Strategic Visioning Update: April 30
Dear Diocesan Friends,
The Strategic Visioning Committee would like your feedback on drafts of new mission and vision statements for The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. We invite you to do the following:
- Watch the video
- Read the information
- Take the survey
Background:
The committee has spent the past few months thoughtfully crafting these statements to reflect who we are as a diocese in 2021 and what we want our diocese to be as we move forward together.
The inspiration for the mission statement comes from Micah 6:8:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
We also considered the uses of the mission statement both internally, as a touchstone for where we focus our energy and resources; and externally, as an invitation to others to be a part of what we are doing. The language should be inviting and not a barrier to people, especially to those who mistrust or have been hurt by the Church.
With that Bible verse as inspiration and the desire for inclusiveness, we continued to edit and eventually drafted the following as our proposal:
Proposed mission statement:
We embrace the Good News of Jesus to seek justice and act with compassion while walking humbly with God and our neighbor.
Proposed vision statement:
A world transformed by justice, compassion, and peace.
Definitions:
- A mission statement is a one-sentence statement describing the reason an organization or program exists and is used to help guide decisions about priorities, actions, and responsibilities (TopNonProfits.com).
- A vision statement is a one-sentence statement describing the clear and inspirational long-term desired change resulting from an organization or program’s work (TopNonProfits.com).
Current Mission and Vision Statements:
As a reminder, the new statements will replace statements that have been in place since 1994:
The Mission of the Diocese of Missouri is the mission of all baptized Christians: to reach and to spread the Gospel and its knowledge of salvation to all people; and to make the love of Christ known in the world through our own actions as individuals, as congregations, and as the Diocese, by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, caring for the sick, visiting the prisoner, and comforting those in times of trouble.
Vision:
Making Disciples
Building Congregations
For the Life of the World
Share your thoughts:
If you would like to share your thoughts about the proposed new statements, please click the button below to take our survey. We appreciate your feedback!
After we receive your comments, we will make any necessary edits to finalize our mission and vision proposals. These statements will lay the foundation for the next steps of our visioning process.
We look forward to receiving your honest and thoughtful comments.
Yours in Christ,
The Strategic Visioning Committee
Committee Co-Chairs:
The Rev. Annette Joseph
Christ Church, Cape Girardeau
St. Paul's, Sikeston
Dick Entenmann
Grace Church, Kirkwood
Consultant:
Katie Ong
The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
Committee Members:
The Rev. Barbi Click
St. Paul’s, Carondelet / St. Louis
Vicki Myers
Grace Church, Jefferson City
The Rev. Dr. Clive Samson
Faith Christian Church of India, Ballwin
Emmanuel, Webster Groves
The Rev. Jon Stratton
Trinity, Central West End / St. Louis
Janet Thompson
Calvary, Columbia
The Rev. Sally Weaver
Emmanuel, Webster Groves
Machelle West
All Saints & Ascension, Northwoods
Parker Williams
Holy Cross, Poplar Bluff
Tags: News
