Large corporations, small businesses, doctors’ offices, even the post office—all have some sort of statement of mission. Whether in their brochures, or framed on waiting room walls—there they are. Some are succinct, others not, most without imagination. Though their statements may be generic, those companies have defined what they are and what they must be about.

But what about their leaders? The majority of North American leaders today do not own, nor have they considered, a carefully crafted statement of personal mission. How can they know where they’re going without a map?

One of my ministry colleagues calls it the statement of intended destiny. It’s that declaration identifying your predominant personal skills and giftedness. It’s that statement defining your unique predisposition toward your career. How do you identify those propelling, nonnegotiable values and the foundational convictions so vital to your distinctiveness?

Imagine the satisfaction when you can say, “This is how I contribute to my family, my ministry, my culture, because I know who I am, and I know the skills and giftedness that I effectively bring to the table. This is what I am about.”

It’s clear in Psalm 139 that God has defined you to be just the way you are, quirks included. He said, “You are exactly what I had in mind! Just what I wanted!” Even with limitations we call disabilities. Even with a past we may label scarred.

Knowing who we are and what we must be about frees us to say, “I am built this way, and I contribute these gifts—no matter the venue.” When ministry leaders can clearly answer the foundational questions of being and purpose, then our contributions to the bigger picture also become obvious.

It isn’t a matter of self-centeredness. It is a matter of discovering how we fit into the grand scheme of God himself as he leads his people to the culmination of history. We in the twenty-first century are part of the big picture. Each of us plays a critical part in this amazing story of life being written by the one we call our Master.

Is every church leader strategically placed?
Yes. After all, God is the strategist. Whether in the foreground or background, we are purposefully positioned, based on the unique skills-and-gifts mix he wants us to use.

The personal statement helps your mind confirm what our viscera already knows. Each of us has residing inside that basic and vital need to be effective in the way that uniquely fits us. So we can say without a doubt: “This is a match! This is good!”

Where is God taking you?
Maybe it’s time to begin writing your statement of personal calling and mission. Here are some foundational questions that may help you begin the process.

1) What do you describe at this time as your predominant personal skills and giftedness?
2) What are your nonnegotiable values, the foundational convictions that propel you?
3) Who are those significant people, and what are those important events that have impacted who you are today?
4) If you could do anything you wanted without worrying about the practicality, what would that be?

When drafting your statement it’s good to elaborate. You don’t need to be satisfied with generic phrases, so be careful not to oversimplify. For instance, here’s a template: “My calling is to know God and make him known.” How would you make those words come to life?

Make your statement your statement, not a stencil generalization. Take your time. The discovery will come.

Dr. Ted W. Pampeyan is director of Leadership Renewal Center. He coaches church leaders experiencing life and career change. You can reach him at ted1@leadershiprenewal.com