He begins by setting the parameters of a presbytery s work and with a definition that derives directly from the Book of Order . He spells out the reality that no two presbyteries are exactly alike and that all are unique. Such matters as geography, cultural settings, the variety of ethnic identities, lifestyle differences, and social and economic distinctions, all contribute to making us uniquely different than one another. Certain criteria for measuring our effectiveness as middle governing bodies, however, remain constant. The first key is clarity of purpose .
Goals give power to good intentions.
Objectives put feet under goals. Now, we have done something about bringing clarity to who we are and what we are about as late as last month when we met as a presbytery and approved some very significant changes to our Manual of Administrative Operations , not the least of which was the inclusion of a purpose statement and new paragraphs about our basis for mission. This deceptively simple language, however, is truly packed with a message that our primary purpose as a presbytery is directly related to the care, oversight, nurture, and guidance of the individual congregations who make up the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee. The context of our vision is to be found in the conditions of our world. Mission, by definition, is all those ways that we set about closing the gap between what is and what ought to be.