Elders and mission
This part of the course explores what mission
means; how mission is actually God’s agenda and how the
spirit can support and define mission, for us as individuals, and for the wider church.
4. How do we understand the kind of mission God has for us?
Mission starts with prayer. Actively seek God’s direction in your prayers. Listen, reflect, talk with others around you on what they believe God is calling them to do and what they believe God is calling you to do.
And, remember, God may be calling
you to be part of a wide variety of groups in order to discern God’s will. It may be through secular groups as well as
church. Look at the example of food
banks!
That being said, if our mission is to be more than simply social action, there needs to be a willingness to acknowledge God’s leading. As the above quote from the manual that we looked in section 3 says, mission and witness go hand-in-hand or, as expressed in 1 Peter 3:15,
‘Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you.’ (NIV)
And we might extend this to explaining to others, whenever they ask us, why we serve them in the ways we do.