Where Do You Want Them To Go And How Will You Get There?

Before I run a race I take my car and drive as much of the course as possible.  In order to have the best race I want to make sure I am as comfortable as possible knowing the course and where I need to go.  I have this minor fear of getting lost or burning out.  But, by knowing the hills, the turns, rest stops and refueling stations I give myself the largest chance to meet my goals.
We need to make sure that our ministers know both the vision and the mission of our ministry.  If it’s unclear or hardly stated frustration, confusion and even resentment will set into your ministry.  People will leave your ministry if the mission and vision is not clear, that’s why we need to:

• Make It Simple: Making something simple does not mean making it easy.  What it means is breaking it down into steps that others can understand.  If we inundate a person with complex instructions they’ll immediately go into decision-making paralysis.  For example some runners break down the daunting task of a marathon by thinking about it as two half marathons with a 10K.
• Repeat It: The best way to drive home a point is through repetition.  The best way to drive home a point is through repetition.  The best way to drive home a point is through repetition. Repeat your vision and mission as much as possible…get it?
• Make It Memorable: If your mission statement is a million words long, no one is going to remember it, even if you repeat it a million times.  Making something memorable means using examples that drive the point home.  Make the statement engaging, catchy; however, most importantly, clear.

Where you go and how you get there are key pieces of information that should never get old.  Yes, people might grow sick of hearing it; however, that’s a good thing, because it means they know it.  If you want your team on board, traveling in step and creating capacity in your ministry, make sure they know the course.

How do you make vision and mission stick?