Leaking Mission Through A Sunday Program
In January of 2014 my church launched a new mission: Inviting the distracted and disinterested to realize their role in God’s story. We call this the insider version. Not because it’s something we want to hide, but because, like any good mission statement, it needs to be explained. Our billboard language goes something like this: “At Mountain Park Community Church we are all about two things: celebrating God’s story and launching into our own.”
For a mission statement to have any value beyond putting the letters of the alphabet to use, it must drip from every channel.
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As of the beginning of April 2014, the mission had yet to be reflected in our monthly Sunday program.
Re-Writing the Program for Our Mission
As part of bringing synergy between our communication channels and our mission, I spent a good chunk of time rewriting our program language.
Here is what I changed:
[button size=” style=” text=’OLD PROGRAM PDF’ icon=” icon_color=” link=’https://www.dropbox.com/s/f4628ob4mrs2c70/0406-program.pdf’ target=’_blank’ color=” hover_color=” border_color=” hover_border_color=” background_color=” hover_background_color=” font_style=” font_weight=” text_align=” margin=”] [button size=” style=” text=’NEW PROGRAM PDF’ icon=” icon_color=” link=’https://www.dropbox.com/s/9n0s37dg6m3g2qe/0427-program.pdf’ target=’_blank’ color=” hover_color=” border_color=” hover_border_color=” background_color=” hover_background_color=” font_style=” font_weight=” text_align=” margin=”]
Guest Welcome Message
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OLD COPY
We’re happy you’re here. Today, we’re discovering the spiritual significance of various locations on earth. Join us as we discover the role we play, here and now, in God’s overall story.
If you have any questions about Mountain Park, please complete the Communication Card and place it in the offering bag or drop it off at the Guest Center in the lobby.
We pray that through the message, music and laughter, today will be a meaningful experience for you.
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NEW COPY
We’re happy you’re here. As part of celebrating God’s story, we’re exploring the spiritual significance of various locations on earth. Your being here today is no accident. You have a role to play, here and now, in God’s overall story.
If you have any questions about Mountain Park, please complete the Communication Card and place it in the offering bag or drop it off at the Guest Center in the lobby.
We pray that through the message, music and laughter, today will be a meaningful experience for you.
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Invitation to Our Guest Center
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OLD COPY
If you are a recent guest or have been attending Mountain Park for some time, our Guest Center is a safe place to explore all that Mountain Park is about. It’s an opportunity to learn more about us, and if you wish, speak with our Guest Center volunteers.
The Guest Center is open before and after each Sunday Celebration. When you stop by, please mention to a volunteer that you are our guest; we have a gift we would love to send home with you.
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NEW COPY
Mountain Park is all about two things: celebrating God’s story and launching into our own. We invite you to visit our Guest Center to learn more about our mission and our church. It’s also a place where you can speak with a volunteer from our church and ask questions, if you wish.
The Guest Center is open before and after each Celebration. When you stop by, please mention to a volunteer that you are our guest; we have a gift we would love to send home with you.
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The Most Important Change
As you can see in the images linked to below, there was one major change that is subtle, yet the most important. I changed the background image. The city image that was present was nice, but it wasn’t a true reflection of our community. In the new program the image I used is of Telegraph Pass, a very popular hiking trail in our neighborhood.
It is subtle changes that help connect the church to the broader community, thus extending it’s reach.
What You Can Takeaway From This
The biggest takeaway here is, don’t just keep doing things the way you’ve been doing them. If you have time to address a communication channel, especially if it’s been a while since the last refresh, don’t hesitate to put in the hard work necessary to bring that channel closer in line with the mission and vision of your church.
I struggle with this, but there are those moments where I am forced to re-address things, such as this program. My admin was out all week and I had to put the program together. I was so frustrated when I saw that I had yet to change the copy that I stayed 3 hours extra into Thursday evening to change it and make it better.
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