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What’s our ‘why’ and why is it so important?

By: Pastor Dave | June 13, 2025 | , , ,

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,
Nearly every Sunday, our Welcoming time includes a reminder of our congregation’s purpose, mission, and vision. Why? Exactly! We share our purpose, mission, and vision to share our ‘why.’ 

I know sometimes purpose, mission, and vision are used interchangeably and there are multiple ways to define each of those terms. Just as there are multiple ways to formulate the questions purpose, mission, and vision attempt to answer. e.g. Why does Minooka UMC exist? Why do we do what we do (and not do what we don’t do)? Who are we? What is important to us? For what are we striving? Or simply, What are we doing here?*

As I understand them, our purpose is our ‘why.’ Our mission is our ‘what we do.’ Our vision is ‘who we are called to be.’ Let’s start with ‘why.’ Being clear about our ‘why’ is paramount for being a vital, thriving congregation. 

As author Simon Sinek writes, our ‘why’ as a congregation is “the compelling higher purpose that inspires us and acts as the source of all we do.” Further, Sinek writes, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”

That sounds like a lot of pressure to get it right! Here’s the thing about that—it seems to me a lot of churches really overthink how to name their purpose. In each of the gospels Jesus starkly states our purpose: Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. We’ve shortened that just a little to express our purpose as: Loving God with our whole selves and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

*As I’m sure you remember (haha), ‘What Are We Doing Here?’ was the name of our sermon series that started that glorious day, March 3, 2024 when we finally opened our new home at Ridge Road. Did you know you can watch previous sermons like that series on our Minooka UMC YouTube channel?

Ok, this epistle is already long enough, so let’s make it a series. We’ll whiteboard our mission next week (with at least one surprise!) and our vision the following week. 

Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave

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