Introducing St. Paul’s Mission and Vision Team

What comes to mind when you think about St. Paul? Perhaps it is a familiar face, a favorite hymn, or someone who noticed when you were having a difficult week. Perhaps it is the welcome you received when you first walked through the doors. Those experiences tell us something about who we are. They also give us a starting point for asking: What is God calling us to become?

To help us explore that question, we are introducing St. Paul’s Mission and Vision Team:

Rick Anweiler, David Moorhead, Pastor John Perez, Lori Richard, and  Barbara Wittkopf

Together, we will help guide a process of listening, conversation, prayer, and discernment that invites the whole congregation to participate.

At our January 18 annual meeting, the congregation committed to reviewing our mission and vision statements by the end of 2026. That might sound like an assignment involving a conference table, several pots of coffee, and a spirited debate over whether one sentence needs another comma. There may indeed be coffee. But the purpose reaches beyond finding the perfect wording. We want to better understand how our shared faith shapes our shared life.

Did you know that the church already has a mission? At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus sends his followers to make disciples, baptize, and teach. We receive that calling as a gift and responsibility. We are invited to help people encounter Christ, grow in faith, and participate in a community that practices his love.

Our work is to consider what that calling looks like at St. Paul, here in Baton Rouge, with the gifts, relationships, and opportunities God has entrusted to us.

A vision describes the congregation we hope to become. A mission describes what we will do together in response to God’s call. Both should help us make meaningful decisions about how we worship, welcome, teach, serve, and use our resources.

We plan to begin with a congregation-wide gathering featuring a speaker, followed by opportunities for conversation through small groups and questionnaires. The team will gather and consider what you share. Your hopes, questions, memories, and concerns will help shape this work.

And yes, we mean your voice. You do not need decades of membership, a committee résumé, or the ability to pronounce every name in the Old Testament. Whether you have been here for generations or recently found your way into a pew, you have something valuable to offer.

As Lutherans, we begin with grace. We belong to Christ because God has claimed us, and that belonging frees us to serve our neighbors. We can approach the future with confidence rooted in God’s faithfulness, even when we do not have every answer.

Please pray for the team and for our congregation. Consider what you treasure about St. Paul, what our neighbors need, and where you feel God drawing our attention. Then come ready to share and listen. The future of our ministry will take shape as we follow Christ together, trusting that God is already at work among us and beyond our doors.