A Moment with the CWM Mission Centre President (Part 6 in a Series)

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter

Today, “We Share… a Mission.”

Christ’s Mission is Our Mission! We take that cue from Jesus’ reading from the book of Isaiah as quoted in Luke 4:18-19 (NRSV):

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Many years ago, Community of Christ adopted a mission statement that many church members still know from memory and that points the way to Jesus and his mission:

We proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace.

​The church has been “growing into” that mission statement ever since.

Five “mission initiatives” have been prescribed for the church that help us focus our efforts on what matters most for us to be about in our communities. More information can be found for each one by following the links:

1. Invite People to Christ – Christ’s mission of evangelism
2. Abolish Poverty, End Suffering – Christ’s mission of compassion
3. Pursue Peace on Earth – Christ’s mission of justice and peace
4. Develop Disciples to Serve – Equip individuals for Christ’s mission
5. Experience Congregations in Mission – Equip congregations for Christ’s mission

 
It is critical to understand that each of us as individuals must be Christ’s hands and feet to contribute to carrying out his mission. The short phrase that started the first paragraph above really is more accurately stated as: “Christ’s Mission, Our Mission, YOUR Mission.”
 
In recent years, many individuals have made it a part of their personal spiritual practice or prayer life to regularly pray the “Mission Prayer” and directly invite God’s guidance into their lives:

God, where will your Spirit lead today?
Help me be fully awake and ready to respond.
Grant me courage to risk something new
and become a blessing of your love and peace.
Amen.
 
I invite you to make Christ’s mission your mission. Community of Christ seeks to share that mission and to make it as real as possible wherever church members live and work and serve in their community. How will you respond?
 
For more information about our mission, contact the writer or a congregation near you. Material for this column is drawn primarily from the book, available online, Sharing in Community of Christ: Exploring Identity, Mission, Message, and Beliefs.

Extra Information: Be sure to let your voice be heard in an early stage of consultation about the future of Community of Christ in Canada. Check out Apostle Art Smith’s sermon from September 27 (fast-forward to minute 35:29), plus his related conversation with Seventy John Hamer of Toronto, Ontario, and respond to this questionnaire. Thank you for your interest.

I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times.

Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca