The balancing act of mission...

"Evangelism is only part, but an essential part, of the wider task of God's mission in which the church is called to share."

I was reminded of this quote that kind of connects with the Moltmann's point and the source of a many a mission essay!! "Evangelism is mission but mission is not merely evangelism" (Moltmann 1977)

Whenever the church reduces its way of relating to the world simply to the task of making disciples, something hugely important is lost. We are left with the picture of the church as the Ark of Salvation: all we are called to do is draw people into it to safety from the destruction around them, In this picture, 'the world' is no longer a manifestation of the wisdom and love of the good creator but a hostile environment from which we ourselves must escape, within which we must keep ourselves safe and from which we will eventually be taken into heaven.

However, when the church focuses upon proclaiming the kingdom of God in all its aspects except that of calling people into a new relationship with Christ, again the message is woefully incomplete. To know the length and breadth and height and depth of the love of Christ is the fulfilment of what it means to be human. The Christian gospel is, as Paul writes, the power of God for the salvation, transformation and healing of all those who believe. Without the faithful proclamation of the gospel and the making of disciples, the new community of the church cannot be renewed in every generation. Evangelism is only part, but an essential part, of the wider task of God's mission in which the church is called to share.

Croft, S. (2002: 139) Transforming Communities: Re-imagining the Church for the 21st Century. DLT

Getting the balance right without compromise surely is pretty important. An over balanced church just falls flat on its face!! Not a comfortable place to be.

Comments

youthwork southwest said…
I've just started (finally!) reading 'Generous Orthodoxy' by Mclaren - talks about a similar concept there as far as I can gather. Balance is so key. I was listening to a preach the other day that talked about faith as being multi-faceted (like a diamond) and therefore we shoudn't ever seek to over-emphasise one aspect over any other. This particular preach was focusing on the theology of the cross (antonement, penal substitution etc.) but I thought helpful in being 'open' in our thinking!
10:09 AM
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