The purpose of the Church in any community is to be the Presence of Christ. I see our purpose in three different perspectives, all of which speak to the reason the church exists.
The first is the church¹s ³upward,² ³inward² and ³outward² mandates. The ³upward² aspect speaks to the worship of God. Worship is central to the purpose of any church. Next is the ³inward² principle that speaks to the responsibility of every church to ³equip the Saints² for the work of the ministry. Finally there is the ³outward² mandate that speaks to the Great Commission of Matt. 28.
The second perspective is seen in the phrases, ³presence, proclamation and persuasion.² It¹s not only the ³presence of Christ² in our community but also it¹s us providing a constant ³proclamation² of the ³Good News.² Both in words and deeds do we ³proclaim² the love of God. It is the ³redemptive and social mandate² of demonstrating the love of God in tangible ways that are needed. Finally, it is the ³persuasion² aspect that keeps us calling for a decision from those we are brought before in our community. This persuasion and decision aspect is imperative to salvation.
Lastly, is the three-fold vision of why we exist and what is our church¹s purpose. We state that we are ³a body of believers with a Biblical concern and responsibility to ³invite² a person to Christ, to ³equip² a person in Christ, and to ³empower² a person for Christ. This vision incorporates the aforementioned perspectives and keeps us focused on our specific mission — both to our community and to the world we live in.
