“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV)

Some call it mission statement; others call it vision statement. There is much confusion in the leadership and management circle about the exact definition of these terms.  But you get the point.  There is an increasing emphasis on the importance of providing a clear direction for the church through the writing of a mission statement.  It gives the church a sense of purpose and direction, and converges the energy of the congregation towards commonly-held values and a vision for the church to move forward.  It can be a powerful tool!

You can catch a glimpse of the different mission statements of the churches and Christian organizations on their websites and brochures.  Many mission statements are impressive and eye-catching: not only do they parallel, in some cases, they even rhyme!  But unfortunately, the missing ingredient is the will to carry it out!  Many ended up more like a slogan than a mission statement!  Someone said that “vision without action is only good intention.”  I think he has a point.  When you only do a window dressing on the good intention, it is merely a slogan.  When mission statements are copied or revised from others instead of your personal conviction, there is very little incentive to pay the price to make it happen.  They are best reserved for posting on the bulletin board to impress the visitors.

When God demonstrated to the world His love, He did not send a statement or slogan; He sent his Son:

“For God so loved the world that…”

This is how the Gospel story began. The love of God was so compelling that He acted upon it.  God loves us so much that He has to do something about it.  God cares enough to make it possible for us to be reconciled with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.  The passion that comes with the love brings about the actions needed to facilitate change.  I think what is lacking in many mission statements is that we do not want it bad enough.  We take them merely as mission suggestions or something nice to have.  There is no overwhelming sense of calling or mandate from God about the things we penned in our mission statement.  Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell says in his autobiography that one of his lessons of life is “It can be done!”  You can do practically anything if you want it bad enough.  Wanting it bad enough will force you to focus on the primary issue and ignore the secondary ones, channeling your resources and energy to make things happen.

“He gave…”

God leaves no doubt in our mind that He meant what He said.  His proclamation is backed by His unwavering commitment to carry out the redemption of mankind by sending His Son Jesus Christ to come into the world, to live among us, to die on the cross for our sins, and to rise again on the third day.  What He claimed is more than a slogan; it is love in action.  You see, action speaks louder.  Always!  When a dream is put into actions and is accomplished successfully, it gives credibility to the leader and quiets the nay-sayers.  It energizes the followers to anticipate with confidence the next step.  It raises the morale of the organization.  People begin to believe in their God-given potentials.  More things could be achieved when people begin to believe! Christmas is the time of the year when we see God’s love in action.  May this love inspire us to move beyond mere slogan, but towards actions to carry out our mission for God.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Dr Albert Ting, Principal
Singapore Bible College