What Is A Mission Statement?
A Mission Statement by definition is “a formal summary of the aims and values of a company, organization, or individual.” To put it more simply, it explains an organization’s purpose for existing, and it seeks to fulfill that purpose. As such, the Mission Statement serves as a frame of reference to evaluate whether or not a person or organization is staying on track with the reason they came into existence in the first place.
Since Calvary Chapel Saint Paul is a Bible-based Church, we seek to understand our mission based on what the Bible and Jesus taught as the primary mission of His Church. Our objective is not to build our kingdom, but His. (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2)
How We See Our Mission
The Church’s mission, as defined by Jesus in the Four Gospels and Acts, has come to be known as The Great Commission. The following five passages are those from which the Great Commission is derived. They all represent Jesus’ final instructions to His followers after His Resurrection.
- Mark 16:15-16: Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
- Matthew 28:19-20: 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 have commanded you.
- Luke 24:45-48: Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
- John 20:21: Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
- Acts 1:6-8: So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Three Basic Objectives
As we read these passages, we have concluded there are three basic objectives a church should be committed to doing:
- Saving the Lost: Although it is God who does the work of saving, it is the responsibility of the Church to do the work of evangelism. We are commanded:
- To go into all the world and preach.
- Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations.
- As the Father sent me, I am sending you.
- You will be my witnesses.
Clearly God has ordained the world will hear the Gospel through believers who are committed to sharing the Gospel to all who will hear it.
- Romans 10:13-15: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
- Strengthen the Weak: Unfortunately, many Christians, once they are saved, never mature in their faith. We believe this is due in large part to the Church’s failure to strengthen the faith of new believers (Luke 22:32). Yet Jesus clearly included this part of our mission in His Great Commission:
- Matthew 28:19-20: 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 have commanded you.
- Luke 24:45: Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
- John 20:22: And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
From these passages we can conclude that a person who has been discipled has been baptized, displays obedience to the commands of Jesus, has come to a foundational understanding of the Bible, has been filled with the Holy Spirit and leads a Spirit-led life.
- Sending to Serve: Finally, as much as we love to see our churches grow numerically and filled with saved and strong believers, this is not God’s ultimate goal. The church is not meant to be the final resting place of the Church. That is what heaven is for.
Rather, the greater purpose of saving and strengthening is to:
- Ephesians 4:12: Prepare God’s people for works of service, so the body of Christ may be built up.
- Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So, just as parents need to release their children when they reach physical, mental and emotional maturity, so also the Church must be willing to release her spiritual progeny into Christian service when they become:
- Ephesians 4:13: Mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
We call this last step sending to serve, in imitation of Jesus’ statement in:
- John 20:21: Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
Summary
Some churches today state their main mission is to save the lost. Others, that they are called to strengthen. Still others call themselves mission churches, because their sole concern is sending.
It is our conviction God has called all Christians and all Churches to be committed to doing all three. Together, saving, strengthening and sending form a process that leads to mature mission. Neglect of any one part of this process will result in spiritual retardation, and eventually the weakening of the Church, leading to ineffectiveness and a failure to fulfill our purpose.