A proposed vision and mission statement for the national church generated a lot of discussion at the March meeting of Assembly Council.
“A community rooted in Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, courageously embracing the gifts of God, to be a blessing in the world,” reads the vision statement that will come before the church’s highest court in June. The accompanying one-page mission statement includes a series of bullet points outlining what the church aims to do.
The desire for a national vision emerged repeatedly on the floor at last year’s General Assembly, eventually coalescing into a recommendation. General Assembly asked the Council to “define and articulate the vision of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in consultation with a broad cross-section of the diversity of the larger body of the church.” The recommendation was prompted, in part, by three overtures asking for restructuring of national organizations. Such decisions, the recommendation said, “must be guided by the priorities based upon this vision.”
A Vision and Mission committee based the statements on 131 responses to a questionnaire circulated to individuals and groups within the church.
This year’s assembly will receive the document and will likely send the statements to the various courts of the church for comment.
The church’s last mission statement was approved in 1995 and a vision statement was approved in 1989. You can read all three statements below.
Vision and mission statements to be presented to the 2012 General Assembly:
Vision Statement
A community rooted in Jesus Christ,
empowered by the Holy Spirit,
courageously embracing the gifts of God,
to be a blessing in the world.
Mission Statement
We will continue to be a church that worships, studies, prays and creates community.
We will witness to the gift of God’s presence by being:
- Faithful in worship
- Diligent in prayer and study
- Joyful in fellowship
We will witness to the gift of God’s healing by being:
- Welcoming and accepting of all people
- Nurturing and supporting of one another
- Comforting and challenging in times of change
- Willing to deal with conflict in an open and grace-filled manner
We will witness to the gift of God’s joyful exuberance by being:
- Authentic
- Risk-takers
- Bold, courageous and passionate
We will witness to the gift of God’s Creation by being:
- Good stewards of all of God’s Creation
- Good stewards of time, energy, talents and financial resources
We will witness to the gift of God’s transforming Spirit
We will seize every opportunity to live and act in such a way that we become as Christ for others.
With hope, peace, joy and love we will live and breathe God’s gift of faith by:
- Telling God’s story
- Sharing our faith stories
Following Christ and the call to be servants, we will live and breathe God’s gift of Grace by:
- Being compassionate
- Being Christ’s hands and feet in our neighbourhoods
- Being generous to a fault
Humbly, we will live and breathe God’s gifts of wisdom, knowledge and reason by:
- Discerning what God is calling us to do in our communities and globally
- Being a prophetic voice against greed, discrimination, violence and oppression
- Joining in Christ’s work of reconciliation and healing
Trusting in God and stepping forward in faith, we will live and breathe God’s gifts of imagination and creativity by:
- Being innovative
Creating ministries that are authentic, relevant and are a blessing to others.
A mission statement approved by the 1995 General Assembly:
Who are we?
Disciples of Christ Empowered by the Spirit Glorifying God and rejoicing in service!
What do we do?
Relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, we proclaim the love and good news of Jesus Christ through our words and actions.
As a reformed church, we rely on the truth and inspiration of Scriptures for God’s guidance into the future — a future that we approach with wonder and anticipation, knowing God is with us.
As worshipping communities joyfully celebrating the sacraments, we are supported, strengthened and equipped to share the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
How do we do this?
Our mission, in a world where many do not know the gospel, is to tell the Biblical story in ever new and creative ways.
Our mission, in a world wounded by sin unto death, is to point to the redemptive work of Christ and the life changing presence of the Spirit.
Our mission, in a world burdened with anxiety and apprehension, is to provide a place of sanctuary, tranquility and renewal in the name of the One who said, “I will give you rest.”
Our mission, in a world where many are oppressed, excluded, or ignored, is to call for personal righteousness, justice, and reconciliation in the Church and in the world and to hear, respect and cherish all God’s children.
Our mission, in a world of limited resources, is to use God’s gifts wisely and fairly for the good of all.
Our mission, in a world of many nations, peoples, denominations and faiths, is to learn from one another and work together for the healing of the nations.
In all times and seasons, we give glory to the God of all creation, to Jesus Christ, the Son, and to the Holy Spirit by whose presence all are blessed.
A vision statement approved by the 1989 General Assembly:
It is our VISION that:
1. We will grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Discipleship will become the way of life among our members. We will be a people who pray for others and for ourselves, as we grow towards oneness with Christ, and deep commitment to him. We will seek God’s help in becoming a more spiritually-aware people. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we will grow in our knowledge and understanding of the written word of God, as we subject ourselves to the Lordship of the living Word, Jesus Christ. We will seek to be changed, to be reformed, to take whatever risks are necessary as we learn to obey God’s will. Our emphasis will be on learning and action in small groups. This spiritual growth is more important than, and is also a prerequisite for, growth in numbers.
2. We will reach out in mission, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ with relevance and power. We will be able to share our faith with those around, to speak about our discipleship in the work-place and in the community as we serve Christ in the world through love. As well as living out our own mission, we will, as we are able, share with other churches around the world in their discipleship. A part of the outreach will be to help build communities of faith in newly-developed areas, and in places where resources are limited.
3. We will integrate evangelism, social action and justice ministry. Each of these ingredients will be essential to the others. Our goal will be to serve as witnesses to the transforming power of Christ in our society, beginning with the communities in which we live. We will promote world peace by living at peace with each other and with our neighbours. Our theology will teach the stewardship of all creation, and it will be expressed through our concerns for our immediate environment. We will develop new, creative forms of ministry to the society around us, thus freeing ourselves to respond to the guidance of the Spirit. We will not be afraid to provide moral leadership to society and also to the Church in ministering to new and emerging conditions and issues in society.
4. Our congregations will be alive. Worship services will be joyful and full of meaning, aware of the world in which we live, and work, and seek to do God’s will. The forms of worship and the music used in worship will be lively and varied. Congregations will be clear about themselves and their purpose, and will have developed vision and direction about their specific service to God in their communities. Stewardship will no longer mean just money, but a creative, effective, and intentional use of all resources: people, buildings and technologies, as well as dollars. We will be intentional about the ministry of youth and young adults, recognizing their value in the life and work of Christ’s Church. It will be important for us to be aware of being part of the whole Body of Christ in the world. We will be an ecumenical people, one with the other Christian denominations in seeking God’s will for the Church, and contributing to that wider work of service and obedience as we are able, beginning in each local community.
5. We will be a loving, inclusive community–truly God’s family. We will not simply be a club for “nice” people. The use of the word inclusive opens up the Church to take seriously the presence and needs of people of all ages, and of many different cultural backgrounds other than the Scots- Irish out of which this Church sprang in past centuries. We will take seriously the special needs of disadvantaged people, and we will be intentional about seeing that those needs are met. We will use inclusive language as we learn to be inclusive. Our congregations will be a family for those who have no other family and an extended family for those who do. We will be a people who practice love, as we have met and experienced it in Jesus Christ.
6. We will be effective communicators. We will use contemporary, inclusive language and learn to use metaphors sensitively. Our communication will convey our essential unity, vision, and sense of identity, as we continually witness to the Lordship of Christ over all life. Technology will be a benefit, but will not be allowed to become intrusive. It will provide tools for the service of Christ, which will not become barriers between Christ’s people. We will learn the effective use of a variety of contemporary media, and all this we will discuss in plain words, trying to avoid speaking in a technical jargon. We will be aware of the tremendous power of technologies as carriers of culture, and molders of morals.
7. We will have a Spirit-led ministry by the whole people of God. More patterns of mutual support will be developed for the ministries of the Church. We will seek to mobilize ourselves, the members of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and to equip ourselves for ministry within the Church, our homes, our communities, and our places of work. We will all live out the challenging words used at the Ordination and Induction of a minister of Word and Sacrament: “It is the calling of all… to share the Gospel with the whole world, and through Christ the only Mediator to represent the world before the Father in worship and service, until Christ comes again”. Within the ministry of the whole Church there will be effective recruitment and screening of candidates for the ministry of Word and Sacrament and the Order of Diaconal Ministries. Their education for a servant ministry will be practical. Pastors and teachers will continue to approach their work of ministry from differing perspectives, but will also show the essential unity which comes through commitment to Christ and his people.
8. The courts of the Church will be vital and compassionate. We will discover our fundamental role in discerning the mind of Christ, in conciliation, and in inspiring and challenging the Church. There will be a spiritual deepening of the life of the Courts through prayer, fellowship, and study. We will learn to function pastorally toward congregations and toward those engaged in the ministries of the Church. There will be positive and compassionate response to crises and conflicts. There will be review of the optimum size of the Courts, including the geographical factors which so affect the life of the Canadian Church. The Courts will be careful not to exclude members and interested persons in such simple ways as scheduling the time of meetings. Priority issues will be given adequate time on the agenda, and less time will be given over to the purely administrative business of the Courts. There will be less desire to escape into legalistic debates over procedures.
9. The administration of the Church will be lean and accountable . It will aim at supporting the spiritual development of the people of God within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The hours involved in administration in the Church will be reduced. We will reclaim the time needed to care for each other as sisters and brothers in Christ, and to fulfill our mission. There will be time to read and reflect upon Christ’s call to us. The paralyzing disease of organizational overload will diminish, from the pastor’s study as from the General Assembly offices. The Agencies of the General Assembly will do only what cannot be done at the local level, and their mandate will be to serve the congregations, Presbyteries, and Synods. The function of these Agencies will be to provide resources for the programmes of the Church, and to share in the development and training of leaders.
