The head of any organization is responsible for its vision and mission. Not merely a slogan, but the direction and its primary goals. “Christ is the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So He is first in everything” (Colossians 1:18).
Christ’s vision is expressed vividly in Ephesians 5:25-27: “... Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” This is Jesus’ vision for the church: being holy, pure, and glorious.
Jesus commissioned His disciples, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). This must always be the primary mission of the church.
Our mission must look like Jesus' mission: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
Finally, the early church is important in understanding the Church. Acts 2:42-47 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” This is the basis and template we must follow to be a Biblical Church.
Individual churches may tweak the wording and determine a particular emphasis, but the vision and mission cannot change, because God’s Word doesn’t change. We may express it meaningfully for our time, but must always remain true to Scripture. Any divergence from this Biblical mandate ends up diluting the power and purpose of the Church or, worse, deluding people into a false vision and mission that leads to division and, at worst, heresy. Let’s stay true to our calling and “Go, do, and be Christ in our community.”