Some friends of mine who do not live on the island but have been to our church services on multiple occasions recently asked for my opinion about finding a new church home. They are moving from their current urban setting to a more suburban location, and as they were considering new churches, they found themselves awash with options that seemed to cover a very broad spectrum of religious and political beliefs. My advice was simple – start by narrowing your choices down to churches that uphold the Bible as the inspired, inerrant, authoritative word of God, and then see which of those churches do the best job of living according to what the Bible proclaims.
The reason why this was my advice is because it is within the Bible that the mission statement for the church is provided. Known as “The Great Commission,” Matthew 28:19-20 tells the church to “go 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 I (Jesus) have commanded you.” While there are many wonderful ways that the Christian life should be evident to the surrounding world, such as a willingness to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and protect the persecuted, those are not the mission of the church. Frequently, church leaders who feel that the Bible is outdated and not entirely relevant to our culture today emphasize doing good works, but can no longer follow the actual mission statement because they reject some of what Jesus has commanded. In effect, they have changed the mission of the church from what Jesus declared to what they instead believe it should be, and while it may have begun with good intentions, the end result is destructive to the church that goes astray.
Unfortunately, this sort of mission-creep can happen to nearly any organization or person. A hospital dedicated to helping heal the sick and wounded can become overly focused on making a larger profit for shareholders. A delivery company can become too focused on a particular method of delivery instead of making sure something gets from point A to point B. A person who is clearly gifted as an artist can get stuck in a middle-management position, when they get comfortable living off of the corporate paycheck and are too tired to pursue their calling. None of these are as devastating as a church that no longer seeks to reach the lost with the Gospel message and teach them to become disciples, but they are still an unfortunate deviation that will diminish our collective human experience.
Staying on mission requires constantly making choices, especially about what not to do. Otherwise, good ideas can easily drag you off track, and while they may bring temporary success or good feelings, it is to the detriment of the larger effort and may ultimately destroy your ability to fulfill your ultimate purpose. So, know your mission. Understand what it is that you are uniquely created to do. And then stick to it, even if it means saying no to some worthwhile endeavors. After all, those good efforts may very well be the purpose behind someone else’s mission, and they might do it better than you imagined possible while keeping you from destroying your own mission.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron