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What is the Mission of the Church?
Often “missions” can sound like one of many different things the church does. Missional may be one of various labels a local church uses for itself, along with other tags like intergenerational, welcoming, or community minded. Perhaps it can also sound like everything the church does.
In its basic form, mission implies a sender, a goer, and a task to accomplish. The theme of mission unites the storyline of Scripture, pointing to Jesus Christ who, in the fullness of time, God sent into the world so that whoever believes in him would have eternal life (Jn 3:16–17). The mission of the church, to put it simply, is the Great Commission. Displaying Jesus’ worth by proclaiming the gospel and making disciples of all nations is the mission of the church.
The Gospel and Worship Gatherings
If you consider the gospel story, there is a natural progression: God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, Christ’s saving work, and man’s response to the gospel. The story of God’s glory through the redemptive work of Christ should be the story we rehearse as we gather each week.
Consider the flow of Matthew 28:18-20:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
God’s holiness and sovereignty is seen in the Father giving the Son all authority over heaven and on earth. Making disciples means calling sinners to repent and believe in Christ’s finished work for them, with the response of baptism and growing in faith and obedience through discipleship. The Spirit of Christ is always with believers until Jesus returns and creation is consummated in the new heavens and the new earth.
Since we gather each week to worship the Lord by rehearsing the gospel story, our worship services should be shaped by the gospel. As the gospel is the contour of our gatherings, it should also serve as the content and commission of our worship services. Implementing a time in our services where we celebrate, teach on, and pray for God’s work in the world will remind and compel our people to the task given to each of us––making disciples of all nations. God will also use these moments to convict hearts, encourage missionaries, and call some from our churches to cross-cultural mission work.
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Ideas for Missions Moments
Use the following ideas to evaluate how your church can integrate “Missions Moments” into your gatherings:
– Use the IMB Pray app to pray for specific missionaries and needs
(also see our CBA Prayer page for more resources)
– Commit to praying for people groups through resources like the Joshua Project
– Partner with missionaries that you commit to support prayerfully, financially, and through short-term trips
– Through Project 3000, your church can received specific updates from missionary explorers through the IMB
– Zoom call missionaries into your services (or use pre-recorded videos)
– Have a missionary/missionary team visit in-person
– Show the church God’s mission through the storyline of Scripture
– Look at biblical examples of sending and being sent
– Have different church members lead missions moments, even entire families
– Use media like graphics, videos, souvenirs to tell stories of gospel work
– Have short-term teams give reports before, during, and after their trips
– Host local gospel ministries such as CHARM, the Baptist Center, and Camp Tipton
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Do you have other ideas for integrating missions into corporate worship?
Leave a comment below.
Amen!