“Strategic thinking and acting is no stranger to the Bible. References to and examples of it are generously sprinkled throughout the Old and New Testaments…In the Gospels, Christ informs the church of its mission – the Great Commission. The Book of Acts records how the Holy Spirit used the church strategically to implement this mission. Paul does not wander aimlessly but appears to have carefully and strategically selected the cities he visited for ministry while on his missionary journeys…It becomes obvious, then that God has sovereignly chosen to work through strategic thinking and acting and to accomplish his divine will on earth.” (Aubrey Malphurs, Strategic Planning: A Model for Church and Ministry Leaders, 12)
On Monday of this week the staff of EBI met in Sebring, FL to continue our process of strategic planning. Now I must admit from the get-go that my personality leans toward a strategic mindset. As the saying goes, I love "to plan my work and then to work my plan." You will then find it as no surprise to know that I am really pleased with the strategic planning which we at EBI have accomplished. Our plan of action is beginning to take shape and I believe that it clearly sets the course for how God would have us to minister. That being said, let me blog a few moments about our mission statement. It reads like this,
EBI exists to assist Hispanic churches in the fulfillment of the great commission by creating, publishing and distributing Biblically-based materials.
Several aspects of this statement stand out to me as being particularly relevant. First of all our mission is defined in terms of assisting. We are a service organization. We exist primarily to minister to the needs of others. Secondly, these "others" are specifically defined as the Hispanic church. We at EBI are local church at the core. Being the Spanish literature division of Baptist Mid Missions we exist to serve Hispanic churches both here and abroad. Thirdly, we help these churches in their attempt to fulfill the Great Commission. In other words we are an organization that focuses our attention upon Great Comission ministries. We are missions minded. Finally, we accomplish all of this through the specific task of creating, publishing, and distributing Biblically-based materials. Through the provision of these resources the Hispanic church can more efficiently accomplish their role of reaching the spanish-speaking world with the Gospel, of discipling their members to greater Christ-likeness, and of training the next generation of pastors and leaders.
That's a pretty good mission statement isn't it? May God give us the grace, strength, and wisdom to fulfill it!
