Books and blogs are written all the time on what the church is really called to do and be. It’s not unlikely that in the time of my writing this, another book is funneling through a publisher on what the church is actually supposed to do, or what the apostles really meant for the church’s mission. Spare me my skepticism. Are we getting any closer to an answer? What is the mission of the church?
In The Fellowship of the Ring, nine companions famously are banded together to pursue one particular mission. In the film version of Tolkien’s classic, Pippin thrusts himself into the company, with the auspicious declaration: “Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission…quest…thing.”
A few moments later, as the company is established, a confused Pippin cries: “Great! Where are we going?”
In some ways, the confused hobbit sounds a bit like the church as it contemplates its mission. Books and blogs are written all the time on what the church is really called to do and be. It’s not unlikely that in the time of my writing this, another book is funneling through a publisher on what the church is actually supposed to do, or what the apostles really meant for the church’s mission.
Spare me my skepticism. Are we getting any closer to an answer? What is the mission of the church?
Land mines abound in trying to answer this question. In answering, some struggle with oversimplification. “We’re called to tell as many as we can in the world about Jesus. Enough said!” But then why did God give us the Scriptures and not a 200-word chick tract?
Some may struggle with missed definitions. They may point to the marks of the church (Word, sacraments, discipline) or the means of grace (Word, sacraments, prayer). These tie to mission, but knowing our marks and knowing our means doesn’t quite mean we know what to do with them!
Some may struggle by overemphasizing one preferred theological category. One seeks shalom, another seeks kingdom, another presses the regulative principle, and still another presses remnant theology. But what if all these categories are helpful and none can summarize the whole mission?
To fight our way through this morass, I’ve found paragraph 25.2 of the Testimony of the RPCNA quite helpful. The statement looks unwieldy when read as one large paragraph. But a close read suggests that 6 “Es” can summarize this statement. They together reveal the church’s mission, which could be pictured as six spokes to a wheel at which Christ is the center.
In some ways, all six are basic or fundamental. But just like the spokes on a bike, all six must be working well for the wheel to move forward properly.
