To grow in our love for God and lead others in becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
(Mark 12:30-31, Matthew 28:18-20, and Colossians 1:28-29)
The Apostle Paul stated the mission of the local church in Colossians 1:28-29 this way, "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." We believe that Christ's mission for His Church remains the same, and our job, as a local church is to allow God?s power to work in us to labor and struggle in the work for presenting every person fully mature in Jesus Christ.
The Bible calls the local church to be God's instrument to bring the Holy Spirit's transforming power to unchurched, spiritually lost people. Jesus said that He had come to, "seek and save the lost." (Luke 19:10) A simple interpretation of this passage is that Jesus placed value on spiritually lost people. Because people matter to God, people should matter to His Church.
First, in order for any church to fulfill the first part of the Great Commission, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations," (Matthew 28:18-20) it must care for and love others through intentional friendships. Second, in order to fulfill the second part of the Great Commission, "and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you," (Matthew 28:18-20) the local church must be authentic in love and relationships, blessing each other as an authentic life-giving Christian community.
The Great Commandment is found in Mark 12:30-31. Jesus begins by stating the first and greatest commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these."
Based on Christ's command, our mission statement starts, "To grow in our love for God." We are not just trying to lead people to know Christ and grow numerically. The greatest commandment, Jesus said Himself, is for Christians to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Therefore, our mission must be to first love God, authentically. If we cannot love God with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength, then we can do nothing else. This is where it all starts, to love God with everything and then love others as ourselves.
The first part of our mission is to love God, and the second part is to "go" and love others (neighbors), by evangelizing them and discipling them. The second part of our mission comes from the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." The Great Commission is a call to action -- a call to outreach and evangelism. Jesus calls Christians to intentionally go and lead others in becoming disciples. The church is called to lead the world into becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. As the mission of our church involves outreach and evangelism - "therefore go" it also involves assimilation and discipleship -- "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
The mission of Christ's Church is to be both inwardly focused, on personal growth (loving God more), as well as outwardly focused (loving others), on evangelism and discipleship. |
