There is Church Because There is Mission

God is a missionary God. There is church because there is mission, not vice
versa. Outreach, the mission of the church, is an attribute of God. People do need
the truth and we do have it, but we must earn the right to share it with people
who need it. This will require shifting our efforts from growing churches to
transforming communities.

Ellen White said, “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The
Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them,
ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’” (MH
143)

Jesus gave Himself away to the poor, the sick, the unclean, the disadvantaged and
disenfranchised people. The Kingdom of God was expanding to places, people, and cultures that
the Pharisees had never considered.

Service is not optional in Christianity. We were created and saved to serve, called and
commended to serve God and His children. Do you find yourself helping people? Turning lives
around? Making positive changes in the community? Or do we spend most of our time
maximizing our pleasure and minimizing our pain? “God does both the making and saving. He
creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten
ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (Eph. 2:10, MSG).

We must create a mission-oriented culture in all of our churches, schools and hospitals. As
change makers and Christians, we need to create venues where people can practice being
missionaries in everyday life.

Anyone with interests in community outreach can visit http://www.communityservices.org
to learn of ways to help the community.

by Sung Kwon, National Executive Director, Adventist Community Services