During our annual voters’ meeting in May we voted to adopt a strategic plan for ministry in the next one to three years. During the next few months I would like to take some time in this newsletter article to “unpack” each component of our strategic plan. This month we will consider our mission statement. A mission statement answers the question, “Why do we exist as a congregation?” Our adopted mission statement is this: “We are a Christ-centered congregation that cares for the whole person with the good news of Jesus Christ.” Let’s break down our mission statement and reflect on each part.
- Christ-centered congregation—We are a people of God who are baptized into Christ and his death and resurrection (Rom 6:4-11). As individual baptized Christians we are “in Christ” (Rom 8:1). When we gather together for Worship as a congregation, we gather around God’s Word and his Sacraments (Acts 2:42-47). This is to say that Christ is also in the center of our life together.
- That Cares—We are people who care. We are people who love and show compassion as God first loved us (1 Jn 4:19-21). We are people who witness. We are people who show mercy.
- For—For whom do we care? We care for people. We care for people in the place where the Lord has called us. As Christian fathers and husbands we care for our wife and children. As Christian mothers and wives we care for our children and husband. As a Christian neighbor we care for our fellow neighbors. As a congregation we seek to care for the needs of the people within the immediate community where God has placed us. We care for people right where we are.
- The Whole Person—We are called to care for the whole person. We are called to care for their spiritual needs and physical needs. For their whole body. We are created and recreated as people who have bodies and souls. The Church has always been a people that meets needs and cares for people (Acts 2:45; Acts 4:34-37).
- With—We have an instrument, a tool, that we use to care and show compassion to people. We care and show compassion with the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. It is the power for salvation (Rom 1:16)!
- The Good News of Jesus Christ—The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news. In a world filled with bad news, our God gives good news of forgiveness, life, and salvation through the person and work of his Son that is for all people.
By the grace of God and through the gift of his Holy Spirit may we always be who God has called us to be in Christ. We are a people who matter to God and so the needs of others matter to us, as God’s people. In boldness we go forth to do what God has called us to do as the Church. We lead with the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Pastor Josh
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