How to Avoid Mission Drift
— by Becca Spradlin
What is the eternal impact of your company?
As Christian leaders, we have been given positions of authority and influence to steward faithfully in the good times and the hard. In the midst of the daily whirlwind, it can feel all but impossible to integrate our faith in our work.
The reality of mission drift
Whether you are cautiously considering how to infuse your beliefs into your company or you have built them in from the ground up, you face the same challenge. Drifting from your Christ-centered ambitions is only a matter of time without on-going, intentional effort and accountability.
The sad reality is that cases of drift abound across industries and sectors. In the book, Mission Drift, the authors share many cases of drift, noting that, “Mission drift is the natural course for organizations.”
Dr. Tony Dale, founder of the healthcare company, The Karis Group, shared that “Every single one of us is prone to mission drift. It creeps on you so slowly and imperceptibly that if you don’t plan for it, you will have drifted before you realize what’s gone on.”
As its name implies, drift is inherently subtle and difficult to detect. It often starts in the details with small shifts in language or process that seem inconsequential. Over time, however, the impact ripples out to significant change, potentially taking an organization off course.
Cultivating a legacy of eternal impact in your company
While drift is pervasive, there is good news. There are practical steps that leaders can take to stop drift and realize greater Kingdom impact. It starts with having a firm foundation.
STRATEGY 1: ABIDE
With the pressures that Christian leaders face inside and outside of work, cultivating regular, personal rhythms of abiding in Christ are essential (John 15). Because we cannot give what we do not have, daily times of connection with the Lord are a non-negotiable to keep leaders focused on the eternal in their personal and professional lives.
In his research of 246 pastors who committed adultery, the late Dr. Howard Hendrix observed several unsettling trends. All of the pastors lacked personal accountability. All were out of the daily practice of prayer and each one was convinced that this would never happen to them.
The Word of God is clear: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (I Peter 5:8, ESV)” and, “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (Hebrews 2:2, ESV).”
Humility is critical in remaining steadfast to advancing the Kingdom of God. If we believe that drift would never happen in our companies, or our personal lives, we may be the most likely to succumb to it.
If we believe that God is sovereign over all things and that we can trust Him completely, how do our schedules prove it?
Get started:
Dedicate time each day to reading the Bible and to prayer.
Engage in Biblical community and observe God’s gift of Sabbath rest one day per week.
Ask a trusted friend to engage with you in regular, Biblical accountability or join a group that will provide you with this type of encouragement.
STRATEGY 2: DEFINE
Have you articulated the eternal ambitions of your business? This step, however simple, is often overlooked or not communicated in a way that moves others to action.
To remain relevant and operational, organizations will need to adapt over time. Change, however, is not synonymous with drift.
Defining what drift is, and what it is not, will create clarity and help build alignment on your team. By casting the vision and sharing the non-negotiables, leaders provide the foundation and guardrails from which they can build a culture to advance the Kingdom of God.
Get started:
Gather with Kingdom-minded leaders or advisors to define or refine your company’s Kingdom purpose.
Preparation: Spend time in individual prayer, fasting, and listening for the Lord’s leading in advance of this gathering.
During the time together, brainstorm ideas around the question, “how might we advance the Kingdom of God in and through our business?”
Make a list of outcomes or circumstances that would be considered drift. Articulate what is not considered drift. Include parameters on what your company is about, along with activities the company should never engage in.
Invite others to speak into the outputs of these gatherings and use this opportunity to increase clarity and alignment around this Kingdom purpose.
Once you have greater clarity, reflect on your team’s alignment. Getting a realistic perspective on the current state of awareness and alignment will help you discern next steps in cultivating eternal impact throughout the life of your company.
STRATEGY 3: PROTECT
After you have articulated your company’s Kingdom purpose and defined drift, discern what is possible to preserve these Christ-centered ambitions. Consider everything from governing documents, to values, to job aids, asking, “how might we prevent drift away from our mission of advancing the Kingdom of God?”
For example, if demonstrating humility is a biblical value that you seek to promote within your organization, what guidance will you build into your job aids or trainings or human resources processes to reinforce that? If giving time or financial resources is part of fulfilling your Kingdom-focused goals, what policies are in place to guide action toward that end?
Of all the strategies you can consider, human resource practices are one of the most influential in helping companies stay on mission. It is essential that hiring practices align with the Kingdom impact that God is leading you to. Some leaders desire to create a work environment where those not yet following Christ can experience His love, grace, and forgiveness. That ambition can flow into hiring practices as well as on-boarding, staff development, and promotion.
Rhythms of ongoing accountability for your company are critical in this journey. Peter Greer, president & CEO of HOPE International and co-author of Mission Drift recommends regular “mission audits” stating that, “It’s not if we are drifting, but where are we drifting?”
Get started:
Pray over each potential candidate for staff or board positions, even if you are only able to do so privately.
Review your organizational values for alignment with your Kingdom ambitions. Discern if there are ways to further instill these values into hiring and promotion practices.
Establish on-going rhythms of accountability, such as mission audits, reporting to the board or other trusted advisors.
Consult with legal counsel as needed to know what is advisable in your industry and location.
STRATEGY 4: CHAMPION
Finally, consider your offensive strategy. Ask, “how might we cultivate a culture that will continue to advance the Kingdom of God?” Leaders can reinforce the behaviors they want to see by recognizing and celebrating movement in this direction. They can host discussions, presentations, or meals that focus on a Kingdom-building topic. Even if leaders are limited in what they can say overtly to staff, they can still reinforce elements of the company’s eternal ambitions, in everything from on-boarding and ongoing communications, to mentoring future leaders.
Prioritizing leadership development is essential. How you develop future leaders and select board members will directly influence the likelihood of your Christ-centered ambitions withstanding the test of time, or not.
Whether you are a building a company to sell, to pass on to your children, or raising up others to take it over. Do not underestimate the time and effort needed to source and cultivate the next generation of leaders. Ideal future leaders are not passive accepters of the Kingdom purpose. They are enthusiastic champions for it! They are people you can trust to deepen the company’s eternal impact. Plan for these transitions early and enter the search process prayerfully and patiently.
Get started:
Discern if there are opt-in touchpoints with staff where it is possible to share or demonstrate the heart behind the company’s eternal ambitions. Consider lunches with the founder or volunteering opportunities. Test out one new rhythm to engage in with the team.
Review or draft your company’s succession plans for all key roles. Evaluate successors for alignment with your company’s desire to advance the Kingdom of God.
What is your Kingdom ROI?
Entrepreneurs invest countless hours in their companies. As followers of Christ, they have the opportunity to infuse their faith and make an eternal impact. Through their work, they can encourage people toward Christ from wherever they are, including people who may never enter a church.
Businesses may have restrictions on how they live out their faith. However, owners, founders, and leaders can proactively take steps to infuse a Christ-centered legacy in their organizations. They can also mitigate drift from what matters most in light of eternity through the following strategies:
Abide: Practice daily rhythms of connecting with Christ and engage in regular biblical community. Remain humble, remembering that we are all prone to drift.
Define: Articulate what matters most given the eternal purpose God is leading you toward.
Protect: Build supports (and guardrails) to reinforce the eternal impact you desire to see.
Champion: Actively cultivate a team and culture around these eternal ambitions, now and for generations of leaders to come.
Sustaining a corporate culture that yields eternal impact is possible with on-going, intentional care and accountability. Communities like the Faith Driven Entrepreneur are a great place for encouragement, inspiration, and practical experience sharing to continue on this journey.
May we continue to encourage each other to “…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58, ESV).”