Our FOcus
Our Focus PDF Print E-mail

Almost every church has a mission statement.  We are Mission Driven.  Our mission statement is supported by a strategy and a process.  We have not always been focused on accomplishing our Mission Statement.  For a long time it was for us a very nice value or belief statement that had little impact on our daily life.  Today we are increasingly becoming driven by our mission statement. Here it is:

 

Our purpose is to bring people to Christ,
develop them to Christ-like maturity,
empower them for a meaningful ministry in the Church
and a life mission in the world
in order to magnify God.

 

Our mission statement is based on two important directives Jesus gave to his disciples: The Great Commandment & The Great Commission.

One day as Jesus was teaching at the temple in Jerusalem, he was asked what the greatest commandment was.  His answer combined two existing commandments into what we know as The Great Commandment. He said,

 

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it:
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets"
                                                                                  (Matthew 22:37-40)

 

After his resurrection from the dead and before he ascended into heaven, Jesus appeared to his disciples - and others - on many occasions.  On one occasion Jesus gave his disciples some instruction regarding their future activitiy.  This is known as The Great Commission.  He said,

 

"Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you."
                                                                                     (Matthew 28:19-20)

 

Like many other churches we think these two passages are critical to understanding the mission of the church.  In these two passages we discern 5 purposes that form the substance of our mission statement.  Each of these purposes are explained below.

 

Worship

The Great Commandment teaches us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart". One of our purposes is to worship God.  We seek to live our whole lives as acts of worship.  We seek to live our life together as an act of worship. We also set aside certain times just to worship. On Sunday Mornings our worship is filled with joyful praise and thanksgivings for all the blessings of this life.  We bring our concerns and our needs as well.  We confess our faith and our brokenness.  We offer ourselves to God and seek the gift of God's grace that we may more fully live our lives as acts of worship.

 

Ministry

The Great Commandment teaches us to Love our neighbor as our self. One definition of ministry is "meeting needs with love". Ministry is one of our purposes. Engaging in ministry is one of the important ways we grow as Christians. Because it is also one of our God given purposes in life, it is also one of the most satisfying activities in life. Everyone has a unique mix of gifts and abilities and is therefore equipped for a unique ministry. As a community we gather our gifts and together tr to show God's love to the world through the activities of our many Ministry Teams

 

Evangelism

In His Great Commission Jesus tells us to "Go and make disciples". The word "evangelism" literally means to "share good news". One of our purposes is to share the good news of what God is doing in our lives. Like Jesus, we seek to love and respect everyone as we share good news. Life with God is awesome and Jesus' gift of grace changes our lives. This is amazing good news and one of our purposes is to authentically and respectfully share it with our friends and neighbors.

 

Fellowship

In His Great Commission Jesus tells us to baptize people. Baptism is how a person becomes a Christian. It is how we enter into the fellowship of all believers. One of our purposes is to welcome people into great fellowship. It is easy to live a life full of casual relationships, but the purpose of Christian community is to reflect the intimacy of the Trinity. Jesus prayed "Father, let them be one even as you and I are one." Our small groups are places where people grow close to one another, share each others joys and burdens, and pray for one another.

 

Discipleship

Our fifth purpose is discipleship. In His Great Commission Jesus told his disciples to teach believers to obey everything He had taught them. We live out this purpose by trying to become more like Jesus and teaching others how to become more like Jesus too. Our small groups are places where people learn from each other. Sermons and teaching videos are other places of teaching.

 
© 2008 Saint Edward's Episcopal Church