he Perspectives National Conference was a major event in the life of the ministry. For 42 years the grass roots nature of the organic, volunteer-lead movement drove the organization. In that maturation of time we were able to learn about ourselves. Out of that history of seeing how God had set the organization apart, the Perspectives leadership team was compelled to formulate the Perspectives ministry mission statement - for the first time. The National Conference was the press release of a statement that defined how we all were moving together in the past, while narrowing how we see our niche for the future. In this newsletter I want to highlight three mission statements and their relevancy and connectedness.
Hoffman Family Mission Statement:
"To open people's eyes to what God is doing in the world and how they can strategically be involved in reaching the unreached."
This statement came in our pre-marital counseling that we call our first Perspectives class. Taking the class in 2005 for the first time was the first time we were on the same page enough to declare and live out this mission statement. You see here the discipleship-mobilization aspect of our family mission as well as the direction of the unreached people groups. Our assumption here is that we are all called to be a part of the Great Commission. How we each fit into this is unique to our lives.
Frontier Ventures purpose statement:
"We serve initiatives focused on increasing momentum for the breakthrough of the Gospel among the last remaining unreached people groups of the world."
The ethos of Frontier Ventures is scholar-activitsts collaborating among agencies to see mission work done well. We love the pioneer spirit and have learned so much under them. The focus on the unreached is contagious and we love mobilizing with a strong foundation in missiology and a strong desire that mobilized people do well in their task.
Perspectives Mission Statement:
"To mobilize by educating the Body of Christ in the USA to strategic engagement in God's global purpose."
As we've grown in mobilization we've been drawn into the mobilization by education paradigm. We believe that people are willing to see themselves in God's narrative if they can know the narrative. Perspectives, by God's grace, compellingly shares the character and purposes of God that breaks through the knowledge barrier and invites people to join. We also highly resonate with the second part of the statement speaking on engagement. This is the same heart beat as in our family mission statement - and we didn't influence the Perspectives statement at all.
