’s work. They are love for the saints and worship in response to an appreciation of grace. We’ve jumped on the second one. It is a clear evidence of true belief in the Gospel. Not only that, it is a strong foundation for living the Christian life. God desires followers who obey out of gratitude more than compulsion. Therefore, the second half of our mission is “helping more and more people become amazed by grace.”
This is what we are all about – helping more and more people become full of faith and amazed by grace!
This is an excellent mission statement, and so well thought out! Thank you for sharing it! Our family prays for yours, and hope you are getting settled back in Portugal!
What a great way to arrive at your purpose statement, step by step as you seek God and read His Word. Certainly it is important to have a purpose statement that God has carved upon your hearts so you have not only a sense of direction, but a passion to fulfill it. Blessings!