Does your church have a mission statement? You know, a short blurb that describes the purpose for which it exists. Without a clear mission, we can begin to slip into what’s called mission creep. Mission creep happens when the church (or any organization, for that matter) begins to lose sight of its original purpose. When this occurs, we begin to invest in things that are at the periphery of our ultimate objective. Having spent some time thinking about what the church is and how we can find it, it’s important that we now explore the mission of the church.
Bible professor Edmund Clowney asked, “What mission does the church have? Is it called to save the planet? To heal the sick of the world? To join wars of liberation and overthrow oppressive regimes? Our answer, as believers, must come from the Word of the Lord.”1 Fortunately, when we open up the Scriptures, we have a clear mission for the church delivered to her by none other than Jesus himself. It’s sometimes called the Great Commission:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age
First, it’s important to note that the church’s mission is rooted in Jesus’ authority and presence. As the King of heaven and earth, wielding all authority, Jesus sends his subjects out into the world as his ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). That might sound a little daunting, but we also have the promise of the King to comfort us: I am with you always. Jesus sends his people into the world and is present with us through the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). Under the authority of King Jesus and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the church has one primary objective: to make disciples.
A disciple is like a pupil or apprentice. There is a holy education which the church offers to the world, and the curriculum centers on Jesus Christ. Jesus alludes to this when he says, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” In other words, the church isn’t just passing on this education so that pupils can grow in knowledge, but that they can grow in love. In the Bible, observing doesn’t just mean watching or hearing, but following. The church makes disciples of Jesus by teaching the whole world the good news of salvation and how to live as a part of Christ’s redemptive kingdom in the present. Whatever pithy statements churches come up with to describe their mission, one thing is clear: they must emphasize Jesus’ word and works on our behalf, helping us to live in light of them.
Here, we also see the close relationship between the mission of the church and the marks of the church which we looked at previously. Faithfulness to the Word and ordinances of Jesus is central to the mission of the church. This is why Jesus included baptizing in the Great Commission: it’s an inseparable part of the church’s work in making disciples.
If you have been baptized, you are a pupil in the school of Christ, and you get to participate in the great work of enrolling others into the heavenly university! That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go and start teaching classes on the Bible. Remember, each brick and body part has its own distinct role in the church! You might contribute to the making of disciples by opening up your home in hospitality or giving generously to missionaries, but all of us play an important role in the church’s mission!
