Our school recently introduced our new mission statement:
“Our Mission is to inspire students and families to know, love and follow Christ through an aspirational education, founded on biblical principles and nurtured by a passionate and dedicated college community.”
Yes, it’s a lot of words and a few big ideas. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue but the underlying vision is what counts. Here is a personal reflection from College Chaplain, Matt Pampeyan, of what these words mean for us as we live them out day-to-day as a school community.
Let’s be honest: when an organisation announces a new mission statement, the initial reaction is rarely a standing ovation. Most of us feel a slight, quiet internal groan. A small part of me feels that exact same way whenever someone says, “Make sure this thing you do considers our mission statement, our values, or our core beliefs.” In almost every organisation or team, there is a natural, almost rebellious impulse when given a framework like that. I feel it too. But over time, I’ve also found it strangely freeing and focusing.
In any school or ministry, we intuitively lean into this every time we lead a devotional or gather as a team. We align around shared Christian convictions and get on the same page regarding our purpose. That is what a mission statement is really about: alignment and unification. That matters deeply—especially in a school our size.
Over the last 20+ years, I’ve worked across four different churches. One of them was mission-driven almost to a fault, but the unified understanding of that mission helped the church grow, and it was genuinely fun to be part of a team where everyone worked in the exact same direction with the exact same goals.
Back in the late 1990s, a semi-retired pastor in a community just north of Seattle was asked to plant a church. He had a reputation for being a bit grumpy, deeply idealistic, and fiercely authentic. He was a visionary—far from a perfect leader, but someone who stuck to his priorities. I only worked directly with him for a few weeks before he officially retired, but his foundational story stayed with me. When he launched that church, he asked the 60 or so people in attendance to sign a physical document. They had to agree to stay focused on three core things—Worship, Small Groups, and Outreach—and follow their mission statement word-for-word as a guide for decision-making. They all signed it (mostly because he told them he’d refuse to be their pastor if they didn’t!). Over the next five years, that church grew to 4,000 people.
Simplicity, focus, and collaborative effort around the same goals can produce extraordinary outcomes. So, as dorky as it might sound, I actually love mission statements.
OUR Mission — The Family Trade Passed On
The statement opens with two foundational words: Our Mission.
This is what we share. The journey is shared, the outcome is shared, the work is shared, the joy and the sorrow are shared, and the ultimate responsibility is shared.
This isn’t just organizational strategy; it is biblically sound. It’s how Jesus views us in His overarching mission statement. His ultimate directive was simple: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” We go, and we make. In John 20:21 and John 17:18, Jesus passes the torch: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
Through adoption into God’s family, we are made true sons and daughters of God. Jesus does not send us out as hired servants, external employees, consultants, or trade specialists. He sends us out as family members carrying on the exact same family trade that the Father gave to the Son. Jesus spent three years showing His disciples how to do this—it was a shared responsibility among family.
Our job is to carry out this mission together in every detail. It serves as a local application of Jesus’ Great Commission, tailored specifically to our location, our community, our school, and our staff.
Living out this statement isn’t optional for us here. I’ve witnessed mission drift before, where people lose sight of the target or opt out because they begin prioritizing personal agendas over shared vision. In my experience, it is always far more rewarding to get on the boat than to jump ship—to own the mission, live it out, see God at work, and evaluate our progress together as a team that is genuinely on mission.
Part 2: To Inspire: Breathing Soul and Purpose into Learning