I. The Mission
The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Rationale for Our Mission
Jesus' words in Matthew 28:19- 20 provide the Church with our mission: "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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you."
This mission is part of God's larger work in the world. God seeks to restore human beings and all creation to the goodness which God intends. God's grace is active everywhere, at all times, carrying out this purpose as revealed in the Bible. It is expressed in God's covenant with Abraham and Sarah, in the Exodus of Israel from Egypt, and in the ministry of the prophets. It is fully embodied in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is experienced in the ongoing creation of a new people by the Holy Spirit.
Whenever United Methodism has had a clear sense of mission, God has used our Church to save persons, heal relationships, and transform social structures, thereby changing the world. In order to be truly alive, we embrace Jesus' mandate to make disciples of all peoples.
The Process for Carrying Out Our Mission
We make disciples as we:
-- proclaim the gospel, seek, welcome and gather persons into the Body of Christ;
-- lead persons to commit their lives to God through Jesus Christ;
-- nurture persons in Christian living through worship, baptism, communion, Bible study, prayer, and other means of grace;
-- send persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as disciples by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, and freeing the oppressed; and
-- continue the mission of seeking, welcoming and gathering persons into the community of the Body of Christ.
The Church fulfills its global mission through the Spirit- given ministries of all Christians, both lay and clergy. Faithfulness and effectiveness demand that all ministries in the Church be shaped by the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 20244-LC-101-2
1996 United Methodist General Conference