How do you launch an organisation? It was a question that rattled around in my brain for months leading up to our launch on October 1. What does one do to mark such an occasion? While google is full of helpful information on the legal side of setting things up there’s little I could find on how to mark the day.  Complicating things slightly, we weren’t starting with just one or two people but rather with a leadership team of 12 and over 200 staff. So what do you do? With the busyness of getting registration papers submitted and financial systems and websites set up, there was little time to ponder that question.

In the end the leadership team gathered, prayed, signed a founding document and celebrated with a large bonfire and fireworks. (Amazingly enough you can pick up an entire fireworks display in the local market in Thailand for just over $10.)

How about you? Have you ever started a new organisation, church, or business? What did you do to mark the occasion?

The founding document was a strange idea to me but really added to the event. The leader who proposed the idea suggested that it would give people in years to come something to look back on. Allowing them the ability to see what we, as the founders, had committed ourselves to as we started this organisation. As we tried to work out what to write, it was strange to realize that this fledgling organisation may outlive all of us. Obviously it’s in God’s hands, but it did make me realize the significance of the day.

So what does one write in a founding document? To be honest I have no idea. But as a leadership team this is what we committed ourselves to:

By God’s grace, we the undersigned members, gathered at Juniper Tree, Dolphin Bay, Thailand, on Tuesday, October 1st, 2013 commit ourselves to the following vision, mission and guiding principles of Reconciled World and, with complete dependence on God, promise to work toward their accomplishment through our lifestyle, works and service as individuals families and corporate members of this body
Vision: To glorify God through lives renewed, relationships restored and nations transformed
Mission: Apply Biblical Truth to the brokenness in all areas of life
Guiding Principles:
1.  Depending on God
2.  Nurturing Truth and Confronting Lies
3. Integrating Physical and Spiritual Ministry
4.  Partnering with Churches
5.  Focusing on the Vulnerable
6.  Mobilizing Local Resources
7.  Pursuing God’s Ways

How about you? Have you ever started a new organisation, church, or business? What did you do to mark the occasion?