A Statement of the MWC Mission Commission
God is a missionary God. Jesus is a missionary Lord. The Holy Spirit is a missionary empowerer. The entire Bible is a missional book. The whole church is a missional people.
Therefore, by the grace of God, as an Anabaptist faith community
1. ORIGINS
We lead people to know God as Father, the Creator who initiated in Christ a loving, comprehensive plan to restore peace to the universe.
2. MEANS and MODEL
We announce Jesus, the Son of God, as both the means and the incarnate model by which God restores peace. It is through Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection that the door opens to reconciliation, redemption, new creation, and eternal life. Incarnational witness and service is our model for mission.
3. POWER
We walk in the power of the Holy Spirit in word, deed, and being. We live and proclaim the kingdom of God, forgiving, teaching, healing, casting out evil spirits, and embodying suffering love.
4. MESSAGE
We invite all people to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, turn from sin, receive baptism upon confession of faith, and follow him in life as part of the worshiping, serving community of faith. This community is itself a sign to the world. We announce God’s kingdom by serving others with humility and gratitude, caring for creation, and seeking to live in the world without conforming to the powers of evil.
5. SCOPE and TASK
We go beyond our communities as witnesses, following Jesus’ instructions to make disciples of all peoples. We form new communities of believers, transcending boundaries of nationality, culture, class, gender, and language. Because we believe that God has created and blessed cultural variety, we expect new forms of the church to emerge as we go.
6. RISK and SUFFERING
We trust God in all areas of life, living as peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice, and focus especially on serving and reaching out to the weak, poor, vulnerable, voiceless, and oppressed. Because Jesus Christ suffered for us, we also accept risk and suffering for his sake.
7. TEXT
We hold and share the Bible as our authority for faith, life, and mission. The Holy Spirit within and among us is the primary interpreter of the Word.
8. WORSHIP
We gather regularly to worship, celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and hear and respond to the Word of God in mutual accountability. Our worship is an integral part of equipping us to participate in God’s mission.
9. UNITY and RESPECT
We promote the unity of all Christians as part of our witness, and we respect the people of other faith traditions as we share the hope that is within us.
10. FULFILLMENT
We eagerly await Christ’s return and anticipate the final fulfillment of God’s kingdom when people of every tribe, tongue, and nation gather in worship around the throne of God and of the Lamb.
21 March 2014, in session at Dopersduin, Schoorl, Holland