EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Episode 5: Alignment

In this episode, Daniel talks about alignment—implementing mission and vision in your church, with Pastor Bruce Zachary, Senior Pastor of Calvary Nexus in Camarillo, California (calvarynexus.org). Bruce is also founder of VELO Church Leaders (velochurchleaders.org) and serves as Co-Director of Calvary Church Planting Network, a global church planting initiative. Why does your church need a mission or vision statement? It is important to understand the difference between a mission statement and vision. A mission statement is the core values of a church that don’t change over the course of time; they are longstanding, maybe 20 years. Vision may change. But a mission statement is “a compass, a true north.” Bruce discusses five characteristics of what a mission statement should be and why each is important. What it shouldn’t be is someone else’s mission statement, no matter how much you like it. “The problem is that you can’t take on somebody’s DNA. In other words, if you’re looking at another church and thinking we’ll just do what they’re doing…if it’s not your DNA, it’s not going to be effective.” What are some practical ways to communication your mission? Repeat it. Get it out there in as many different forms as possible—and be consistent. “The best way to stay on target is not to get distracted by things that are not your vision or your mission.” Evaluate everything in terms of its impact on your mission. Then implement it. Most leaders don’t have all the skills necessary to accomplish every step in implementing the vision. This is why it is important to have a leadership team and work together strategically. Strategic implementation is the subject of this week’s One Piece of Advice with Pastor Mitch Thompson.

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One Piece of Advice | Strategic Framework

Pastor Mitch Thompson, Delray Beach, Florida, shares his advice on what his church has recently implemented through collaboration with other churches in their area. It is the idea of having a strategic framework based on strengthening areas of weakness or what Mitch calls “pain points” in their church’s ministry. “We realized we had failed in a lot of areas of being strategic as a church and a staff.” Through their willingness to collaborate with other churches they started a process of creating this framework. “We put together a ministry action plan so they all know what they’re doing that aligns with what God has uniquely called our church to do to move forward.” Mitch encourages this type of collaboration—“Get together, think through what is best practices and take advice from other churches who may not look like you but have been doing this longer and found some great ways that doing ministry has impacted their church and congregation.”

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Quotes:

“Alignment is the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process of where God is going and how are we going to get there” -Simple Church, Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger

On knowing your mission—“As you contemplate the things that really stir you, that you’re passionate about, those things should be the core or the essence of your mission.” -Bruce Zachary

“The further out you’re thinking, the more that you have to remain steadfast in terms of that vision in order to see it through.” -Bruce Zachary

“Get together, think through what is best practices and take advice from other churches who may not look like you but have been doing this longer and found some great ways that doing ministry has impacted their church and congregation.” -Mitch Thompson

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Links:

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com