The next following posts are reflections on my current mission statement that I have been ruminating over for the last couple of weeks. It revolves around three action verbs: educate, advocate, and participate. My pastor has tasked everyone on staff to develop a ministry team with respect to his or her area. My reflections here are predicated upon casting my vision to the congregation for the hope of finding those who will join me in the exciting activities associated with "Gospel Action."
Educate others in God’s kingdom message – The education component of "Gospel Action" extends in two directions. The first direction is back to the Scriptures for the purpose of understanding God’s vision for His kingdom and the tasks of compassion, mercy and justice that He calls all disciples to engage in. To aid in this effort will involve educating church members with Bible studies and with the current educational resources offered by the Evangelical Covenant Church’s Compassion, Justice and Mercy Department, which seeks to engage complex social issues in a theologically credible way. The second direction reaches out into our particular community for the purpose of highlighting the on-going needs in our city as well as explaining to members the broader kingdom efforts that other organizations are already performing.
GUIDING TEXTS: Matt. 6:33; Luke 4:18-19; Luke 6:46-49; Luke 13:29; Luke 14:12-14
GUIDING QUESTIONS: What do the Scriptures teach about God’s kingdom? What does the Evangelical Covenant Church teach about different social problems/issues? How does a particular organization’s work connect to God’s kingdom message expressed in the New Testament? What are the current needs and resources in our city?
