On Mission and Vision.

Earlier this week I was on the panel for Blueprints (an online youth ministry training resource) and our topic was Mission and Vision.  Among the many topics we discussed were the differences between the two, how to create them, and how to maintain and evaluate them.

For me, a vision statement helps answer the question of "Where are we going?"  It defines what success will look like and describes what the impact is going to be.  It is meant to be inspirational and doesn't necessarily explain the "how". 

Thus, I believe it includes a lot of what Jason Frizzell spoke about earlier this week here in his video blog on Vision.  It can be thought of as an orientation, a long-term direction, and even a destination.

Contrast that to a mission statement which tells the reader why your organization or ministry exists.  It is a bit more practical than the vision statement from a standpoint that it starts to dip into the "how".

As an example, check out our vision and mission statements for the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM) that I direct for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver.

Vision:  That all youth and young adults encounter Christ to live out lives of personal and communal holiness.

Mission Statement:  The OYYAM  exists to provide spiritual and professional formation for those who serve youth and young adults.

Enjoy this video...it's over an hour long but features insight from many prominent Catholic youth workers in North America...and me haha.

The intros start at the 7:30 mark and the nitty gritty begins as the 15:30 mark.



Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to sons Sean Isaiah and Jacob Isaac and daughter Kayla Marie.  He has served as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver for the past ten years, helping parishes develop their own youth and young adult ministries.  When not doing ministry, Clay enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, playing sports, playing naptime, and writing blogs on topics such as family, faith, and the Vancouver Canucks.  Learn more about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo