Christian school staff know answers, know what the answers mean, and use the answers appropriately. Just ask Christian school staff, and you’ll find out:

• Who is Jesus?
  
• What’s the budget process?
  
• What’s a noun?
  
• What’s the room cleaning schedule?
  
• What’s the water cycle?

Christian missionaries know answers, know what the answers mean, and use the answers appropriately. Just ask missionaries, and you’ll find out:

• Who is Jesus?
  
• What is sin?
  
• How can I be saved?
  
• What’s the name of your church?
  
• When are the worship services?

Answers are tools. Knowing answers, knowing what the answers mean, and using the answers increases the effectiveness of Christian school staff and Christian missionaries.

A mission statement is a powerful tool. Your mission statement is a powerful tool. To unleash its power, you need to:

• Know your mission statement word for word.
  
• Know what your mission statement means.
  
• Use your mission statement.

How well do you know your mission statement?

• Can you recite it word for word? Practice until you can.
  
• Can you say smoothly? So that it sounds like it does when you read it? Practice until you can.
  
• Can you say it in the same number of seconds it takes you to read it? Practice until you can.

How well do you know what your mission statement means? In 30 seconds:

• Can you tell me 5 things it means and 5 things it doesn’t mean? Right now? If not, identify these things. Practice sharing them until you can share them in 30 seconds.
  
• Can you tell me an interesting story that illustrates your mission? Right now? If not, write down a story. Practice telling it until you can effectively tell it in 30 seconds.

How well do you use your mission statement?

• Do you routinely use your mission statement to cast the vision and inspire others? If not, at the next meeting you attend, use your mission statement to remind everyone of the real purpose of the meeting.
  
• When developing a proposal, do you routinely ask, “How will this help us accomplish our mission?” If not, do this when developing your next proposal.
  
• When deciding whether or not to take on a task, do you routinely ask, “How effectively will this help us accomplish our mission?” If not, start when considering your next task.

Remember: Success is you effectively using your mission statement on a routine basis. Success is not knowing your mission statement or knowing what it means. But remember, in order to effectively use your mission statement on a routine basis, you need to know it and know what it means.

Imagine you and everyone on your church staff, tentmaking staff, mission staff, or school staff reciting your mission statement, telling 30-second stories that illustrate your mission statement, and routinely using your mission statement to focus energy on achieving your mission. If this happened, how might it impact the achievement of your mission?

Work smart. Know your mission statement. Know what it means. Use it. Unleash its power. Today.

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Kim Essenburg, Christian Reformed missionary and English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan, uses her school's mission statement:

Christian Academy in Japan, a school for the children of evangelical missionaries in Japan, equips students to impact the world for Christ.

This means we emphasize:

• Equipping students to impact the world for Christ, not equipping students for college and career (although we do this)
  
• Students applying a biblical perspective to course content they have mastered, not students mastering course content
  
• Students using knowledge, not students having knowledge
  
• Using real-world and classroom assessments, not using just classroom assessments
  
• Being student-centered, not teacher-centered

I get excited when students get equipped to impact the world for Christ. Recently, I was looking at student essays on Cry, the Beloved Country. I was excited to read, “Arthur's goal is for black people and white people to treat each other fairly, which is exactly what God requires of us: ‘...to act justly and to love mercy...’ (Micah 6:8).”

Our school’s mission statement is a useful tool. I use our school mission statement to define the purpose of my teaching, shape the assessments I use, screen changes to the content I teach, and determine the professional development I’ll pursue.