There is nothing more beautiful or provoking than a piece of artwork that has been executed with intention and excellence—we call this a masterpiece. When the message, the medium, and the maker all come together in harmony to create a work that others will see and admire it is truly a beautiful thing. As we proceed in our work as a ministry, it is important to constantly remind ourselves of what our message, our tools, and our intention are as a unit.
The Bridge Youth Ministries has a very specific calling from God for his glory. In our last meeting I know that we had some questions about the words “mission” and “vision”. From our ministry perspective I would like to (hopefully) bring some clarity to this issue, as well as help you find out where you fit into this “big picture”.
Our mission is why we exist. To unite the hearts of youth with the heart of God. This mission was given to Carlos in the beginning and it is still ours today. It won’t change over time, and it will never be achieved fully. It is our direction. It is our motivation. It is our guiding star. Our mission is the heart beat to everything that we are doing—to unite the hearts of youth with the heart of God.
Our vision is what we want to be. To be a safe place in our community where young people can discover who they are, who God is, and what they can do in relationship with one another. Our vision supports our mission. It will change over time. It is measureable and achievable. Over time we will be able to look back and measure success in our vision— to be a safe place in our community where young people can discover who they are, who God is, and what they can do in relationship with one another.
Our purposes are our gauges. We can measure our success with our purposes.
Building new friendships
Reaching those who are lost
Instructing the truth
Discovering our gifting
Growing to be more like Christ
Experiencing true worship
How well are we building new friendships? Do you see more lost souls coming to the knowledge of Christ? Have you seen young people growing in the truth? Are gifts being fostered and grown in our ministry? By looking at where we were and where we now are with our B-R-I-D-G-E purposes, we can measure the success of our vision.
Our strategy is how we will accomplish our vision/mission. This is what we employ as a ministry. Our Friday night gatherings, home small groups, service projects, 1-on-1 relationships, etc are the strategy—it is our game plan.
My challenge to you this week is to think about where you fit in the middle of all of this. In 1 Corinthians 12, we all know the scripture that talks about how each of us have a specific and unique calling that contributes to the body of Christ. A perfectly functioning ministry will have hands doing the work of hands, feet doing the work of feet, and eyes doing the work of eyes. Any great work of art has specific design elements that are executed with intention and purpose. It is my prayer, and God’s heart, that you would be functioning in exactly what you were created for--with intention and purpose.
Through vision, mission, purpose, and strategy we can see the big picture that God is painting called The Bridge Youth Ministries. The question is how will God use you to contribute to this great masterpiece for all to see?