When I attended Community College, I worked for Wal-Mart in Olney, Illinois. I started as a Stockman who was responsible for cleaning, cart retrieval, and carry outs. I was not assigned to one certain area of the store, but I moved throughout the store during my shift. If a customer asked about the location of a certain product, I was trained to take them to the item. It was against our policy for me to point in the direction, take them to the area, or tell them the aisle number. I was to take them to the product and show them where it was on the shelf.
When Living the Adventure Ministries was founded 18 years ago, we created a general mission statement that pointed toward our perception of God’s calling for our ministry. It was not overly specific, though it sought to encapsulate the intent and mission of our new ministry. The mission statement was:
Living the Adventure Ministries seeks to work for the transformation of the world through the awakening of the church, evangelistic preaching, and Christian people putting their faith into action through mission experiences around the world.
As the Board of Directors recently met in January, we looked at our mission statement in hopes of becoming more specific, so we could better explain who we are as a ministry. It was also our desire to seek the Lord’s guidance of where He desires us to put our focus. As we discussed our mission statement, I was reminded of Jesus’ specific calling to His disciples in Matthew 10:7-8, “Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!”
Since its inception, Living the Adventure Ministries has received many blessings as we have learned more, experienced more, and made mistakes. We have become more focused on providing people opportunities to grow in their faith and to experience the living out their faith in mission. In our desire to become more specific in our mission and how we believe God is calling us, the Board of Directors worked with me to create our new Mission Statement:
Living the Adventure Ministries guides the way to a growing relationship with Jesus through mission experiences.
Over the next month, I will invite you to consider our new mission statement, as I share how we see it being lived out in our day-to-day obedience to God’s call on us as a ministry. Just as I was instructed to take people to the item at Wal-Mart, I look forward to introducing you to the mission statement in its specificity.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your calling on our lives. Thank you for your faithfulness over the past 18-years as Living the Adventure Ministries has lived into your call for our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.