Here is part 3

Problem #3: We have lost sight of the Mission

There is no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to the Missio Dei. Jesus told us in Matt 28, right? All authority is His. Go and make disciples (win them to Christ), baptize them into the family, and teach them to obey everything he has commanded. That's it. We have our mission. But we have lost sight of that as a church. Here are some ways (not a comprehensive list):

The church is known for being a hang out for Right-wing Republicans who don't like gay people, don't respect a women's right to choose, and don't want people to have health care who can't afford it. How sad that the life changing, dynamic message of Jesus has been reduced to this. Do I think gay marrige is wrong and homosexuality a sin? Of course. Is abortion wrong? Yes, it is an abomination. However, are we known for social justice? Not really. How about as stewards of God's creation? No, we actually make fun of people who are (tree-huggers!). How about being loving or compassionate? Sadly this is also a NO.

I am a pastor. I have seen first hand what happens when a church loses sight of the mission. We focus on the little things. We nit-pick each other to death. We try and "out religious" the other person. We fight and split over tertiary issues. I was an operations manager in a company and my employees were more gracious than some brothers and sisters in the church. Maybe it was because I could fire them . Rest assured, I have learned that to be a pastor means to have a soft heart, a thick skin, and wear a good cup.

We need to understand 1) what the Kingdom is about, 2) have the Kingdom inform and direct our mission, and 3) gather together with like-minded Christ-followers and pursue that mission. The mission should be culture specific. Every activity that the church does should align with that mission. Whatever hinders the mission needs to be dropped outright or changed so that it can bring about the Kingdom mission that God wants accomplished. We need to drop our "sacred cows" of church praxis for the sake of the Gospel.

Brain Seay, the brother Chris Seay (an emerging dude on the fringe of orthodoxy) made a good point about the mission of God in a book which recorded the converstaions of 3 generations of pastors about church. He said the when Kingdom people quibble and argue over little things like style of music, dress, layout of the building (ironically some of the issues here in the history of Grace) it reflects the fact that they have lost sight of the mission. When people are on mission together, and the fulfillment of that mission is clearly informing their actions, these secondary issues become more and more irrelevant in thre greater calling from God.