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What is Our Mission? The Elders authored the following mission statement in order to describe who we are and what God has called us to do as a congregation. “Community Christian Fellowship is a family of believers in Jesus Christ seeking to know Him fully and make Him fully known.” Each element of the above statement is intentional and provides a picture of our purpose: First, we are “a family.” As adopted members of God’s family we believe it is every believer’s responsibility to relate to one another, as a family should. With love, commitment and mutual submission “in the fear of God,” we work through differences acknowledging Jesus Christ as the Head of this Body of believers. Second, we are “believers in Jesus Christ.” Our foundation as a church is faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ for salvation. We believe that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and willingly died on the cross for our sin, was resurrected from the grave, and ascended to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Third, we are “seeking to know Him fully.” All of the various ministries of CCF—our multiple worship services, our student ministries, our Community Groups are all designed to help believers grow in their knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ. Finally, we are working to “make Him fully known.” Through personal witness—our lifestyle and our words, and through financial support of ministries and missions, we each do our part to proclaim the message of Christ. The Great Commission of Christ still stands: “‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).
Where Are We Going?
The vision of a church (or any other organization) is simply a preferred picture of what or who they are becoming. The vision of CCF is to become a Missional Church. The word, “missional” is not in the dictionary. It is, in fact, a made up word recently introduced to the Christian community to describe what many believe is the intended nature and work of the Church. So what does “missional” mean? The best way to define this term is to look at the different aspects to being missional, as well as the Scriptural basis from which they come. There are at least three essential elements: First, a Missional Church understands Jesus is sending them into the world. It is imperative for churches in general, and Community Christian Fellowship in particular, to realize they are not a part of the culture (with the goal of maintaining or sustaining the culture), but rather, they are sent by Jesus to evangelize and transform the cultures in which they exist. In other words, the American church’s heritage is much older than this great nation in which they are located. The church’s work began, not in 1776, but nearly 2,000 years ago! Jesus prayed, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). Again, this statement is repeated in the John’s gospel: “…As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (20:21b). This passage is foundational to the mission of the church. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are sent by Him into this community and culture to act as His ambassadors. We represent Jesus Christ to this community. Just as the Father sent Jesus Christ, so now He sends us into the world to manifest the grace, truth and glory of God the Father! Second, a Missional Church is committed to personal holiness. It is important to note the immediate context of John 17:18 (“As you sent me…I have sent them…”) is sanctification. Both before and after Jesus’ sending is the subject of our personal holiness: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth […] For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:17, 19). Through the Word of God and the sacrifice of Christ for our sin, we are transformed into the image of Christ in order to reach the world. The most exciting thing about this approach is incarnation was the method God used: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). God sent Jesus to demonstrate who He is. Jesus came full of grace and truth and by looking at God the Son one sees God the Father. Incarnation is God’s methodology—when someone sees a Christian, they see Jesus. The Apostle Paul understood this principle: You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts […] We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3, 4:10). Personal holiness is absolutely necessary to being a Missional Church. Finally, a Missional Church is awaiting the Return of Jesus Christ! Following the ascension of Jesus to Heaven, the angels declared, “Men of Galilee…why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heave” (Acts 1:11). An awareness of the Return of Jesus will motivate us to be diligent to complete the work given to the church. It also serves as a reminder of the temporary nature of all that is in this world. The apostle Peter writes of the Day of the Lord and the final destruction of this earth, stating, “...the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10). He then asks the question, Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat (2 Peter 3:11-12). However, this is not necessarily bad news. Peter continues: But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him (3:13-14). These are sobering words that at once remind us of both the temporary and eternal nature of creation. A Missional Church recognizes the futility of living for things that will ultimately be destroyed on the Day of the Lord. Alternatively, a Missional Church lives with an eternal perspective—focusing on that which is eternal: the Word of God and people! A Missional Church commits to fulfilling the Lord’s Prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
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