THE UNCHANGING MISSION OF THE CHURCH
If someone were to ask you, "why does the Church exist?" or "why are you part of a church?" what would your answer be? That is a big question that we often don't reflect on very much. We know we're supposed to, we know it's important, but if we don't have clarity about why we exist and what we should be doing, then things get confusing.
This question is getting at what most people talk about when they say the word MISSION. Why do we exist? What is our purpose? The Mission drives everything. It gives direction to both individuals and to groups of people. It helps them all move in the same direction and helps them to make decisions. If there is no clear mission, then people will naturally come up with their own mission because we need to have a sense of purpose and meaning. If you have a group of people who all have their own definitions of why the church exists, then chances are you are probably not going to be moving in the same direction. There will be confusion, frustration, and most likely, fighting. A local church that does not understand its mission is going to be incredibly ineffective.
So what is the mission of the church? Why does it exist? We find the answer to that question in our bibles in Matthew 28:18-20. If you are a leader in the church, you need to go ahead and memorize this scripture. Here is what it says.
16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[b] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Very simply, the mission of the church is to MAKE DISCIPLES!
This is one of the last things that Jesus commanded his followers to do before he went back into heaven. There are some very practical observations we can make from the statement of Jesus about the mission of the church.
- THE MISSION CAME FROM JESUS: We don't get to decide what the purpose of the church is. Jesus has already done that. He said that all authority in the entire universe had been given to him. He is the rightful ruler of everyone and everything. To do anything else would to be disobedient. To focus on anything else would be a waste of time. Jesus says the most important thing we can do is to make disciples.
- THE MISSION DOES NOT CHANGE: Many people look at the way the world was in the time of Jesus and then see how different things are today and make the mistake that because times and cultures have changed, the mission itself also changes. The truth is making disciples never stops being the mission of the church.
- THE MISSION REQUIRES ACTION: The mission is something that has to mean more than just nodding our heads in agreement and affirming we acknowledge that something is true. It must lead to a response by those who agree with the mission. It means that everyone who is part of God's family is required to be part of this work. No one gets a pass. Everyone is part of the mission.
- THE MISSION IS ACCOMPLISHED WHEN...: Jesus used four words that refer to work that must be done to make disciples: Go, Make, Baptize, Teach. The mission is something that has to mean more than just nodding our heads in agreement and affirming we acknowledge that something is true. It must lead to a response by those who agree with the mission. Jesus told his followers to GO, to move out into the world and to take the mission of making disciples into their homes, jobs, and communities. He told them they were going to have to actively participate in MAKING something. Taking someone from being spiritually dead and helping them grow and follow Jesus. We are to take the action of BAPTIZING those who place their faith in Jesus. We are to help others take action in being obedient to the example and command of Jesus. Finally we are to TEACH. Jesus showed us with his life how to honor God as well as taught them about God's will and design for their lives and how to apply it. He then told his disciples that they were to do the same for others.
WHAT IS A DISCIPLE?
It's one thing to clarify that the mission of the church is to make disciples. It's another thing to know exactly what a disciple is. The original word means "learner" or "student". However, when we hear those words we tend to primarily think in terms of learning information. We need a definition that encompasses more than just the mind. Being a disciple is more than just gathering information, it's about experiencing complete transformation. A disciple is someone who has committed their life to the process of observing, imitating, and obeying their teacher so that they can become like them and do the things they do.
To be a disciple of Jesus is to desire to become like Jesus and do what Jesus did. In fact one of the reasons that people called early followers of Jesus "Christians" was because they said these people are trying to be "little Christs." Mini Jesus'.
So we've clarified that the Mission is to MAKE DISCIPLES and we've clarified what a DISCIPLE is, but the big question is how do we make disciples.
What does it look like to help people become like Jesus and do what Jesus did? We need a roadmap for understanding how to make disciples. This is where each individual local church must look at scripture and seek to clarify how they see Jesus making disciples. How would Jesus go about making disciples in their community? Practically speaking, what does that look like for us and our church? We'll cover that in the next post on the UNIQUE MISSION OF CORNERSTONE.
WHAT DOES THIS PRACTICALLY MEAN FOR ME AS A LEADER?
- THE MISSION FACILITATES EVALUATION: Every current ministry of the church needs to be examined with the question of "is this ministry or program effectively making disciples that look like Jesus?" Sometimes a ministry or program fits a certain season of ministry but over time it loses its effectiveness at making disciples. Other ministries are doing a good job at a particular aspect of discipling like growing in knowledge, but the members of that ministry may not be serving, or reaching unbelievers. Then there needs to be an attempt to help that particular ministry grow in addressing areas of discipleship where those involved need to grow. Additionally, if there is a ministry that is discipling people well and is growing, a leader can look at how money and resources are allotted and adjust the budget to continue helping that ministry grow.
- THE MISSION FOCUSES THE MINISTRY'S FUTURE: Often making decisions as a leader is not so much about deciding between good and bad ideas, but often it is learning to choose what is best over what is good. There are always opportunities that the church can be pursuing, but by focusing on the opportunities that best produce disciples is a way to help guide making decisions in what programs or ministries should be adopted or encouraged in the future.
- THE MISSION INSPIRES UNITY: As was mentioned before, we all crave having a purpose to pursue. When there is lack of clarity on the mission, there will be a tug of war between ministries in the church. People will be passionate about their individual ministries and not worried about how the ministries function together. On the other hand, when people are able to clearly understand that each ministry is committed to making disciples in the way that the Church has defined it, will experience a synergy of effort that multiplies effectiveness immensely. When everyone is pulling in the same direction, they are able to move mountains.
READ THE NEXT POSTS IN THIS SERIES:
- The Unchanging Mission at Cornerstone
- Disciples that KNOW & REFLECT JESUS (Part 1)
- Disciples that SERVE & POINT OTHERS TO JESUS (Part 2)