Several years ago, we crafted a family mission statement. Generally, when you hear the term “mission statement” you think of large, impersonal corporations or small, struggling non-profits. Wikipedia defines it thusly, “the intention of a genuine mission statement is to keep members and users aware of the organization's purpose.”

How can you translate this to the family?

Families are comprised of individual members, not unlike a company or an organization. As each member is unique, there will be diversity of opinion, different ways of handling things, and differing world views and perspectives. A family mission statement is a way of taking into account these differences in personalities, yet keeping everyone on the same page, focused on the same goal.

A family mission statement should be short enough to be memorable. It should also be clearly articulated with specifics. For example, “Our family goal is that everyone loves each other” is very broad. A mission statement must have a goal that is measurable. A better statement would be, “Our family goal is that each member would be guided by the principles of Christ – in our love for each other, and our help to others.”

To begin creating a family mission statement, you will need to have each member of the family write the things that are important to them. Younger members may need help with this. Not everyone’s ideas will “make the cut,” but the thought here is to gain consensus on common themes. Does sharing come up a lot? What about respect in our communications? Remember, you are looking for common denominators.

Next, try to refine the ideas you brainstormed into a small statement. You will need to play around with the language, and tweak it a few times. Is it specific? Does it capture the essence of your family? How will you know you are meeting this goal (is it traceable, or measurable)?

Try a few wording variations and have everyone vote on the configuration that works best for your family. Once you have it, have your family practice it. In our family, I have the children say it each morning as we begin homeschool. You can also print it out in a fancy font and frame it (or write it out, if you have good handwriting or calligraphy skills). Put it somewhere where family members will see it several times a day.

Having a family mission statement is a great way to unify the family in purpose!

For further reading, try these free resources:

Franklin Covey Mission Statement Builder

Nightingale.com Mission Statement Builder

For information/instructions on how to subscribe FREE to your favorite AdoptionBlogs, please visit this link.