New Mission Statement

New Mission Statement, Same Mission

What are our priorities as a church family? Our new mission statement outlines it in this way:

Knowing God and His Word; Growing in Community and Service

Based on the Great Commission and describing our discipleship priorities there are four key ideas embedded in this statement. Let’s look at these four main aspects.

Knowing God – Conversion is the beginning point in our knowing God, but not the end point. Every believer has a conversion story and integral to that was that someone/some church which reached out. This should prompt our witness, both personally and corporately. We should trust God in order to know God, as we trust we experience God in a way that we couldn’t have otherwise. Faith leads to action; and this trust leads to knowing God. We have a lifelong adventure as believers as we seek to know God intimately, deeply and more personally. Through personal and corporate worship we can grow to know God in new and real ways.

Knowing God’s Word – Here is the process for Knowing God’s Word: Head to Heart to Hands and Feet. As His disciple we need to be a ‘Man (or Woman) of the Word’. We need to take seriously our study of God’s Word and be saturated in it (cf. Psalm 119). Five key ways to get His Word into our Head are:

1. Hearing the Word – Ps. 119:30

2. Reading the Word – Ps. 119:72

3. Memorizing the Word – Ps. 119:11

4. Studying the Word – Ps. 119:18

5. Meditating on the Word – Ps. 119:15

We are to seek God’s wisdom. Desiring to understand and apply the Word to our Heart is the next step in the process. We must begin by seeking God in His Word and in prayer (James 1:5). We should be discerning by seeking the right answer, God’s answer in God’s ways. We will often seek counsel and advice, so that we might speaking the right answer in the right way (e.g. 2 Cor. 1:3-5) In all situations we should desire to speak the truth in love; thus seeking to be God’s loving channel of grace (e.g. Gal. 6:1-2).

We truly know God’s Word when we are walking in the Word; living out God’s Words in God’s ways. As we do this the Word works its way into our Hands and Feet. This begins with our being obedient; our choosing to ‘Walk in the Word’ (James 1:22, 25). We find our walking in the Word gaining strength as we are in fellowship (Growing in Community) and partnership (Growing in Service) with other believers.

Growing in Community – We were not meant to be on this spiritual journey alone. We need fellowship on our spiritual journey (cf. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). We need‘Communitas’ – true biblical community (Hebrews 10:24-25). We need to strengthen each other in community because we come to Christ in need of healing, growth and grace. We must also see that as we partner in ministry we need others in order to be the Body of Christ that our Lord wants us to be in our larger community.

So we walk on the journey together (Proverbs 27:17). As we build up and strengthen each other we are ‘Face to Face’. Here we give instruction - teaching and training; support – comfort, encouragement and exhortation; and accountability.

We also travel ‘side by side’ on the journey together (1 Cor. 12:12-31). We are the Body of Christ and we need each other. We must work together as a team as we partner together in ministry and mission.

Growing in Service – We are on a mission for God. Christ exemplified servanthood during his earthly mission (Mark 10:45). Likewise we have been saved to serve (Eph. 2:10). God has gifted and empowered us for what He is calling us to do. For everyone there is a ministry (or two) in the church family. We should also be involved in a mission to serve outside the walls of the church. Our SHAPE for service will be determined when and where we should be involved in serving God and others. We should be on the lookout for opportunities to discover and to serve as God leads us.

As disciples and as disciplers we want to know our target and hit it to the glory of God. Our new mission statement is a good way to recall what we have been called to and the priorities we have as a church body.