A mission statement is a goal that defines the decisions and actions of an individual or organization, based on values and priorities. For example, our church’s mission statement is “The mission of Faithbridge is to make more and stronger disciples of Jesus Christ by providing a bridge for people to God and one another. We envision a church builds bridges to provide Jesus Christ into a world, where non-churched, once-churched, and badly-churched people of The Lake of the Ozarks find their lives resurrected in the abundant life in Christ.” Many church mission statements are based on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 or Acts 1:8. Your business may have a mission statement that defines the company’s purpose. Perhaps you have a personal mission statement, a purpose you have discerned that God has uniquely gifted and commissioned you to do.

From the goals defined in these mission statements, decisions are made about the ways valuable resources like time and money will be spent. Mission statements not only help people, churches, businesses and other organizations determine what they will do, they also help them decide what they will not do. In order to do well what they have stated they will do, the person, business, church, or other organization must eliminate or choose not to do other things-even good things-to excel at the task outlined in the mission statement.

Read your church’s mission statement, What does it say about you?

Identity some of your church’s ministries that directly flow from that mission statement.

When you write a mission statement that defines your life purpose, you should consider what you like to do; your personality, your unique combination of gifts, talents, abilities, interests, strengths, and weaknesses; and what you believe God has called you to do. Unless God specifically directed otherwise, a good mission statement for introverts

probably would not focus on a purpose that continually forced them to initiate contacts or to be public speakers. Someone who is 5’6″ tall might not want a mission statement to become a player for the NBA.

List some of your gifts, talents, abilities, interests, strengths, and weaknesses.

Your gifts and abilities will have a direct effect on your mission statements. For example, maybe you want to grow in your relationship with God., but you’ve struggled all your life with having a daily quiet time. You have difficulty sitting still, staying focused, and reading or remaining silent for long periods of time. You may not want to set a goal of getting up at 4:30 each morning to pray for an hour. But you may want to set a goal [write a mission statement] of listening to the Bible on a CD every day for 40 days. Or you may want to write a mission statement like this:

As I will walk for 30 minutes three days at week, I will pray and listen to what God has to say.

Your mission statement should be like your favorite clothes. It should fit well and be comfortable. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. l l;30). He wasn’t saying to rest, take it easy, and enjoy life. He was saying that when you do his work, if you obey him and stay the course, like the oxen in the harness pulling the plow, the yoke will lit well. Obeying Christ in what He is calling you to do is the foundation of any mission statement.

Read Jonah 1. How did God discipline Jonah when he turned from what God wanted him to do?

A mission statement is important because it establishes clarity for your goals, which in turn guide your decisions and actions toward the simple life.  To be valuable, a mission statement must be specific It must state exactly what you intend to do to reach your goal. It must also be measurable, it must state how you will accomplish something and

must include a completion date. This statement tells exactly how and when you will do something.

Identity the mission statements that are specific and measurable.

I will limit my time on the Internet to 30 minutes each day.

I will be nice to my coworkers.

I will give a tithe to my church, and I will give it twice a month.

I will grow in my relationship with God by having a daily quiet time for I5 minutes every morning.

I will simplify my life by being more aware of how I spend my time and money and by having a better relationship with friends and family and with God.

If you chose 1, 3, 4, you are correct. These statements define what you will do and when you will do it.

The remaining weeks in these devotions will guide you to understand and engage with the four areas of time, relationships, money, and God and will help you put together a holistic plan for your life at the end of the process. By the end of the series, you will have completed 30 devotionals that help you understand the four areas of life and the

strategic steps of clarity, movement, alignment, and focus. Complete each suggested activity as an action plan that challenges you to move toward the simple life.

This series is not a quick-fix solution to get your life in order. It’s a beginning. It’s an action plan for the simple life.

• Saved: Church, Simply Done