Mission the Backbone—why?
Among all the changes that have been made to Christ Church in 2022, one of the most fundamental and important involves mission and Share Life. Our catchphrase to describe this change and stay on target is—mission is the backbone of our church calendar this year. You have probably heard these words but what do they mean and why now?
To start with, let’s remember that mission is an essential part of being a wholehearted disciple of Jesus. In Matthew 28:19–20 Jesus says
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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.”
You can see there how Jesus both instructed his disciples to get on with mission and to teach all future disciples to get on with mission. So when we think about what it is to be a Christian, one of the five key characteristics is that you are someone who is on mission—someone who is passionate about reaching the lost.
Making mission the backbone of our church calendar is about shaping our plans this year around this reality. It is about placing encouragement, equipping and opportunities for mission front and centre and not allowing them to be crowded out by everything else. It’s about giving our hearts and minds deliberate time to be shaped by the same compassion Jesus had for the lost when he looked out on Jerusalem.
You might ask, if there are five key characteristics of wholehearted discipleship, why prioritise one? Well, just as my swimming coach prioritised the stroke I needed most help with, we are prioritising the one we need most help with as a church. We have been listening and we hear you: most of us find being on mission hard. If mission was a Facebook event, a few would click Going, but most of us would click Interested and hope no one followed up. We want to focus here to give you help—to encourage and equip you to take the next step in reaching the lost.
Now is a unique moment in history to be able to do this. Everyone’s lives have been disrupted over the last two years and everyone’s patterns and beliefs have been challenged. In my experience, people are more spiritually and existentially awake, interested in thinking about what is really going on in the world. We are at a moment in history right now where deep and significant conversations are easier to come by and bringing the gospel to bear on people’s experience of life can bring hope and joy.
We’ve made mission the backbone of our church calendar this year. If you are hearing this and wondering what all this means for you as an individual—let’s talk about that next week.
