A definition of 'mission' may be found on page 855 of The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.
Q. What is the mission of the Church?My reason for posting the quote is to remind myself of the reference base in the BCP for the meaning of mission, because when members of the church, especially leaders in the church, speak of mission, I so often have only a vague idea of the meaning the speakers assign to the word.
A. The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.
Q. How does the Church pursue its mission?
A. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love.
Q. Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?
A. The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.
Thanks to Tobias Haller for leading me to the definition in the BCP.
Well posted. So often mission statements become overly bureaucratic run-on paragraphs steeped in vagueness. It's often surprising how succinct and clear the BCP can be.
ReplyDeleteThanks, staplovich. You know, I'd read the mission statement more than once, but I'd forgotten how good it is. The BCP is a lovely, treasure-filled book, and its words played a large part in my decision to choose the Episcopal Church.
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