Somewhere along the way your church settled on a mission, a purpose for existence. I’ve worked with a lot of churches through the years. I’ve never found one church that didn’t have a purpose. I’ve seen churches determined to maintain the cherished traditions of the past. I’ve seen others trying to get back to their glory days. Some believe their sole purpose is evangelism, others social justice. And for those churches experiencing decline, that purpose might be mere survival. Whatever your church’s purpose, that purpose drives a sense of mission, which exerts a tremendous amount of influence in the decisions it makes. This sense of mission ultimately determine a church’s future.
The Bible never actually uses the word mission (from the Latin missio); however, it speaks a lot about purpose. In fact, the Bible speaks with great clarity about the purpose of God in this world. The Bible reveals that humankind rebelled against God, throwing His creation into chaos. In the Bible, we see God on a mission to redeem and restore creation, bringing the rebellious peoples of the world back into relationship with Him.
The danger for the local church, then, lies in adopting a mission different from the one we find in Scripture. Evangelism, discipleship, social justice, or cherished traditions, make great servants but terrible masters. These servants work best when they serve the mission of God. The church finds itself in danger when it doesn’t know God’s mission because it will adopt some other purpose for existence. And no organization or institution of God, no matter how cleverly franchised, will live long apart from God’s purpose. If we don’t know God’s mission we’re on a fool’s errand.
The Bible reveals God’s mission as one mission with two complementary parts. God calls a people to Himself, reforming them in His image. Then he sends them back into the world to serve and share the Gospel.
Part 1: God calls us to himself. God foregrounds this part of His mission in the Old Testament. God calls a people out of the world and to Himself. He forms them in his image. He constitutes this people under his rule and reign. In this “kingdom,” God brings order to the chaos caused by humankind’s rebellion. These peculiar people grow in their relationship to God, one another, neighbor, and creation. God puts His peculiar people on display in order to show a watching world that life is better lived God’s way.
Part 2: God sends us back into the world. God foregrounds this part of his mission in the New Testament. God sent his Son to us; then, his Son sent us to the rest of the world. Usually, we think it the job of our missionaries to carry the Gospel to the far-flung reaches of the world. That’s true. But it’s the local church that carries the Gospel to the nooks and crannies. For sure, Christ did some things that only He could do. But He sends us on His mission to serve our neighbor and share the Gospel of reformation with this broken world.
Do you want to know the future of your church? Step back and take a close look at its purpose. Does your church pursue godly reconciliation with one another, neighbor, and creation? Would those looking from the outside in see any compelling evidence that life is better lived God’s way? Does your church serve the community and share the Gospel? Would those looking from the inside out see that the mission field lies not only on the other side of the world but also on the other side of the street?
Without a doubt, evangelism and social justice are vital to God’s mission. There’s even room for many of your cherished traditions. But any purpose that takes the place of God’s mission will surely fail. Your church’s sense of purpose drives the decisions that determine its direction. Look down the line of those decisions. They point toward the future.
