Commentary from Bishop Gary E. Mueller and Mary Brooke Casad
Twenty years ago, the 1996 General Conference adopted a mission statement – later amended at the 2008 General Conference – to shape our mission from congregation to worldwide connection. That mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This mission is merely an outgrowth of the one Jesus gave his Church,
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age. (Matthew 28:19-20 CEB)
Recently, there has been important conversation about whether the phrase make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world still is an appropriate expression of who we are, what we do and that to which the Holy Spirit is calling us to aspire.
We were part of the original team that discerned, proposed and worked for the adoption of the mission statement at the 1996 General Conference. We did so because The United Methodist Church was deeply siloed, defined by a large number of differing missions and lacked the common trajectory to move faithfully into the 21st century. The 2008 General Conference’s amendment of the words for the transformation of the world provides a helpful reminder that our mission is not to be institutionally focused, but focused on God’s world. After all these years, we are not attempting to preserve something in which we have a personal investment. We believe the United Methodist Church’s mission statement remains faithful, vital and more important than ever before.
So why are questions being raised? We believe it’s because a very interesting dynamic has developed over the past twenty years. The mission statement has been reduced to a simple sound bite instead of incorporating fully the three important paragraphs that comprise it: ‘The Mission’ ¶120, ‘The Rationale for Our Mission’ ¶121, and ‘The Process for Carrying Out our Mission’¶122. Perhaps it’s telling that ¶122 is now referred to as the “forgotten” paragraph in The Book of Discipline.
There is a richness in ¶122 that describes a holistic understanding of what it means to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world: the evangelization of people in the midst of their unique context; their incorporation into a community of faith; the power of baptism and profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; ongoing discipleship formation; the sending of disciples into the world who are equipped and committed to acts of mercy and changing social structures that oppress and destroy lives; and the affirmation that this is a continuing process for all of us that expresses John Wesley’s vision of “moving on to perfection.”
To be perfectly honest, it has taken awhile for the “new” mission statement to get traction. But it has, and we rejoice at the many signs of discipleship we see throughout the Church and the world. The conversation has shifted from focusing on members to making disciples. Even more importantly, the Holy Spirit is prompting the exploration of critical questions concerning what it means to be a disciple who follows Jesus, what this means in a particular context, the importance of both soul and social justice, and how all of this can actually transform lives, communities and the world.
The theme of this year’s General Conference is “Therefore, go….” Jesus’ Great Commission sends us out into the world as an Apostolic, dynamic and Spirit-led movement of disciples bound together as the Body of Christ. We believe the United Methodist Church’s mission statement expresses Jesus’ intent, the work we need to do in the years to come and our highest hopes. Ultimately, however, what matters is not getting our words right or even fully understanding those words. It is about those of us who are Jesus’ disciples experiencing spiritual revival through the power of the Holy Spirit so we can actually live our words. [posted April 19, 2016]
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age. (Matthew 28:19-20 CEB)
Recently, there has been important conversation about whether the phrase make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world still is an appropriate expression of who we are, what we do and that to which the Holy Spirit is calling us to aspire.
We were part of the original team that discerned, proposed and worked for the adoption of the mission statement at the 1996 General Conference. We did so because The United Methodist Church was deeply siloed, defined by a large number of differing missions and lacked the common trajectory to move faithfully into the 21st century. The 2008 General Conference’s amendment of the words for the transformation of the world provides a helpful reminder that our mission is not to be institutionally focused, but focused on God’s world. After all these years, we are not attempting to preserve something in which we have a personal investment. We believe the United Methodist Church’s mission statement remains faithful, vital and more important than ever before.
So why are questions being raised? We believe it’s because a very interesting dynamic has developed over the past twenty years. The mission statement has been reduced to a simple sound bite instead of incorporating fully the three important paragraphs that comprise it: ‘The Mission’ ¶120, ‘The Rationale for Our Mission’ ¶121, and ‘The Process for Carrying Out our Mission’¶122. Perhaps it’s telling that ¶122 is now referred to as the “forgotten” paragraph in The Book of Discipline.
There is a richness in ¶122 that describes a holistic understanding of what it means to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world: the evangelization of people in the midst of their unique context; their incorporation into a community of faith; the power of baptism and profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; ongoing discipleship formation; the sending of disciples into the world who are equipped and committed to acts of mercy and changing social structures that oppress and destroy lives; and the affirmation that this is a continuing process for all of us that expresses John Wesley’s vision of “moving on to perfection.”
To be perfectly honest, it has taken awhile for the “new” mission statement to get traction. But it has, and we rejoice at the many signs of discipleship we see throughout the Church and the world. The conversation has shifted from focusing on members to making disciples. Even more importantly, the Holy Spirit is prompting the exploration of critical questions concerning what it means to be a disciple who follows Jesus, what this means in a particular context, the importance of both soul and social justice, and how all of this can actually transform lives, communities and the world.
The theme of this year’s General Conference is “Therefore, go….” Jesus’ Great Commission sends us out into the world as an Apostolic, dynamic and Spirit-led movement of disciples bound together as the Body of Christ. We believe the United Methodist Church’s mission statement expresses Jesus’ intent, the work we need to do in the years to come and our highest hopes. Ultimately, however, what matters is not getting our words right or even fully understanding those words. It is about those of us who are Jesus’ disciples experiencing spiritual revival through the power of the Holy Spirit so we can actually live our words. [posted April 19, 2016]
No comments:
Post a Comment