Every church has (or should have) the same mission. Jesus gave it to us. He said, "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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and, behold I am with you, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
At Village Seven, the elders have sought to define what this means specifically for our church. We have summarized it in this mission statement:
To make, equip and deploy disciples who live
out and proclaim the gospel through word and deed in Colorado Springs, the West
and the World.
In this statement, we define "make disciples" as leading people from unbelief to belief in the power of the Holy Spirit. We define an equipped disciple as one who is prepared to engage with his heart, head, and hands in God's mission (for more on what it means to be an Equipped Disciple,
see this post). To deploy disciples means to help people actually engage in God's mission.
This raises the question, how do we seek to make, equip, and deploy disciples? I will address in later posts how we seek to equip and deploy disciples. Below is our strategy for making disciples (leading people from unbelief to belief).
1. Equip
God’s people to share the gospel in word and deed where they live, work, and
play.
2. Proclaim
the gospel to our community in both word and deed.
3. Create
opportunities for our people to invest in and invite un-churched people to
places where they can be exposed to God’s Word and God’s people.
4. Provide
ministries addressing areas of brokenness.
5. Connect
newcomers to the church so they are enfolded into membership and receive the
shepherding and equipping necessary to be part of God’s mission.
6. Create
an environment of authenticity in relationships.
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