Mission Statements

Gospel: Luke 10: 1-12

A great many churches have mission and vision statements displayed prominently in the building and posted in every Sunday bulletin.  These were the products of fundraising campaigns conducted by well-paid consulting firms who are not members of the congregation.  Such statements are fairly boilerplate verbiage.  They exist because they are necessary for the purposes of the consulting firm in applying for money at foundations and grant-making institutions.  They say almost nothing real about the church.

Such statements also bear little resemblance to what Jesus instructs the disciples to do as he sends them out on mission, nor do these statements reflect in any way what Jesus himself did in his public ministry.  But for that matter how much of what we do in church life reflects the commission Jesus entrusted to us or the work he undertook while on earth?  What we actually do as church is akin to the extra credit work a student wants to complete rather than the assignments they did not submit when asked of them.

Jesus commissioned his disciples to go about doing what he was doing: proclaiming peace, announcing the Good News of Jubilee, healing people, delivering them from their demons, and nourishing them at table.  The mission and vision statements have already been given to us.  The assignments have been announced.  We can set aside the slick consulting firm and set about to do what has been given for us to do by the Lord.