2.1 Defining Mission and Casting Vision

Section Introduction

One of the most incredible events of all time happened at a place called Ceasarea Phillipi, Jesus asked His disciples the question, “‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matt.16:13). His hearers gave various answers: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. So Jesus asked the important questions: “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” (Matt.16:15). As often was the case, Peter spoke for the group: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus’ response was enthusiastic: “Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah, for this was
not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven and I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not over come it” (Matt. 16:17-18).

The word church (ekklesia) appears more than 100 times in the New Testament and refers to an assembly that has been gathered for a specific mission or purpose. Upon the true confession of a disciple, Jesus promised to build His church. The church is built on the reality of Christ’s sonship with the Father, and those who accept the truth about Him make up His church.

The Scripture speaks of the church as the body of Christ which includes all the redeemed of the ages. But 93 times in the New Testament, the word church refers to a local body of believers. In most of the passages, the church is depicted as a local assembly of Christians who meet, worship, fellow- l Learning Objectives ship, disciple (educate), minister, and evangelize (missionize) in the name of Jesus Christ. Herein is the very reason for this book, for it poses the question, “How do you lead the church in such a way that its God-given mission is carried out?” In a sense, you cannot have mission-centered leadership until you fully comprehend the biblical purpose of the church; then you move from vision to reality.

REVIEW EXERCISE – It is always helpful to consider several biblical pictures of the church. In order to understand the nature of the church, examine the following Scripture references and complete the statements.

The church is the __________ of Christ.
     (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18,24;2:19; 3:15; 1 Cor. 12:12-27)

The Church is seen as the __________ of God.  
     (1 Pet. 2:9-10)

The church is called __________ of God’s household. 
     (Gal. 6-10; Eph. 2:19)

The church is the __________ of Christ. 
     (John 3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:9; 22:17) 

The church is an expression of the __________ of God. 
     (Col. 1:13; Matt. 6:9-13)

Unit 1. Mission: Purposes of the Church

Unit 2. A Mission-Centered Planning Model

Unit 3. Developing a Mission Statement

Unit 4. Casting and Communicating Vision

Unit 5. Examples: Mission and Vision Statements

Course Conclusion

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