Vision is your dream. Where do you want your ministry to go? What is your big picture of the future?
Mission is the purpose of your small group ministry. What, specifically, will you do to work toward fulfilling your dream?
What Is the Vision for Your Small Group Ministry?
As you start a new ministry or accelerate an existing ministry, you likely have a long list of things you need or tasks that need to be accomplished. I’ve found that need only goes so far in motivating people. They are often much more eager to help realize a God-inspired vision for a growing ministry or church. But churches often resort only to need in their appeals. I attended a conference at which we were given a flyer that listed all the needs for that ministry. Afterward the conference coordinators revealed that out of about 150 people, only one responded to the list of needs.
The conference attendees were called to a need, not a vision. Some people are wired to respond to needs, but don’t depend exclusively on that motivation. If you also call your people to a vision—to the specific reasons they are there and the end you are seeking to accomplish for God’s kingdom—they are more apt to respond and get involved.
Every successful leader has a vision in mind—something he or she is moving toward. People respond to that because vision is vital, not only to the leader, but also to the volunteer. A desperate need-based request typically doesn’t recruit many people, but a well-thought-out vision will draw in more people and inspire them in ways you never thought possible.
Remember, it’s crucial not to get hung up on numbers as you figure out your vision. Spiritual health will get you numbers, but numbers will not get you spiritual health. Your vision should emphasize dream. Our small group vision is to see every person, from the core of our church to the ever-growing community, connected to a healthy small group. Notice that the dream won’t be realized by people’s connection to just any small group, but to a healthy small group. We define a healthy group as one in which the members fellowship together, learn together, serve together, reach out together, and worship together. Combined, all those purposes create a healthy subculture of our church’s larger community.
The vision for your ministry should reflect and serve the larger vision for your church. As examples, I’m including below the vision statements for our church and small group ministry. These may give you a starting point as you define the vision for your own ministry. Why, exactly, are we here?
Saddleback Church Vision
A great commitment to the great commandment and the Great Commission will grow a great church.
Saddleback Small Group Ministry Vision
To see every person, from the core of our church to the ever-growing community, connected in a healthy small group.
What Is the Mission of Your Small Group Ministry?
Once you have defined your vision, you must understand the mission of your small group ministry. If your vision is your dream, your mission is what you are going to do. What is the purpose of your small group ministry?
Most likely your church has a mission statement, or at least an unstated mission in the mind of your senior leadership. Make sure your small group ministry’s mission aligns with that of your church and the direction of your senior pastor. Here are the mission statements of Saddleback Church and Saddleback’s small group ministry:
Saddleback Church Mission
To bring people to Jesus and membership in his family, develop them to Christlike maturity, and equip them for their ministry in the church and their life mission in the world in order to magnify God’s name.
Saddleback Small Group Ministry Mission
To balance the Great Commission and the great commandment in the hearts of every member and group.
We’ve carefully mapped out a spiritual growth pathway for all church attendees to travel, supporting each other in community toward the church’s and ministry’s mission. Our vision and mission provide our compass to keep us always pointed due north, in the right direction.
Stating Your Vision and Mission
The rest of this book will help you plan a small group ministry that will fulfill your vision and mission. But you need to start with a strong foundation. Without the vision and mission to guide you, the plan you develop through this book will not follow a clear direction.
Take a few minutes to evaluate your vision and mission for your small group ministry. Your first step is to look at your church’s vision and mission in order that your ministry will line up with and support them. If you don’t know your church’s vision and mission, talk with your senior leaders and ask where they want the church to go and how your small group ministry can help the church go there. You don’t want a situation where your ministry works in opposition to your church.
My dad always told me that in business you want to think of the whole company, not just your department. He was a Navy aviator, and though he flew planes off aircraft carriers, he was just as concerned with the maintenance of the carrier as that of his plane. A hole in the carrier would sink the whole thing, including his plane.
Line up your ministry to support your church, and the church will support your ministry. They work together.
It’s hard to predict how long it will take to formulate your ministry vision and mission statements. Be deliberate and allow yourself the time to pray through every aspect of your ministry.
What if your church doesn’t have a clearly defined vision or mission? Well, even if there’s no formal written statement—maybe the culture doesn’t care—I can guarantee the church has a dream and a purpose on which you can build! Interview your senior leaders about these, and start your planning based on what they share.
Write your church and ministry vision and mission statements below, or at least preliminary drafts. This will help clarify your next steps. Pray, dream, align to your church, and pull others into this process—especially your church’s senior leadership and your ministry’s key planners.
My Church Vision Statement
My Small Group Ministry Vision Statement (our dream—why we are here)
My Church Mission Statement
My Small Group Ministry Mission Statement (our purpose—what we do)
Phases of Planning
Once you’ve determined at least a provisional vision and mission for your ministry that is aligned with your senior leadership and guided by your church’s vision and mission, your ministry’s foundation is set. Take a deep breath, then launch full speed into planning your small group ministry. As I described in the introduction, I propose five phases or “home” areas in the planning process. These overlap because every part of the ministry influences all the rest, and planning is not always a linear process. You will probably go back and forth a few times and find yourself in the midst of a couple of areas at one time.
Use chapters 5–9 to help you design each aspect of your small group ministry:
You may find yourself turning some unexpected corners, slowing down, speeding up, or sometimes having to stop right in the middle of planning to evaluate what is happening. This is all normal, so don’t be discouraged. Let’s jump right in.