“If your church permanently closed this week, would anyone in the community notice? Would anyone in the community care?” These words spoken by Ed Stetzer at a conference I attended cut to the core of my pastor’s soul. If a church closes the doors and no one cares, it leads me to believe that church has no purpose and should shut down. What is the purpose of the church? What mission are we on?
By God’s grace, West Lynchburg has been in the community for 116 years. In order for any church to remain vital and effective, it must be a church that is not only in the community but for the community. The church must clarify and embrace its mission to have longevity. The mission clarifies what God has called this local congregation to do. The mission of West Lynchburg is: Magnifying the greatness of God for the joy of multiplying disciples. In brief, Magnifying God and Multiplying Disciples is our mandate and motto.
The mission is based on several scripture passages:
Magnifying is based on Psalm 34:1-3, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
There are two kinds of magnifying: microscope magnifying and telescope magnifying. The microscope makes something small look bigger and greater than it is. The telescope takes what is already great and brings it into perspective. We are not called to be microscopes. We are called to be telescopes, bringing the greatness of God into perspective.
The greatness of God is based on 2 Samuel 7:22, “Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, & there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
God is the greatest of all Beings. He is the first and the last. There is none like Him. He is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Yet there is great ignorance and neglect of God in our world. Therefore, followers of Christ must live out the mission to magnify the greatness of God to a world who knows not His greatness. Just as 1 Peter 2:9 states, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
For the joy is based on Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The assumption is that when you see the greatness of God, your heart and life is filled with joy. When we worship and connect with God, there is great joy that overflows!
The joy of multiplying is based on Psalm 67:3-4, “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.”
Notice peoples is plural. Why? People are born again and saved individually, but we must recognize the many nations they represent, and the great unfinished task of world evangelization as indicated in Revelation 5:9, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation”
Jesus declared to His disciples in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Multiplying disciples is based on Matthew 28:19-20, “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 that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
While no local church is promised to be preserved forever, there is no doubt that a church on mission to magnify God and multiply disciples will be blessed by God and have a significant impact in the local community.
Pastor Chris Jordan