Every church I have been part of over the last two decades has had a mission or vision statement that is printed on bulletins, church newsletters and neon signs. Countless hours are often spent debating and discussing different words to use that capture the heart or essence of why they (that particular church) exists. Bishop Leslie Newbigin addresses this when he says, “It seems to me to be of great importance to insist that mission is not first of all an action of ours. It is an action of God.” The open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission
In other words, it’s not what we are doing, but it’s what He is doing.
This small shift in thinking can lead us to categorical different practices. There is nothing wrong with a community articulating in their own vocabulary the invitation God gives for us to join him in his action in the world, as long as it revolves around his action, and not primarily ours. To make this error would be akin to walking into a beautifully adorned garden with life and vibrancy on full display, and pointing out the Gardner’s clothes and tools, placing the focus on something other than the obvious life and beauty that is all encompassing.
Mission prioritizes God’s activity throughout history and what he is doing now which you and I get to be part of! Darrel Guder sums it up beautifully when he says that, “Mission is the result of God’s initiative, rooted in God’s purpose to restore and heal creation. Mission means sending, and it is the central Biblical theme describing the purpose of God’s action in human history.” Darrell Guder, The Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 4.
The take aways from this episode that we would encourage you to consider:
- God is on mission to heal and restore the world – setting it right. It’s his mission not ours.
- God has invited you and I to see the beauty and life that he is bringing all around us (the garden) and to be part of the process of what he’s doing in the world (the gardener).
- Ask yourself the question, “Where is God at work around me?” Where do you see beauty, brokenness, love, mercy? What people are in your sphere (neighbourhood and network) where God is inviting you to join him?
- Another great question to ask is, “does my life orient itself around what God is doing in the world or is it something else?”
Other Resources
- Bigger Gospel: Caesar Kalinowski
- Missional Renaissance: Reggie McNeal