How to create a youth ministry vision statement in six steps

Let’s play a game I just made up called “Name that company based on its vision statement.” (Clearly, I need help coming up with short, pithy game titles.)

Can you guess the company based on the following vision (or mission) statements?

Company #1: “To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Company #2: "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world."

Company #3: “With every cup, with every conversation, with every community–we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection.”

Company #1 is Google. Company #2 is Nike. Customer #3 is Starbucks (for me, this was the easiest since “cup” was a nice hint).

While no company, church, or organization is perfect, these three companies have drafted graphic vision statements that accurately describe what they hope to accomplish—so much so that you and I have a good chance of guessing who they are by those statements alone.

Can the same be said of your church or your ministry?

In all honesty, since Christian churches and ministries are guided by the same scriptures and the same Holy Spirit, our vision statements won’t be quite as distinct. There are (likely tens of) thousands of churches who rightly use terms like “disciples,” “love,” and “community” in their statements, making them less unique.

But each of us should still ask: When people in our ministry, as well as those we serve, hear our vision statement, would they think it captures what motivates us to do what we do?

Whether your answer is “for sure,” “probably not,” or “maybe,” now is a good time to review your vision statement and tweak, or totally overhaul, to make it the compass you and your team need to head in God’s right direction for you.

What is a ministry vision statement?

Most simply, a vision statement is your “why.” Often called a mission statement or a purpose statement, your vision describes why you do what you do.

Our team at the Fuller Youth Institute is inspired by the wisdom of my friend and colleague, Scott Cormode, who describes vision as a shared story of future hope.^[1]

This description of vision is compelling because it captures that vision is ideally shared, meaning those who need to be part of the vision see themselves in it. It’s powerful as a story since we humans find ourselves in stories and use them to make sense of our lives and experiences. Finally, it is a story of future hope centered on the unparalleled good news offered by Jesus Christ.

How long should our youth ministry mission statement be?

If a vision is a “story,” then won’t it be pretty long?

Not necessarily.

A single powerful sentence or phrase can share a story.

Think back to Starbucks’ vision that “With every cup, with every conversation, with every community–we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection.” Story-like images and maybe your own experience with cups, conversations, and community come immediately to mind.

The vision statement of the Fuller Youth Institute is to “equip diverse leaders and families so faithful young people can change our world.”

Maybe not quite as visceral as Starbucks, but that statement engenders a story in me and our team—of dynamic young people, empowered by the ethnically diverse leaders and families closest to them, to see God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. That’s a story I would give (and am giving) my life to.

So I’m a fan of sentence-long vision statements. But you can also create other versions that are longer.

Pastor and Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was brilliant at painting story-like vision statements that lasted a paragraph or more. The “I Have a Dream” speech is perhaps his most famous example, but note this future imagined by King in another speech honoring W. E. B. Du Bois: “Let us be dissatisfied until rat-infested, vermin-filled slums will be a thing of a dark past and every family will have a decent sanitary house in which to live. Let us be dissatisfied until the empty stomachs of Mississippi are filled and the idle industries of Appalachia are revitalized…Let us be dissatisfied until our brothers of the Third World of Asia, Africa and Latin America will no longer be the victims of imperialist exploitation, but will be lifted from the long night of poverty, illiteracy and disease.”^[2]

I’m regularly inspired by the evocative descriptions of churches we’ve interacted with over the years. One of those is The Dwelling, a North Carolina church plant led by Pastor Emily Norris and launched by its half-page vision to serve those who are experiencing homelessness:^[3]

In a world that constantly tells people who are homeless that they don’t belong, The Dwelling will be a church that tells them that the world has it all wrong. That there is holiness in their identity as someone experiencing homelessness, that they share a kinship with God who reminds us that we are all wanderers in search of belonging that can be found at the table—where outsiders are no more.

The Dwelling will be the space to reflect the radical counter-cultural nature of the cross—where shame is glory and identity in Christ replaces the damaging narrative that the world so easily affixes to people in the margins. The Dwelling will be a catalyst of education and advocacy, empowering leaders in the margins to use their story and their voices to shift the narrative around people experiencing homelessness. The Dwelling will be a place rooted in sacrament, where daily bread meets real mouths and water calls us all back to the limitless cleansing of grace. The Dwelling will proclaim loudly that resurrection is real.

Can you see both shared story and hope for the future at work in this beautiful vision?

How can my team craft a youth ministry vision statement?

While there are many ways you and your team can craft a vivid description for the future, we recommend the following six-step process. Note that we suggest you first create a longer version of your picture of future hope and then distill the essence of that story into one sentence. As your single sentence is informed by your longer narrative, you increase the odds that that sentence will be both accurate and stirring.

Step 1: Core theme brainstorming. Gather your leadership team together to discuss these questions:

• What is our vision for how our church or ministry can offer “future hope”?
• Given this vision, what would be the key features of our congregation or ministry and our impact?
• What attitudes and actions would we emphasize?

Step 2: Individual reflection. Invite each person to draft their own vivid description for the future, ideally in no more than two pages. Team members can do this work by themselves, or they can enlist the help of young people, friends, family, colleagues, small group members, or other congregants.

Step 3: Group collaboration. Gather your team together again, allowing everyone to offer their vivid descriptions. Then, identify the key words and ideas most resonating with the group. During or after the meeting, synthesize these multiple descriptions into one new vivid description.

Step 4: Feedback. Share the revised document with as many people as feasible, inviting their feedback. Perhaps each team member gathers input from a few volunteers, parents, young people, or a couple of small groups. Specifically invite others to share what resonates and what doesn’t. Note that if your vivid description doesn’t get people excited, you don’t yet have what you need.

Step 5: Final draft. In a final meeting, incorporate the feedback from Step 4 and revise your vivid description. You aim to develop a short, clear, inspiring write-up that captures your God-inspired North Star that will guide all you do.

Step 6: Succinct sentence. As individuals or a group, develop a brief sentence that captures the essence of your story. This sentence should be so clear and simple that the average sixth grader could understand and memorize it (a litmus test I often use when writing!).

Once we’ve created the perfect mission statement . . . what’s next?

Leadership scholar John Kotter highlights that one of the main errors leaders make is “undercommunicating the vision by a factor of ten.”^[4] Consider how widely and broadly you can communicate your vision statement. Here are some ideas:

• Worship services and youth groups: How might you utilize talks, testimonies, videos, and announcements?
• Newsletters or bulletins: Can you periodically include your vivid description or perhaps a brief update on the progress God is bringing?
• Digital communications: How might your ministry’s regular email updates, video clips, text blasts, or social media channels spread the word more broadly?
• One-on-one and small group meetings: Can you meet with key leaders, young people, or groups for specific communication and updates?

One of my favorite leadership principles is “People tend to support what they create.” So include and update your people as much as possible. Not only will you have a better statement, you’ll also have broader ownership as volunteers, parents, and teenagers feel like the vision statement isn’t “yours” but “ours.”

Adapted with permission from Future-Focused Church: Leading through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang, published by Baker Books. Releasing in March 2025.

Preorder Future-Focused Church today and get the audiobook FREE—plus access to an exclusive podcast and 3-step vision workbook

Future-Focused Church offers extensive research, interviews, and case studies as you learn to see your church’s big picture, clarify your "why," communicate a compelling vision, and maintain focus on a more vibrant and lasting future. By experimenting, exploring, and embracing the Holy Spirit’s guidance, you’ll lead your church forward with confidence and hope. Preorder today to reserve your copy and get exclusive access to bonus materials.

Launching March 25, 2025.

Preorder the book

Amazon Affiliate links are included in this blog post. FYI earns from qualifying orders placed through links in this post.

^[1] Scott Cormode, The Innovative Church. Baker Academic, 2020. 14-15.

^[2] Martin Luther King, Jr., “Honoring Dr. Du Bois.” Freedomways 8 (Spring 1968), 110-111.

^[3] Wartburg Seminary, “Master of Divinity Student Emily Norris’ Story,” accessed December 28, 2023, https://www.wartburgseminary.edu/student-story/emily-norris/

^[4] John P. Kotter, “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail,” Harvard Business Review, May-June 1995, https://hbr.org/1995/05/leading-change-why-transformation-efforts-fail-2.