"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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Mt 28:19-20)
One of the most powerful and clear statements given to us by Jesus, the great commission. Now this doesn’t mean we are all called to be priests or religious (vows). Not everyone will be a Peter or Paul. And that is ok. But it does mean we should all be prepared as missionaries to share the good news of salvation in Christ.
One of the greatest ways to share the good news is through the power of storytelling, as evidenced in the Bible, the greatest collection of stories we have.
So how can we tell our story in a way that impacts others and leads them to Christ?
Let’s start with the why.
Lead with the Why
Simon Sinek has a Ted Talk on YouTube that talks about “leading with the why”. The basic premise is that people don’t care what you do, they care why you do it. Again, people don’t care what you do, they care why you do it.
Don’t fight this, embrace it.
Every organization knows what they do. Most organizations know how they do it. Very few organizations ever state why they do it.
Take a look at the golden circle below. Most organizations lead from the outside in. They start with "the what" because that is most familiar. Then they get into their process or their "how". Most never get to the "why". Why?
Image Source: Smart Insights: Golden Circle
God didn’t send his only son to show us what he created, even though it is perfect and beautiful. God sent Jesus to show us why we are here.
Always lead with the why.
A Storybrand Framework
So how do you do this? At Newman Ministry we use a framework called Storybrand. The basic premise behind this framework is that every organization has a story to tell.
Story telling is a big part of what we do as non-profits. The better we get at telling our story, the more students and donors will respond to our mission.
PePeople love stories. People relate to stories. People remember stories.
Mission Statement
We start storytelling at Newman with our mission statement.
The Storybrand framework defines a mission statement as having three attributes:
1. Introduces Conflict
2. Defines a Destination
3. Foreshadows the stakes
These three attributes, when combined, create a mission statement that tells a story.
Ex: Most college students struggle to find friends that share their faith. At Newman Ministry, we connect students with a Catholic community on campus, so their faith thrives in college and beyond.
In our mission statement we have introduced the conflict of students struggling to find friends of faith, defined a destination by connecting students to a Catholic community, and foreshadowed the stakes of a thriving faith in college and beyond. This fulfills the Golden Circle detailing what we do, how we do it and why. And it tells a story that garners intrigue and clear understanding.
It's time to make your mission statement memorable! Remember to lead with the why. As you improve and master the art of storytelling, you will find many other ways to use this framework throughout different aspects of your ministry.
If you visit our coaching page, you will see LOTS of examples of mission statements. We create a mission statement for each topic to create clarity for what each session provides.
If you want to speak with a Newman Coach about this, please schedule a meeting with us. We'd love to help.
For more resources on this visit:
As you work through your mission statement keep in mind that we are making disciples for Him and not for our own. This becomes clearer when you create a plan for evangelizing - a strategic plan and vision for your ministry.