If you’re ready for the adventure of what the future of church could look like - and how to grow in your own Cage Free Ministry - this is what it could look like…
Start right now: your six-word mission statement
Earnest Hemingway was famously asked to write a six-word novel.
This is what he came up with:
For sale.
Baby shoes.
Never worn.
Being forced into a narrow framework helps us get to the essence of who we are and what we are trying to say.
It’s not easy! But it is fun - and it helps shape our ministry for the future of church.
Create a six-word mission statement for your ministry - in fact, see if you can create a few of them. Maybe even 10 or so.
Don’t worry if it makes grammatical sense. Just reach for the most specific and meaningful words you can find.
WHY?
Congregations and other ministries often create ‘mission statements’ that are really descriptions
‘we’re an open and joyful community of faith’
Or they’re super-long but don’t really say anything - when I teach preaching, I call this ‘blah blah blah Jesus’!
‘Our mission is to help lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by creating a dynamic environment for authentic worship and effective communication while developing genuine community with each other’
[these examples are real, but I’m keeping them anonymous]
What’s wrong with these?
They’re not bad, they’re just not really dynamic, memorable, invitational, or unique. They don’t make you think of one specific place.
Free Range Priest’s 6-word mission statement:
Reimagining ministry in the digital age
Belongs to no one else. Gives you a clear idea of what you’re in for if you partner with me. Contains an action word, and an (implicit) invitation - come join me!
There’s room for others to find themselves here - it’s not just ‘here’s what I do’, but: ‘here’s where we’ll go’.
Other 6-word mission statements for Free Range Priest:
We’re bringing church to people. (that’s only 5 words!)
Building the future of church - together. This is for Substack Seminary (and it’s technically seven words, but tiny words like ‘and’, ‘the’ and ‘of’ can be snuck in to make it make sense!)
You’re not weird - you’re early. (another from Subsem - and also only 5 words).
Ancient Christian practice for modern life. (from Trexo - and it’s a little more descriptive than I’d like. Still working on one with action words!)
Stretch your soul at the spiritual gym. (also from Trexo)
Now it’s your turn! See how many you can come up with for your own ministry.
It’s simple but not easy - write them down or say them out loud.
Take out the extraneous words. What really describes your ministry?
Clergy - this is about your ministry - NOT your church’s (they have their own!)
If this is a new concept to you - that you have a ministry separate from your community - then you’ll want to use the Minister Lens to get some insight on reimagining your mission.
Are you having trouble with what makes your ministry unique, engaging, special?
You may want to think about the Community Lens of how you offer Welcome, Belonging, Formation and Practice.
If you share your six-word mission statement with me - and you can share as many as you like - I’ll keep an archive of them (anonymously!), and give some feedback on them here.
Learn more about the Free Range Priest Way, and the three Lenses of Cage Free Ministry…
'The institutional church is collapsing and we're not sure what to do'
START HERE to get 'unstuck' and follow the Free Range Priest Way.
And start creating your own Cage Free Ministry…
Your Cage Free Ministry roadmap
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