Vision and Values: Key to Achieving Our Mission

An important part of our Strategic Planning session involved clarifying Inspire Christian Writers’ vision.

To determine our vision, we asked, “What is it we want to do through Inspire?” The answer to that question became Inspire’s Vision Statement:

“Equipping writers, inspired by God, to transform the world.”

Our Vision Statement complements our Mission Statement. Together they define who we are, what we do and why we do it.

Our Strategic Planning Team also identified five Core Values. We agreed that these values would guide our beliefs about how things should be done among Inspire Christian Writers.

Five Core Values:

Empowering Unity

Encouragement

Edifying Communication

Excellence in Craft

Eternal Impact

As we seek to fulfill our vision, we are sure to encounter challenges along the way. Events and attitudes may rise up against us, threatening to undermine our efforts and keep us from reaching our goals.

If we hold to these values and implement and protect them in all we do, they will help us overcome these challenges and achieve the vision and mission of Inspire.

We will explore our Core Values a little deeper this week, until then…

What is your Vision Statement for your writing ministry? Have you identified the core values that will guide you to achieving your vision? If so, I’d love to have you share them.

Categories Spiritual Life of a Writer, Uncategorized | Tags: Values, Vision, Vision Statement | Posted on February 10, 2013

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karenfosterministry.org

I don’t know that I have a vision. But my heart’s desire is Psalm 45:1 “My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” I could use some core values..tel me more.

http://www.InspireWriters.com/ Elizabeth M Thompson

Karen, your heart verse makes a great vision statement! Core values are those (honesty, transparency, trustworthiness, etc) that guide your actions. You have them and live by them and may not even be conscious of them as “core values.”

When you establish core values in your writing, they set the boundaries around what you will and won’t do. For instance, if one of my values is emotional connection, my writing might be very different than if I value self-protection. I’d love to hear some of your core writing values.

Carol Peterson

I’ve had a mission statement for over a decade, but funny that I never broke it down further into my core values in my writing. Thanks to this post, I spent some time doing so and here they are.

*Obedience to God’s leading
*Encouragement of other writers
*Encouragement of other believers
*Encouragement to non-believers
*Being part of God’s writing team, even if it means a different writer’s name is on the project

The last one is something new for me—getting over myself and realizing that my writing is just a part of God’s bigger plan and since His plan is better than mine, it’s OK if I forgo writerly fame and glory and “settle” (LOL) for God’s “well done, good and faithful servant.”
Thanks again for the gentle nudge to get me thinking.

http://www.InspireWriters.com/ Elizabeth M Thompson

Carol, I love your emphasis on encouragement. It is one of my personal core values too. I’m curious about that last one and wondering what writing you’re doing incognito. Sounds like you’ve settled the question of who gets the glory in your writing!

Carol Peterson

LOL. What I meant is that often it feels like I spend more time helping other writers than I do working on my own projects. When I complain too loudly, God reminds me that sometimes He likes to have someone else’s name attached to projects that are part of His plan. Ultimately His plan is more important than whose name is at the top of the project report.

http://www.InspireWriters.com/ Elizabeth M Thompson

Oh! I thought maybe you were ghost-writing. “Ultimately His plan is more important than whose name is at the top of the project report.” Amen!