Present Statement of Ministry
What was Christ’s ministry about?
A 2,000 year old institution like the church must constantly imagine new ways to remain relevant. It must do this without compromising its message or consistent witness which dates back to ancient times. What vision must the local church have as it looks towards the future? We are after all the Body of Christ and it’s time we started acting that way. As we seek a coherent vision or “Mission Statement” the body of Christ must look to Jesus’ earthly ministry. He gives us a tangible and inspiring mission in his inaugural address as found in Luke 4:18-19, where Christ boldly proclaims his vision of ministry from Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
What does Christ’s ministry mean for the church?
This was Christ’s mission to: be empowered by the Spirit, bring good news, proclaim the gospel, release the captives, set people free from their bondage to sin, give sight to the blind, lead Israel (who was being led by blind guides) to the truth, let the oppressed go free, alleviate the suffering he found, proclaim the Lord’s favor, continue in the prophetic tradition of boldly speaking out for righteousness and grace.
The Four Relationships of Every Believer
This I believe must be the church’s mission. If we are the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) then we are to be about Christ’s mission, with the same power Christ had – the Holy Spirit! This is best summarized by the four relationships each believer has, which are: worship to God, fellowship with other believers, evangelism with the world, and service to the broken. If a believer wants to know how to grow in their spiritual life and ministry I challenge them to consider these four relationships and ask which one needs the most work.
Teaching, preaching and singing all have less impact than the one on one time people spend together. This time can take many forms such as: equipping volunteers and staff or counseling and evangelizing. People are looking to have a personal encounter with Christ and this experience comes through encounters with faithful believers. As ministers in the church we are called to model and obey the simple command found in 1 John 3:11, “We should love one another.” This is carried out sometimes in an office, sometimes in a bowling alley, sometimes in a coffee house. But in all places we carry Christ’s love, not knowing on whom it might have an impression. A wise and spiritual man once said, “Having coffee with my neighbor should affect my prayer life and my prayer life should affect coffee with my neighbor.” Occasionally we have the chance to be a Good Samaritan, but most of the time we just need to be gracious people, spreading the message of Christ in everyday living.
