On October 24, 2018, Citygate Network’s board of directors approved the following Values, Mission, and Vision Statements to accompany the organization’s recent rebranding. (Amended October 21, 2020) These important statements serve to guide the organization’s work and ministry.
Values are the behavioral guidance systems that influence what people in an organization ultimately do. People will act according to their values even when the facts suggest they do otherwise. The values Citygate Network has chosen are:
Guided by SCRIPTURE
Following God's mandates for life and ministry
Inspired by HISTORY
Building on a solid foundation of positive results
Roused by CULTURE
Evaluating and moving with a changing world
Propelled by COMPASSION
Helping all people because of Christ's perfect love
Activated by INFORMATION
Researching and disseminating data for decisions
Vitalized by COMMUNICATION
Keeping members and the public wholly informed
Energized by COLLABORATION
Working broadly to maximize impact and results
Advanced by UNITY
Affirming racial equality for ministry completion
An organization’s mission is the reason why it exists. It answers the question, “Why are we here?” In a Christian ministry, some might assume that the answer is obvious, and doesn't require much thought. However, a clearly defined mission, carefully aligned with the environment, is essential. A mission also serves one other important purpose: It helps organizations determine what it should not be doing. Without this limiter, every need can appear to be a calling. The mission Citygate Network has chosen is:
Citygate Network exists to provide the vision, education, training, resources, guidance, representation, and nexus for missions and kindred ministries that are moving people in destitute conditions or desperate situations from human suffering to human flourishing through the process of gospel-powered life transformation.
Vision differs from mission in a fundamental way. While mission is primarily a statement of purpose, vision is a statement of direction or destination. Vision answers the question, “Where are we headed?” Vision is the force that invents the future. And with an exciting vision, an organization can reverse causality: Instead of the present determining the future, the future determines the present. The vision Citygate Network has chosen is:
Citygate Network will become the widely recognized primary gathering place for gospel-centered life-transformation ministries throughout North America, providing the inspiration and services that will stimulate effective collaboration without compromise and uphold personal development within community as the clear and compelling pathway out of recurring crisis.