New Churches Podcast | Episode 694

What is the Mission? Why Does it Matter? Part 1

Ed Stetzer

Episode 694: What is the mission of the church? To many, the answer seems obvious but the topic actually is pretty significantly debated. Host Ed Stetzer engages the subject with two guests – Nathan Knight and Rivers Partin – who approach it from significantly different directions.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • How “bless and impact neighbor” intersects with “evangelize and congregationalize”
  • What “the BLESS acronym” stands for
  • How “equip the saints for the work of ministry” fleshes out in mission
  • How community impact and making disciples relate to each other
  • Whether community restoration is integral to church planting

Helpful Resources:

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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

A lack of clarity about the mission is actually a pretty recurring problem. We assume a lot about the church and what it is, about the mission and what it is, about the gospel and what it is. @EdStetzer

Our mission is really centered around neighbors being neighbors to one another, resting in the love of God for themselves and sharing that love with neighbors. — Rivers Partin

We see the mission of the church is to make disciples. So our mission statement is “Restoration Church exists to make disciples that delight in the supremacy of Christ here in Washington, D.C., and beyond.” @NathanKnightDC

I’m doing kingdom work and when I make the world more like Jesus would want it to be, I join Jesus on His mission. @EdStetzer

If someone wasn’t living out their faith in their community – having compassion for the hurting, wanting to bring the beauty of Jesus into broken spaces – I would say that what’s underneath is they’re not rightfully seeing the beauty of Christ. — Rivers Partin

The Bible has more to say about the work of the church than the average Christian thinks it does, and the more that we give ourselves to understanding what the Bible actually teaches about the work of the church, the church will be healthier. @NathanKnightDC

Our purpose is not cleaning the park. Our purpose is bringing restoration to something that is broken because that’s what the Lord does in our lives. Picking up the trash is a step toward being able to share our story. — Rivers Partin

Published on August 23, 2022

About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Author

Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is a professor and dean at Wheaton College where he also serves as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center.  He is the incoming Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates; and he has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the Editor-in-Chief of Outreach Magazine, and regularly writes for news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. His national radio show, Ed Stetzer Live, airs Saturdays on Moody Radio and affiliates. He serves at his local church, Mariners Church, as a Scholar in Residence and Teaching Pastor.

More Resources from Ed