What is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert

Any industry asks the question, "what is our mission?" That is the driving concept that businesses build their product line, service department and advertising around. Those companies that understand their mission and develop well grow. Those companies that don't understand their mission and don't develop it well do not succeed and eventually close their doors. Hallmark understands the greeting card business, McDonald's understands the fast food hamburger business and they have been successful.

So, why is it that the church doesn't seem to understand it's mission? Why is it that the church doesn't plan and develop their ministries to articulate and pursue it's mission? Why do we often get sidetracked into other areas of business that are not our true mission? If McDonald's started selling computers at their same site as fast food we would wonder what they are thinking. it's not necessarily wrong for them to diversify, but it would seem that they should stay in the food business not go into technology.

So, with the church, What is our Mission? Is it to just Shepherd the people that we already have? Is it go provide social services to the poor? Is it to stand up for Justice for the poor? Is it to stand up for immigration rights for those seeking a better lifestyle?

All those things are good and not necessarily bad for the church to be involved in, but they are not the main mission of the church. So, what is the main mission of the church. On page 69 DeYoung and Gilbert give their capsule summary, "then it should not surprise us in the least that Jesus would end his earthly ministry by telling his disciples, 'You will be my witnesses' (Acts 1:8). It shouldn't be surprising that he would launch them into history with the command, 'Go . . . and make disciples' (Matt. 28:19). After all, that's exactly how the great riddle is solved: sinful people are brought into God's presence by becoming disciples of Jesus through faith and repentance, and they can do that only through the witness of the apostles as they proclaim the good news about who Jesus is, what he has done, and how we should respond as a result."

The mission of the church is found through our study of the Bible. "It is a fourfold story that we find in the Bible. 1) Creation, 2) Fall, 3) Redemption and 4) Consummation." (see page 68 DeYoung and Gilbert are going to develop their summation and their concept of the fourfold story of the Bible throughout this book. Their desire is for the layman as well as the paid profession pastor to understand that the mission of the church is to be witnesses of Jesus and Jesus crucified. We need to teach the Bible strongly and not water down the principles and applications that we find. We are not to become just a social service agency, we are to stay a people committed to passionately declare the Glory of God through the story of the Bible and help people find their way to God through understanding the ministry of Jesus.

The author's will also be careful to remind us that as we get our mission correct and preach the Gospel correctly that people will come to know the Lord, join the Church universal and then change their lifestyles to conform to Christ. That change of lifestyle will mean that people will want to do community service, they will want to give to the poor, they will want to stand up for social justice and other issues, but they will do it as an offshoot of their main mission which is to preach Christ and preach Him crucified. To explain to people the mission of the Gospel as told through the Bible.

I appreciated the fact that DeYoung and Gilbert make it clear up front (page 25) that, "this is not a book by and for biblical or theological scholars," instead it is written clearly enough for laypeople as well as the theologically astute. Their goal was further stated on page 23 as, "we want Christians to understand the story line of the Bible and think more critically about specific texts within this story." I think that is well done in their book. They have not written this as Theological tome but they have written it clearly enough for all to understand but they still want us to THINK CRITICALLY about what we read and what the Bible has to say.

So, tackle this book with the desire to delve into your Bible and think through all that is stated. You might not agree with all they say, but if you think critically you will grow, you will learn and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you as to what you should be learning.

God bless and enjoy!