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Mission 101
What is Mission?
The term “mission” assumes that there is an assignment and three parties: a sender, a person being sent, and those to whom one is sent. However, this assumes that the sender has authority to send others for an assignment. What is in fact true is that the real sender is God who has all the authority for our life both in heaven and in earth [Matthew 28:18]. And God gives His authority to the Church and His people.
What is the foundation of Mission? The foundation of mission comes from Scripture and is known as the Great Commission, in which Jesus commanded us to “go” saying “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:19-20]. This foundation for mission is the good news of Jesus that He is the salvation for the whole world.
Being a “Christian” is being a missionary by its very nature. According to the New Testament the “reign of God” which has come in Jesus Christ is intended for all humanity. The Christian mission gives expression to the dynamic relationship between God and the world, particularly as this was portrayed, first, in the story of the Covenant between God and the people of Israel and then, supremely, in the birth, life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Theology of mission is grounded in our faith: God’s self-communication in Jesus Christ.
Missio Dei . . . “God’s Mission” is God’s self-revelation as the One who loves the world, God’s involvement in and with the world (in which the Church is privileged to participate), and is the good news that God is a God-for-people. God’s love and attention are directed primarily at the world, and mission is God’s participation in the world. Church engagement in mission involves many areas, including areas of injustice, oppression, poverty, discrimination, and violence.
Mission includes “evangelism” as one of its essential dimensions. Evangelism is the proclamation of salvation in Christ to those who do not believe in Him, calling them to repentance and conversion, announcing forgiveness of sin, and inviting them to become living members of Christ’s earthly community, the Church. Evangelism is also sharing with our brothers and sisters in Church Sacraments and in life, and to begin a life of service to others in the power of the Holy Spirit.
