What Is the Mission of the Church?

What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission (Paperback)

So what is the mission of the church? What is my purpose in life now that God has delivered me from the domain of darkness and transferred my into the kingdom of his glorious Son? In today's busy world it can get a little confusing and there are a plethora of ideas. That's why I greatly enjoyed the new book by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert entitled: What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission, published by Crossway. Every Christian you ask this question to seems to have a different idea. Shouldn't we all be in agreement, I ask? If a solider is going into battle, he better have his instructions clear. This book helped to clarify my orders and re-focus my vision on my mission. The book begins with a working definition of mission that is meant to expand the question asked in the title, "What is the specific task or purpose that the church is sent into the world to accomplish." The authors go into great detail to explain the word `missional' is being added to just about every movements or category in today's church, and causing Christians to think they "ought to" for each of these instead of inviting a "we could" response. It seems that every day in my email inbox and mailbox I get numerous requests from ministries for help and I want to see people not suffering, I want to see famine and disease quenched, I want to see children receive a solid education, but where in all this aid does God's glory come into the frame? What should be my chief focus? DeYoung and Gilbert make the point that Jesus in Luke 4 tells us that Jesus's mission is not a mission of structural change and social transformation, but a mission to announce the good news of his saving power and merciful reign to all those brokenhearted - that is, poor enough to believe (page 40). I agree with the authors on their answer to the question of this book, "The mission of the church is to go into the world and make disciples by declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit and gathering these disciples into churches, that they might worship the Lord and obey his commands now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father." I like that this book gives smart but graceful counter arguments to the common dialogues that occur between various Christian camps. Also, I found immensely helpful the one story: four acts (creation, fall, redemption, and consummation) narrative provided in the book to give me a better understanding of what God is trying to accomplish at the very heart of the Bible's story, namely, "How can hopelessly rebellious, sinful people live in the presence of a perfectly just and righteous God."

I received a review copy of this book from Crossway.