The Church's Mission

The Mission

Migliore (2004) states, “The church is called to mission.  The church does not exist for itself alone any more than God has chosen to exist for God alone.  Because the trunie God is a missionary God, the church is called to be a mission church rooted in the Trinitarian missions” (p. 265).  Tennent (2007) seconds the connection between God’s mission and the mission of the church stating, “we must not forget that we cannot have a Christ-centered theology of misson that does not place the church at the center  of Christ’s redemptive plan” (p. 215).  Jesus Christ broke into human history to set in God’s mission into motion.  Before returning to the father he revealed that his followers also had a role in God’s mission (Matthew 28:19-20).  It was that call and the working of the Holy Spirit that brought the church into existence (Acts 2).   The church exists, at least in part, to be a part of God’s redemptive work until its completion, at the return of Christ.

Implications

The church’s role in God’s mission serves as an indictment every time a local congregation is more interested in being comfortable and “homey” – what I like to call, “church as country club” – than in making disciples.  The church is called to a mission, not called to customer service, and self-help.  The church’s mission reminds the church that we our “resident aliens” and that we are called to live counter-culturally (Hauerwas and Willimon, 1989). 

Evaluation

Tennent (2007) stresses, “the importance of the relationship between soteriology and ecclesiology” (p. 214).  Scriptural witness will not allow us to deny the connection between soteriology and ecclesiology.  The triune God will not allow us to deny the church’s role in God’s mission.  God created us to be in relationship with one another, and a natural interaction of these relationships is communicating (sharing) good news.  God’s mission is the revelation of the ultimate good news, the redemption of creation.  The church’s mission is to do, what comes naturally to those created in God’s image.  Scripture, history, reason, and personal experiences of conversion attest to this reality. 

Haurerwas, S. and Willimon, W. H. (1989). Resident Aliens.  Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

Milgore, D.L. (2004).  Faith seeking understanding: An introduction to Christian theology.  2^nd Ed.  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 

Tennent, T. C. (2007).  Theology in the context of world Christianity.  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan