Living Into Our Renewed Vision, Mission and Values 

By Mark D. Anderson, NBA President & CEO

NBA has been on a journey – one that has included prayerful discernment and conversations, courageous reflections, profound hope, and with much intention to state who and what we are about as a ministry, an organization, and a movement.  

Last fall, our NBA Board of Trustees formally affirmed our renewed Vision, Mission, and Core Values. These guiding statements convey who we are, how we understand our call, and the future we are committed to shaping together. Led by a group of NBA leaders – made up of staff, Trustees, partners, and supporters – this vision, mission, and values team helped guide a process that led us to affirm commitments which are already active in our work, and to further proclaim our purposeful future. The fruits of that faithful work are foundational to these guiding statements. We are grateful for this moment to share them with you now.  

A Vision That Calls Us Forward 

Our vision is a world of thriving communities where justice and care ensure the well-being of all humanity. 

We understand that a vision statement is more than an aspiration—it is a lighthouse. Our vision is a constant guide that helps orient us through change, complexity, and uncertainty. Rooted in the realities of the present and animated by hope, this vision reflects what we believe God is calling us to participate in and create alongside others. 

A Mission Grounded in Action 

Our mission names how we live into that vision today: 

The National Benevolent Association empowers health and social service leaders, organizations, and ministries to do justice and transform communities. 

This is our “now” statement—bold, clear, and deeply connected to the work already unfolding across our network. Our mission reflects NBA’s long history of compassionate care while creating space for growth, innovation, and faithful response to emerging health and social service needs. 

Values That Shape How We Show Up 

Our core values serve multiple integral purposes. They form the foundation of our partnerships with health and social service organizations and nonprofit leaders alongside clergy and faith leaders; they guide us internally, informing sound fiscal management, resource development, a marketing framework rooted in equity, and operational practices; and they also shape our relationships, our decision-making, and how we accompany communities in their pursuit of justice and healing.

Grounded in our Christian faith and lived experiences, these values call us to be innovative, prophetic, collaborative, and justice-centered in all that we do. NBA’s values are not abstract ideals, but rather form the basis for all that we do in our programs, outreach, communications, operations, and storytelling. Our core values serve as daily practices, which guide how we listen, lead, partner, and learn.

Rooted in Equity, Lived in Community 

NBA’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values are inseparable from our commitments to equity and justice. From the time of our founding ancestors – six women who gathered in a prayer circle in 1887 — to these present times, we have understood justice not as a destination, yet as a continual practice of faithful action, rooted in our life together as part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). 

We pursue justice by listening to the voices of people and communities most impacted by inequity, by working in partnership, and by creating new models of care that respond faithfully to the realities of each generation. This work belongs to all of us—staff and trustees, partners and congregrations, leaders and supporters – each with a vital role to play. 

Moving Forward Together 

Over the course of this year, we seek to share even more about how we are working with this renewed vision, mission, and core values. We endeavor to make real these guiding statements through our storytelling, public presence, and ways in which we continue our work together. We are grateful on so many levels – for the people with whom we partner and support, to the ministries and nonprofits that are NBA-affiliated, to the generous supporters who offer your prayers and gifts to ensure that this work is sustained.  

Together, we are building a future rooted in justice and care. Peace and blessings as we journey forward.