Mission Statements, Vision Statements, Values Statements, Charism Statements

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Mission Statements, Vision Statements, Values Statements, Charism Statements, etc…have been all the rage in Catholic parishes over the past 15 years ever since they became de rigueur in corporate America. Some parishes even have multiple types of statements on their websites and bulletins!

Are such statements really needed?
 
To a certain extent, yes. Every parish and diocese has a corporate existence as a legal entity. Making their mission/goals clear to the rest of the world is useful.

The overdoing it that is common isn’t of much use.

After all, take the Byzantine Catholic parish I attend: The original assigned task was to Convert the Russian Orthodox… 50 years later, it’s converted about 5 Orthodox families (that I know of), and only one of those Russian Orthodox… One of the most successful “failures” I’ve encountered. It’s a thriving parish, with a mix of ethnic Ruthenians, ethnic Ukrainians, the occasional other ethnic Eastern Rite family who comes through Anchorage due to the military bases, a number of Latin Rite “refugees”, and a number of former protestants.

Our vision statement makes clear our role: Eastern Catholic Churches Serving the Christian Faithful in the entire State of Alaska According to the Traditions of the Byzantine Catholic Church in Communion with the Bishop of Rome.

It is a clear statment, and when combined with the bottom line of the sign (“Everyone is Welcome!”), sets the tone of the parish fairly well.

We don’t need a 20-page manifesto to know who we are, and where we fit.
 
Lepanto said:
Mission Statements, Vision Statements, Values Statements, Charism Statements, etc…have been all the rage in Catholic parishes over the past 15 years ever since they became de rigueur in corporate America. Some parishes even have multiple types of statements on their websites and bulletins!

Are such statements really needed?
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No, they’re not needed. The vision and mission of every Catholic parish in the world, and throughout time is identical; a portion of the people of God, together with their pastor, celebrating the Sacraments.

This is an example of the Church imitating the corporate world, as you have said. They are unnecessary and downright silly. Instead of wasting time composing mission statements, pastors need to worry about fulfilling their true Mission of sanctifying, teaching and governing.
 
FrDavid96 said:
No, they’re not needed. The vision and mission of every Catholic parish in the world, and throughout time is identical; a portion of the people of God, together with their pastor, celebrating the Sacraments.

This is an example of the Church imitating the corporate world, as you have said. They are unnecessary and downright silly. Instead of wasting time composing mission statements, pastors need to worry about fulfilling their true Mission of sanctifying, teaching and governing.
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While these management techniques can become silly if they become disproportionate, they really can help people to come to terms with how THEY are called to witness and to live as a parish in the community.

The “how” can be quite different in Scarsdale from what it is in East Harlem. The pastoral needs may be quite diverse. That said, most of this should be “back office” stuff worked out in prayer.

My own parish mission statement is cumbersome and unfocused:

**We the people of St. Mary’s, [City] **under the patronage of Our Lady of the Assumption, dedicate ourselves to the spreading of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ by word and example. We strive to be a prayerful Eucharistic family open to the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit, conscious of our mission to teach, serve, and build community in bringing about the Kingdom of God.

A more wieldy mission statement would be: To claim the world for Jesus Christ, starting HERE.
 
Here’s my parish’s (I kind of like it, actually…):

The parish of St. Francis of Assisi exists solely to incarnate the mission and message of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. By nurturing ourselves on the Gospel of Christ, by the celebration of Christ’s sacraments, by caring for one another, especially for the least of our brothers and sisters, and by holiness of life, we hope to know the living God and to spread knowledge of Him to all the world.
 
Needed? Not in the same sense that a parish needs an tabernacle or a priest.

Necessary? At lot of times, yes. A mission statement answers the question “What is this organizations reason for existing?”. Since we have done such a poor job of catechism and adult faith formation we sometimes need to remind folks exactly what we believe and who we are.

Nice to have? Yes, especially in these times where we have so many faith communiities that it is sometimes hard to tell if a Church is in full communion with the Magesterium & Rome. It is also great when some folks try to advance their own agenda which may be in conflict with the mission statement (kind of hard for Parish Council to ignore it if it is right there in writing).

And since mercygate shared, here is the one from my parish:

“Motivated by our belief in Jesus Christ and bound together by our Roman Catholic faith, we are a parish that seeks to respond to the Gospel invitation by living as God’s people. Baptized into Christ Jesus, confirmed by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and nourished by the Eucharist, we are a community that gives glory to God and proclaims His message of love and salvation.”
 
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago has said, on a number of occasions: “The Church doesn’t have a mission; rather, the mission has a Church.”
 
It has always seemed to me that Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20* teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."
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makes a pretty good mission statement. Everything else is an implementation plan.
 
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