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The following sections from Will Mancini's book effectively summarize the wisdom of today's missional movement as it relates to discovering the mission of a church.

(Here are part one and part two of this series. Thanks to Will for allowing me to excerpt his book.)
 
The root of church growth problems

Before we get to Will's prescription for your church's mission statement, I can't stress enough the importance of the following concept:

If your church is full of cancerous lumps or is in decline, it may be that people are hacking away at the branches and not the root of the problem. Will clarifies:
 
"In discussing barriers to growth, most churches lose sight of the taproot issue: the redemptive passion of their people's hearts. Someone once said that a thousand people hack at the branches of evil for every one that hacks at the root. Turning the statement around for church growth, I would say there are a thousand who fertilize the branches for every one who fertilizes the root.

"When it comes to growth challenges, leaders jump too quickly to the branches: parking lots, seating capacity, finances, staff and so on. But when God's people are deeply stirred with redemptive passion, the church becomes an unstoppable force, hurdling other barriers with ease. The question then becomes: What is keeping your people from strengthening their redemptive heartbeat?

Coming up with your best mission statement

"The easiest way to embarrass a pastor is to ask him to tell you his mission statement. Most don't know it. Why? The average mission statement has these characteristics:

• Too long (20 words or more)
• Too generic (all things to all people)
• Too technical (focuses on theological content and accuracy)

"These attributes render most statements useless and irretrievable from the leader's consciousness.

"A mission statement by its nature is a relatively small container.  It's more like a serving tray than a three-quarter-ton pick-up. It is intended neither to carry a theological treatise nor to communicate strategy. It is a synthesis; therefore it communicates your big idea with a few small words. The greater the mission, the more simply it can be stated. 

"The second reason this type of mission statement fades into obscurity is that too many people are involved in crafting it. Too many opinions lead to too many words and too many complex sentences. 

"One time, the pastor of a large church shared proudly that 800 people worked through their visioning process. (I call a group this size a 'conjunction factory.')  After asking permission to put him on the spot, I asked him to tell me the resulting mission statement; two minutes later he was still stuttering.

"Every church needs a compass to set its bearings. As the missional church reorients identity to 'be the church' certain characteristics are necessary. The Missional Mandate should:

• Remind the church that it exists primarily for those outside
• Eliminate an us-versus-them mentality with outsiders
• Emphasize the reality of 'being the church' 24-7
• Reinforce the lifestyle of engaging in relationships and conversation with others
• Connote process for both evangelism and discipleship."

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Read part one of this series:  What I highlighted while reading Church Unique (Part 1)
Part two:  Questioning your vision in the pages of Church Unique (Part 2 of 3)

AUDIO: Interview with Will Mancini, author of Church Unique - What is the "Kingdom Concept?"

From Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement (Jossey-Bass, 2008); used with permission.