All organizations and businesses have vision statements. So does One Challenge. The vision statement is a description of our vision, what we want to see in the end as a result of our ministry efforts. For the last many years OC’s vision statement has been …
Healthy churches working together to reach all nations.
God has kept our vision sharply focused and unchanged since Dick Hillis first established Formosa Gospel Crusades 64 years ago. But the meaning of words change over time and expressions which meant a great deal to one generation may no longer communicate to younger generations. Thus, a vision statement needs to be revisited for relevance with each generation. Our new vision statement is …
The body of Christ in unity bringing God’s transforming love and hope to all people.
Our vision statement is the cornerstone. It is at the very center of our existence and is the essence, we believe, of what we each hold dear. Before entering into any ministry, we should ask, “Does this activity bring our vision closer to completion?”
The Process – How does a multi-generational, global organization reformulate the vision statement?
Three years ago a team was empowered by the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to rethink how we express our One Challenge vision in a changing American context. The process was initiated and carried out with substantial prayer, research, biblical study, and missiological reflection. A team of our global workers called the Future Send team, was established. They did a tremendous amount of research into how our One Challenge vision could be expressed with the goal of striking a deep chord in the hearts of American believers. They conducted an inquiry within OC, among peer organizations, and within our American cultural milieu.
This process resulted in the writing of draft vision statements which the ELT carefully considered and made revisions, and wrote much of the vision description content. This second edition was passed on for evaluation by the Area Directors who engaged in rigorous discussion, resulting in the addition of a mission statement and additional edits. The ELT took the AD input, interfaced with various individuals, and crafted a third edition of the statements. In December, these revised statements were distributed to the entire One Challenge family. Teams were asked to discuss the statements and provide feedback through their line-leaders. The Strategy and Ends Committee of the U.S. Board also engaged in the process.
The ELT members and president carefully assessed every line of feedback received from the fields and Board. A fourth edition was developed which incorporated modifications derived from this crucial input. This final edition went to the U.S. Board on March 13th for final approval. On the first day of the OC Leadership Conference One Challenge President, Dean Carlson, joyfully communicated the new vision statement.
Our Vision Statement – What does it mean to us?
Our Vision: The body of Christ in unity bringing God’s transforming love and hope to all people.
The body of Christ: One Challenge seeks to serve the whole church in its many expressions (the body of Christ), including local churches, denominations, networks, ministry organizations, mission agencies, and disciple-making communities of all kinds. We do not discriminate between various denominations and nondenominational or nontraditional expressions of faith in Christ. Communities of faith become the means by which the Great Commission, the making of obedient followers of Christ among all nations, will be accomplished. We seek to involve as much of the body of Christ as we can in any given context.
in unity: Our vision is grounded in the recognition that making disciples of all nations is greatly facilitated when God’s people work together in unity while honoring the amazing diversity within the body. We recognize that achieving this vision requires the efforts of a wide variety of believers and leaders. One Challenge is committed to helping the global church work together to advance his kingdom. We serve a broad spectrum of fellowships that hold to the historic core of the Christian faith, building unity around these core beliefs and Christ’s commands.
bringing God’s transforming love and hope: We believe that God has chosen the global body of Christ as his instrument to disciple (transform) nations as the gospel penetrates all peoples. This transformation can best be accomplished through healthy, obedient, reproducing communities of followers of Christ, bringing God’s love to people in need of hope. When God’s people demonstrate love for God and the world in obedience to all Christ’s commands, we demonstrate godly hope. The mandate to disciple nations is holistic in nature, impacting every aspect of society (Matthew 28:18-20).
all people (Greek ethne): The love of God extends to all people everywhere, regardless of culture, class, or condition. God is on a mission to redeem every man, woman, and child with his life-changing grace (John 3:16). We envision the day when people “from every nation, tribe, people and language” will worship before the throne (Revelation 7:9). Toward this end, we co-labor with the global church to multiply disciple-making communities, with priority on least-reached people groups and segments of society.
Our Vision: The body of Christ in unity bringing God’s transforming love and hope to all people.
We believe the Lord has led One Challenge in this process, and we are excited to use the new vision statement, as well as newly expressed mission, strategy and guiding principle statements, to communicate the vision to which he has called us. They will assist us in recruiting the next generation of OC workers and partnering with American churches. Same vision, new vision statement.