Mission and Vision

I have been struggling for the better part of two years now with trying to develop an adequate vision and mission for my ministry and for the ministry I hope to instill in others.

For many this is a fairly easy concept. They know their call and are affirmed in their call to completion. The goals they set are straightforward and clear. The churches they serve are already on board with their goals, mission and vision and the flow is nearly seamless.

This is not the case for me. I have struggled in my understanding of call as I have a call to camp and retreat ministry and to sacramental service. Much of the church at large that would confirm this call understands sacramental ministry as reserved for the local church setting, otherwise it could be done through any variety of means other than "Ordained Elder" (The United Methodist Church way of saying official pastor).

As such I have struggled in the search for God's heart and words to convey the message of my ministry. I have often described my approach to ministry as one that is ministry by deduction, as in eliminating the other possibilities - sometimes by trial and error. As such the clarity of where we are going is often scrambled in the journey.

Alas, there is hope as the journey is the thing, and I have come to a new understanding of how to journey. Three years of Institute, Church Development and Revitalization Training, Local Church Visioning and that inner need for clarity of purpose have culminated in something very simple.

Vision:
"Extending Ministry"

Mission:
To Extend Ministry through Longevity; Progress; Impact; Proclamation; and Variety

Explanations to come later.

All for now!

Peace,