Mission Statement Abuse

I couldn't resist telling this story. A church recently finished a Vision Pathway with Auxano. With the new mission articulation beginning to shift and shape the ministry (1 of the 5 questions discerned through the visioning work), a church staff wrote the following note on a workroom refrigerator:

BECAUSE OF OUR MISSION TO  ____________________ PLEASE KEEP THE COFFEE AREA CLEANED.

This note appears to be an application of what I encourage all of the time: Drip the vision (#visiondrip) into the daily conversation and daily flow of leadership. Tie everything you do back to the mission.

But this time the application went wrong. No, the mission of Christ is not provided for you to anchor your petty workroom rules and enforce it on everyone else. The mission is a reminder of what we are all supposed to be doing, so that I can start with my motives, my heart, my actions and my modeling.