In 1998, I began meeting one day each month with ten other Evangelical Free Church pastors in the Puget Sound region (Washington State) to forge my personal mission statement. For the first four months a facilitator led us through Focusing Leaders Network, a guided assessment for discovering the best applications of each one’s giftedness. We each mapped out our providential opportunities and whether each found a measure of God’s blessings and reflected on periods of “wilderness” testing seasons where we were groping to understand what God was doing. For the following six months, we pondered new challenges by thinking in bigger terms in light of the Lord Jesus’ Kingdom. Specifically, we spent extended time in prayer, Scripture reading and fasting to pen an individual strategic plan for the glory of God. With a pastor/coach coming alongside for prayer support and counsel, I penned my mission statement and committed a detailed plan to the Lord. In future posts, I will share more about this process in the hopes of connecting with a few who would desire to develop their own mission statement. Would any of you be willing to offer how you came to understand what unique contribution the Lord would have you focus on? Please comment or email me.
Pastor of the Lovell Community Chapel located in northern Michigan
