Mark 13 – A Church That Seeks and Expresses the Unity of the Body of Christ – of 13 Marks of a Faithful Missional Church in the 21st Century American West
Sully Notes are meant to provide you with direct quotes from some books I've read in the last year, so you can get a taste of the overall theme of the book and then begin to chew on what your life might look like if you applied what you read.
This series of special Notes are touching on a subject growing in recognition and discussion within the 21st century American church. What is the missional church? Is it something we do or who we are? What does a church look like that is living out the mission of God in their cultural context? How does a church remain faithful to the good news of Jesus, the Spirit of God, the Scriptures, the church throughout human history and around the world, and the mission of God that the church is called to join, while also meeting the questions, needs, and desires of the people God is sending us to in the cultures and contexts we live in today? I have found no better book to answer these questions than in Michael Goheen's A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story.
For these 13 posts, my goal is to share the final chapter of the book – Chapter 9: What Might This Look Like Today – with you. In this chapter, Goheen shares from his pastoral and professional experience in answering the question, "Ten Things I'd Do Differently if I Pastored Again." The list grew from ten to a lucky thirteen. I think all thirteen are essential for considering how Emmaus City will be a faithful church for our city – Worcester, MA.
Each blog post will feature one mark that will take about 5 minutes to read. Here is the full list featuring links to the previous posts:
- Mark 1: A Church with Worship That Nurtures Our Missional Identity
- Mark 2: A Church Empowered by the Preaching of the Gospel
- Mark 3: A Church Devoted to Communal Prayer
- Mark 4: A Church Striving to Live as a Contrast Community
- Mark 5: A Church That Understands Its Cultural Context
- Mark 6: A Church Trained for a Missionary Encounter in Its Callings in the World
- Mark 7: A Church Trained to Evangelism in an Organic Way
- Mark 8: A Church Deeply Involved in the Needs of Its Neighborhood and World
- Mark 9: A Church Committed to Missions
- Mark 10: A Church with Well-Trained Leaders
- Mark 11: A Church with Parents Trained to Take Up the Task of Nurturing Children in Faith
- Mark 12: A Church with Missional Communities That Nurture for Mission in the World
- Mark 13: A Church That Seeks and Expresses the Unity of the Body of Christ
Mark 13: A Church That Seeks and Expresses the Unity of the Body of Christ
"Paul says that God has made known to us his will, which he purposed in Christ 'to be put into effect when the times will reach their fulfillment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ' (Ephesians 1:10). If the church is to be a preview of where God is taking history, it will exhibit that kind of reconciliation and unity. This stress on unity is in harmony with Jesus' prayer that his followers might be one 'so that the world may believe you have sent me' (John 17:21). Thus disunity is a scandal not because it is unfortunate but because it contradicts the very gospel we proclaim. A missional church cannot help but be concerned with an expression of the unity of the church. But where does one begin at this point in history with close to thirty thousand denominations?
Our World Belongs to God: A Contemporary Testimony beautifully expresses a faithful response to our disunity:
'We grieve that the church which shares one Spirit, one faith, one hope, and spans all time, place, race, and language has become a broken communion in a broken world.
When we struggle for the truth of the gospel and for the righteousness God demands, we pray for wisdom and courage.
When our pride or blindness hinders the unity of God's household, we seek forgiveness.
We marvel that the Lord gathers the broken pieces to do his work, and that he blesses us still with joy, new members, and surprising evidences of unity.
We commit ourselves to seeking and expressing the oneness of all who follow Jesus.'
It begins with grief over the brokenness of the church along with the sober acknowledgement that sometimes disunity comes from the courage of standing for the truth of the gospel. Yet it takes a posture of repentance for the many divisions within the church that arise from pride and blindness. It expresses marvel and wonder that God uses broken pieces for his mission and still blesses us with the gift of new life and surprising evidences of unity. It ends with a commitment to seek and express the unity of the church.
Where can a local congregation even begin such an enormous task? Earlier I described the way that our minister of outreach in Hamilton identified two areas of ministry within walking distance from the church: mental health and refugees. This involvement in the neighborhood eventually turned into an ecumenical endeavor that brought churches together out of concern for the needs of the city. Six churches from different denominations pioneered the ecumenical effort, and the involvement of new congregations has grown.
Here is how this movement is described at its website: 'TrueCity is a movement of churches in the Hamilton area committed to living out the good news of peace, justice, mercy, and reconciliation we have in Jesus. We believe that as we do, we will see our neighborhoods and our city transformed.' They are committed to a threefold vision:
1) congregations that have embraced their missional identity;
2) congregations that understand themselves to be integrally and essentially connected with one another as part of God's mission; and
3) a growing number of congregations that are committed to the public good of the city.
They have focused their work together in six areas:
1) neighborhood involvement
2) refugees and new arrivals
3) mental health
4) the arts
5) church planting
6) environmental issues
This endeavor demonstrates one way that a missional and ecumenical vision has been fused as the people of God in this place committed themselves to seeking and expressing the oneness they share in Christ.
The '13 Marks of a Missional Church' suggest what it might mean to be a 'come and join us' people, inviting others to unite with us as we embody and journey toward God's shalom at the climax of history. It also points to what it might mean to be a 'so that' people, blessed so that we might in turn be a blessing to the world. Yet even to take baby steps in this direction will mean rooting our lives more deeply in the cross and resurrection and crying out for the empowering work of the Spirit. And as we do, perhaps with the old hymn writer we can humbly 'ponder anew what the Almighty can do as with his love he befriends you.'" – pgs. 225-226
– Sully
Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Go ahead and connect. For other updates, like and follow Emmaus City on Facebook.
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