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Table of Contents
Developing A Vision Statement For Your Children’s Ministry
A vision statement should express where your church fits into the mission of the Church–God’s unchanging plan and direction for His church. You also need a clear-cut strategy to implement your vision.
Your vision statement should to be easy to read and comprehend. It needs to be written in relevant terms that clearly communicate your end result. It also needs to connect all five purposes of the church: evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and worship.
Following are some examples:
- We will lead people into a growing relationship with Christ by creating environments in which participants are encouraged to pursue intimacy with God, community with insiders, and influence with outsiders.
- We are dedicated to seeing people grow upward in worship, inward in commitment, and outward in evangelism.
- Our vision is to make disciples of Jesus Christ in a contemporary, Spirit-filled environment that emphasizes relationship, relevant ministry, spiritual growth, celebration, and giving.
With this intentional, focused purpose in mind, develop a vision statement for your children’s ministry.
Example:
We will lead children into a growing relationship with Christ by creating environments in which children are encouraged to pursue friendship with God, make friends with good people, understand their God-given gifts and begin to use them, and positively affect their friends who do not know Jesus.
A strategy for fulfilling this vision statement would include:
From birth, children are exposed to teaching that reinforces our vision statement. They are:
- given opportunity to experience God’s love and forgiveness.
- taught how to make good friends.
- taught about spiritual gifts and how they can use theirs.
- instructed in how to relate Christ to their friends in everyday situations.
Once you have established a vision statement, let it direct everything you do. This may mean a change in some of your programs.
Be intentional in developing your plan. It will affect the life and vitality of your church.
Joey Ellis, Springfield, Missouri.
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