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bits from bob....

The Christian Mission

posted by Bob Young
[permission is given to reprint with credit noted]

Our mission is the same as the mission of our Lord. As Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), so we are sent forth. The Great Commission is our commission and our mission (Matthew 28:18-20). We are sent to make disciples, mark disciples, and mature disciples.

With the Great Commission in mind, God has a unique purpose for the church. He sends forth his people to accomplish his purpose. Several ideas guide the church as it participates in God's mission. The ideas below provide the acronym ASCEND. The church will be a place of....

  • Adoration. We are people of worship. We are called to reflect his glory. We believe God wants his people to glorify Him in all that we do. We seek to exalt him.

  • Sharing. We believe the church is a place for sharing; we are people who share. Above all, we share Jesus. But sharing Jesus demands also that we share resources and life. One way we share is by serving others. Jesus said we serve him when we serve others (Matthew 25). Imitating Jesus means that we are servants of all, even as he came to serve and not to be served.

  • Connecting. The church is also a place for belonging; we are people connected in Christian community. Meaningful connections allow us to touch the lives of those around us, to encourage other Christians, and to respond to the needs of our world.

  • Evangelism. The heart of the good news (evangelism is a verb form of this concept) is that Jesus changes lives. This is the message and ministry we have accepted. We go forth telling the story. We seek to live in the sacred story of Jesus, and to tell that story every way we can. We are committed to sharing the story. As we live in the story of Christ, he empowers us to reach out to others and share the story. God calls us to reach out wherever we can; our efforts to reach out extend around the world.

  • Nurturing. The church is a place for growing spiritually. Faith develops as a seed and is nurtured over time. Encouraging others to develop faith is one of the primary ways the church exhibits itself as a place of caring.

  • Discipleship. These guiding concepts [worship, spiritual growth, connections, telling the story, and serving] are at the heart of genuine discipleship. Jesus calls us to spiritual growth to become his faithful followers. We want to grow spiritually in order to become mature disciples.

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    Last updated May 6, 2011