Whether you have a written mission statement yet or not, your church has a mission that guides your work. Your church leadership works to establish a culture of community and Godliness every day.
A mission statement that builds upon that mission can help your church connect with newcomers and excite your members to greater levels of participation. It puts into words that ineffable feeling of goodness and celebration around your church and demonstrates what you’re all about.
If you need some inspiration to write your mission statement, you’ve come to the right place! We’ll share 12 powerful church mission statements that serve as excellent examples of what you should try to achieve with yours.
12 Well-Written Church Mission Statements
The following churches have mission statements that share their connection to God and their goals for the future. We’ve reviewed each and shared what we like and how they could improve.
1. Macquarie Life
Mission: “To bring others ‘Towards Christ’, as we show kindness to others, and share the message of the hope of Jesus.”
Macquarie Life has placed its mission on its “Who we are” page on the website, making it easy for visitors to find. The continued explanation of how they’ll meet this mission is also a nice touch. Kingdom – investing in people and projects. Community – programs that provide financial support. Nations – missions in Sri Lanka, the Pacific Islands, and Northern Nigeria. Some may worry this is too lengthy, but the details they’ve shared support the mission and answer any questions visitors may have.
2. KingsPorch
Mission: “We are a people that, out of our devotion, pray continually for these six core values: Signs and Wonders, Generosity, Kingdom of Priests, Multiplication and Open Homes, Thankful Worshippers, Favor with People.”
KingsPorch’s mission statement has a level of authority that builds trust with its parishioners. They’ve chosen to share their mission statement on a separate page and added Bible verses to support each of their core values. While it is beautifully written, indeed, the mission itself may get lost because of so many verses. We’d recommend KingsPorch provide a shortened version on its Home page and explain why these core values are essential to the church and its followers.
3. Renewed Church
Mission: “To love God and love people. We reach them with love, bring them with grace, teach them the truth and send them out on mission.”
Renewed Church stuns visitors with its Home page. Their mission statement is easy to find on the Home page, right next to their vision. Their mission naturally splits into four sections. This makes it easy to read and understand, but Renewed Church could also change its layout to make it even easier to read. The layout could be something like this… “Love God and love people; Reach them with Love; Bring them in with Grace; Teach them the Truth; and Send them out on a mission.”
4. River Church Baltimore
Mission: “To reach the lost with the message of the Gospel, revive the church to eternal truths and promises in the Word of God, and to raise up an army of radical disciples that become: colorless, fearless, and faceless.”
River Church’s mission shows its passion for Jesus and his message. They share their mission statement on the “About” page. It is advisable to add a church’s mission to the homepage where it is easier for the visitors to find. River Church may also want to move the “closer, fearless, and faceless” to the top of the statement to increase the impact.
5. Sheridan Church
Mission: “Sheridan exists to prepare people to reach and empower others locally and globally to spread the word of God and express God’s love.”
Sheridan Church has made it easy for visitors to find their mission. The first thing people see on their Home page is a quality picture; the church’s mission and vision are below it. There isn’t much we would change to Sheridan’s mission statement or placement, but they may want to add a section explaining more. Their mission says they reach and empower people locally and globally. Adding a few more details, images, and links to other pages could encourage website visitors to look for more information and be connected to the church.
However, we love how they call back to their mission on their “Give” page. This helps demonstrate how donations help them serve their mission.
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6. Bridge to Grace Ministries
Mission: “To reach and evangelize the unreached people groups that have not heard the Gospel, to grow leaders, and open churches.”
Bridge to Grace Ministries placed its mission statement right on its home page. The bold text and different colors also make it stand out and easy to find. Bridge to Grace has also added excellent details to back up its claims. The images are compelling and inspire visitors to click and learn more. One area of improvement is that they need to avoid repeating their mission. They could use the space next to their mission better by adding more specifics on how the church has impacted geographic areas.
7. Hebron Los Angeles Christian Mission
Mission: “To share Jesus’s call and true path with all people willing to follow him.”
Hebron Los Angeles Christian Mission has placed its mission statement on its website’s home page next to its welcome message. The placement is excellent. Visitors don’t struggle to find the church’s purpose and get a feel for the organization immediately. Language like “Jesus is calling us to walk closer to him” is beautiful but doesn’t answer the questions of who you’re serving and how. Instead, that statement may be an excellent start to laying out a vision for the church’s future.
8. Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
Mission: “Serves and advocates for individuals and families in need, especially those living in poverty. We create a more just and compassionate community in which people of all cultures and beliefs can participate and prosper.”
The Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County’s message is strong but gets lost on the “About” page. The writing is excellent, but there are too many words and insufficient images. They could use the same number of words but change the layout to better catch the eye.
9. Dwelling Place
Mission: “We will express that Jesus is our treasure by: … making disciples who love Jesus through friendships, … being the Church by gathering disciples together, … seeking the people of the city (and the nations) through the Gospel.”
Dwelling Place’s mission is one of the first things people see when they scroll down the “About” page. Even though they didn’t put it on the homepage, it is easy to find on their website. They’ve also done an excellent job splitting their mission into three separate messages. The wording could be written more clearly. It sounds like the author was trying too hard to be poetic but lost the meaning. If a team had worked on this mission statement, they may have pointed this out and helped clarify the message.
10. Peace Church Goose Creek
Mission: “In the next five years, we will pursue spiritual formation so that we will become Good Samaritans to the families in our community, internalizing the gospel to serve our neighborhoods.”
Peace Church Goose Creek’s mission is an interesting example. The church provides excellent details and explanations of how they plan to reach more families. The imagery of “platoons of people putting on the full armor of God” is powerful. The mission of the organization isn’t as straightforward as it could be. It looks more like a vision for the church. This message is also lost on a separate page instead of being on the organization’s homepage. The problem with not having a clear message or mission statement is that your members and leadership team don’t have any easy line to share with others.
11. Reeman Christian Reformed Church
Mission: “As a part of God’s family, we strive to show Christ’s love to all, for the glory of God.”
Reeman Christian Reformed Church’s mission statement is short and sweet, and even broken into a better explanation for visitors. However, they don’t share the statement on the homepage, making it harder to find. This is a confusing move since it could be easily added to their website homepage. The mission statement is an excellent length and can be a great example for churches looking for inspiration.
12. St. John & St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church
Mission: “To bring people into church so that they can be trained to go out into their culture as effective missionaries.”
St. John & St Verena Coptic Orthodox Church does an excellent job sharing how they use their mission to reach more people and share God’s message. The church shares its mission statement on its website, but it’s too difficult to find it for new visitors. While the mission is concise, it gets lost because of its placement. They can improve this by placing the mission above everything else, and then discussing how and why.
3 Tips to Write a Church Mission Statement That Resonates with People
A church mission statement can draw attention to your church’s goals and help spread God’s message. There are a few steps you can take to ensure your mission statement works for you and your community.
1. Start with a team
You should never try to write your church’s mission statement alone.
If you’ve been tasked with writing your organization’s mission, take the time to find at least a few other members of your church to help. It is crucial to get different perspectives to share the most important details of your church and its goals. Having team involvement can also build more robust support for the mission you create when trying to gain acceptance.
Once you have a mission statement, your team members can also help spread it throughout your community and share it with outsiders. Pastors and church leaders can get stuck in biblical text and jargon. Various backgrounds and skills can help ensure that the message and wording of your mission statement are easy to follow.
2. Answer three questions
Your church’s mission statement should answer three questions:
- Why does your church exist?
- Who does it serve?
- How does it serve them?
All churches should follow this template to help keep their mission clear and concise while also sharing details on how they stand out from others.
3. Review and be open to change
A mission statement that works for your church today may not be the best for tomorrow. With that in mind, be open to change. Your leadership team should meet regularly to review the mission and ensure the message still fits your organization’s goals.
Final Thoughts
A mission statement can be powerful and help draw in a larger following. It can also make it easier to spread God’s message to those unwilling to listen before. Many churches include various outreach and support programs. Your organization’s mission should find a way to combine these programs with other activities to reach various communities.
If you still struggle to find a mission that works for your church, check out these mission statement examples from other nonprofit organizations. We also have hundreds of resources to help churches and nonprofits with fundraising, management, stewardship, and more. Check them all on the Donorbox Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a handpicked collection every month in your inbox!
And if your church is looking to boost giving and better manage your members and supporters, Donorbox is here to help. We have a dedicated church fundraising pillar called Donorbox MinistryMatters, focused on developing and offering effective and simple digital giving tools and features that will keep funds flowing to your church. Learn more on the website and sign up today to start fundraising!
Kristine Ensor
