How to Write a Personal Mission Statement
1. Pray James 1:5.
2. Study the Scriptures.
3. Review the mission of the different disciples. Though Jesus’ and Paul’s mission weren’t exactly the same in many ways they were very similar. Summarize the common elements you see in their missions.
4. What biblical passages has God used deeply in your life?
5. How have these passages shaped the way you see life and the world?
The remaining questions are designed to help you view your life from a number of different perspectives before writing your personal mission statement. Before you begin to work on these questions, spend some time in prayer, asking God to clearly reveal His mission for you.
1. In what ways have you seen God use you significantly in the past? How has He worked through you?
2. What convictions and passions burn in your heart?
3. Think about some of the deepest disappointments you have experienced. What have those experienced taught you about the way God has wired you?
4. What are your primary strengths?
5. What do you consider to be your biggest weaknesses?
6. In your work experiences, at what have you excelled? With what have you struggled in the most?
7. What achievements in your life have given you the greatest satisfaction?
8. Do you have an idea of what your primary spiritual gifts are? What has designed for you as your spiritual gift – to development a function for just you.
9. If you have been able to exercise your spiritual gifts, what have you learned about yourself in the process.
10. Ask two or three people close to you how they would describe your strengths, weakness, and passions. Have your friends’ perceptions of you given you any new insights on how God has wired you?
11. List your main talents.
12. What verbs (action words) would you choose to describe what you love to do (for example: write, teach, inspire)? List as many as you can think of, then go back and pick two or three that best capture your sense of what you like to do.
13. How would you describe your personality? Does your personality give you any clues about what you might pursue, or definitely should not pursue, as a life mission?
14. Go back to reread your answers to the questions in this session. Ask God to help you see clearly how He has designed you to operate. a. Do you have any new insights into the way God has designed you? b. What ideas do you find repeated in your answers to these questions? Repetition may indicate that you need to consider something more strongly. c. Did any of the answers (or the whole process) cause something to click in your mind, causing you to think…..That’s what I need to do.
15. Now being to write out phrases that capture the most important ideas you have been able to cull out for the answers to your questions. Pay close attention to the questions that death with your strength, your talents, your passions, and others’ thoughts about what makes you tick. If you are struggling to compose a suitable mission statement, simply put your notes down and come back to it in a day or two.
My mission is…
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