You Want To Do What?

Mission statements, are a modern day creation that helps people understand what you do.  Is it essential? Yes and no. If you're Apple computer I think people know what you do, so the answer could be no. (in fact Apple's mission statement is a paragraph in length)  However if you are a small company with an innovative name, you might want to elaborate some on what your company does.  The internet has changed the way we promote ourselves because the audience is now global, and even if you are well known in your community as to what you do, people in China, or India have no clue.  However, I have always wondered why Christian organizations /ministries have mission statements, because I think it was obvious from the life of Christ what our mission should be.  

Jesus had two statements:

1. His Mission: Matthew 5:17

17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

2. Our Mission: Matthew 28:19

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit He came to fulfill God's will, the promise of a Messiah/Savior He sent His followers out to do one thing.....make disciples. Now this is obviously quite simple, but that's what I like: Give to me straight, and simple.  As believers in Christ our mission statement is Matthew 28:19, and it is the basis for why any church, or ministry exists. As a believer my role as a follower of Christ is to develop my life around making disciples. Now here is where it gets tricky, because as I peruse the mission statement world of ministries on the internet I found the following.  As a congregation, we reaffirm what the church in all ages and places has proclaimed as a foundation of the Christian faith — the Apostles Creed: Mission: Advancing God’s Kingdom everywhere, one person at a time. We are Jesus people. Now, all three of these brief statements had more to say in clarifying their beliefs, but why is there a need to go beyond the Mission Statement Jesus gave us in  Matthew 28:19?  Okay, we all do ministry a little different, so what's wrong with clarifying those differences?  Nothing, but why not start with Matthew 28:19 and then state your unique identity in how you will fulfill it with your unique brand of ministry?  Does God care how we do ministry, or how we describe our ministry?  Probably not, I am sure He is more concerned about how the ministry is honoring Him, and if it is effective in doing Matthew 28:19. So what my point. My point is simple, the design of the church is to make disciples, period. We may all do it uniquely, and differently, but at the end of the day, did we make disciples?  Most of my Christian adult life I spent trying to support the programs of the church, most of which were not really formulated around disciple making. Its easy to be fooled into thinking that activity in a church or a ministry is making disciples.  The question has to be asked, "are we teaching what Jesus taught us to teach?"  Is the foundation of our discipleship, based upon the criteria for being a disciple, I think that's where we have to start.  Mark 8:34  34And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  This is a battle cry of the disciple, anything less is not discipleship. I believe the we must get back to the basics of discipleship, and in so doing, we will once again discover our purpose as followers of Christ.  Keeping it honest and truthful......K Leonard Ravenhill was a powerful evangelist and author who wrote about the effects of no disciple making. This clip is a powerful reminder of what we have lost in the modern church today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejDsuBBvy0g