I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:18-23

I hold a high view of church. Jesus loved the church so much that he gave up his life for her. The church is a radiant church, a glorious church, a church with the authority and fullness of Jesus its Founder. The church is the body of Christ, a diverse, multicultural group of people with different personalities, different talents and giftings, united by the Holy Spirit in worship, fellowship and mission.

It is amazing that disciples of Jesus can come from many different cultures, different nations, different backgrounds, but can be united in Jesus. There is a special unity that is expressed by the church as a community of believers that is not replicated anywhere else. I often say when standing in front of our very multicultural congregation that it is a little bit of heaven on earth! A church where everyone feels welcomed and loved, a place of security and joy. Jesus said that people will know that we follow him because of our love for each other.

It is important that we get community right as the church of God. In Acts 6 the early church faced a problem in the community with the distribution of food. The solution was to release more leaders who were full of faith and of the Holy Spirit to ensure that the distribution of food was properly dealt with and the community was working properly. The result was that when the community was united the word of God spread and the church grew rapidly[1].

However, it is not just that our fellowship together is good and attractive, the church is a community of believers, or disciples of Jesus, who are on a mission together. Jesus came to save people from their sin[2] and he declared his mission manifesto as preaching good news and bringing freedom, recovery, and release for those who are bound, sick or oppressed[3]. We have the incredible privilege of joining with God in his mission.

A community of believers on a mission together is different from a church that is just about maintaining the status quo and looking after the people that belong to the fellowship. When you are involved in mission together this:

1. Increases faith

When Jesus sent out the seventy-two disciples they returned saying “even the demons submit to us in your name”[4]. There was a new level of faith, having seen the results of having being sent out by Jesus.

2. Decreases pastoral issues

There is a proverb that says “a dog in a kennel barks at his fleas; a dog hunting does not notice them”.  I believe that this is true for a church on a mission in regard to the pastoral issues that we face. Not that our pastoral needs disappear, but that we have other priorities, such as reaching the lost. There is also a great bond and unity that comes from being on mission together. If we were to look at the list of greetings that Paul gives in his letters he often mentions people who he was on mission with[5] and even says that his fellow-workers have been a comfort to him[6]. Being on mission together builds strong and lasting relationships, and pastoral needs can often be met “on the journey” with those who are also on the same missional adventure.

3. Increases responsibility and ownership

Mike Breen in his book “Launching Missional Communities” says that a community of believers on mission together “has leaders who do not do everything – they facilitate and release others to serve and lead”[7]. We encourage all of our Life Groups (small groups) to have an “Up, In and Out” focus, which means that mission becomes part of their thinking and they start to see how they can impact their communities (either geographical or relational communities). This moves the missional responsibility from being entirely on the leadership, or one or two gifted members, to being the responsibility of the whole church. This releasing of mission to our Life Groups gives opportunity for the group to take responsibility for mission and ownership of the things that they choose to get involved in.

4. Adds purpose and direction to life together

Alan Hirsch writes in his book “The Forgotten Ways”:

The most vigorous forms of community are those that come together in the context of a shared ordeal or those that define themselves as a group with a mission that lies beyond themselves—thus initiating a risky journey. Too much concern with safety and security, combined with comfort and convenience, has lulled us out of our true calling and purpose. We all love an adventure. Or do we?[8]

The church is a community and a community of communities. Is it time to organise our church community around a missional purpose?. Is it time to rediscover the adventure of a community on a mission? I believe that it is!

David Bareham