The Mission of the Vision

I am stuck.

For over two weeks I have been struggling to differentiate between a vision and mission statement. Fortunately, I don't have to do this as a solitary exercise and there is a very capable and talented group who are working on this project as well. The misery associate with words is that they often fail to capture the sentiment the author wishes to express. Again, I am stuck.

Typically, the idea of a vision encompasses a grand, overarching idea. It paints the big picture and seeks to inspire people others to join. The mission statement adapts the vision into small, manageable components that bring it to life. Things now move from theory to application and the cart takes its rightful place behind the horse. Writing statements of vision is easy because they are safe and grandiose and remain largely intellectual ideas. Anything can sound epic on paper.

The actual implementation of the vision... the mission statement... is what defines greatness in an organization or individual. Words are converted into actions and its more difficult to mask ineptitude. It is not possible to hide behind a mission statement because it requires action and accountability. I will admit that working on a statement of vision is much less scary that trying to carry out a mission statement. Some of us live in the visionary realm. We are bold at making predictions and announcements but moving past that gets uncomfortable. My hope is that I can live in the practical realm. It doesn't require patience or dedication to spout ideas, but working to fulfill those dreams is an entirely different matter.

At Samaritan House, we are practically and actively pursuing a mission statement that will help us arrive at solutions to ending homelessness in Kalispell instead of simply coming up with inspirational sayings and quotable mantras. We are dedicated to moving from the visionary to the missional. As we work together with various community members and and organizations, we are excited to be part of a grander solution to this communal problem of homelessness.

Maybe I'm not as stuck as I thought I was, after all.