May 2018

Beginning in February I prepared a series of easily understandable articles to explain Methodism through my ministerial experiences. I hope these articles will help you better understand Methodism and confirm and develop your faithful identification as a Methodist.

Q) What is the nature and mission of the church? What are its primary tasks today?
The origin of the word church is from the Greek, Ecclesia, which means ‘call out.’ The church is the place where people gather to worship and give thanks to God. It is also the place where those who are gathered accomplish the work of fulfilling the will of God. Paul defines the church in 1 Corinthians 1:2, “To the Church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This means that the church is not about the building, but the people of God who are summoned in the name of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Discipline offers an explanation of the mission and definition of the church: “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and by exemplifying Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor, thus seeking the fulfillment of God’s reign and realm in the world. The fulfillment of God’s reign and realm in the world is the vision Scripture holds before us.”

The mission of the church has been entrusted to us to be carried out though worship, edification of believers, and redemption of the world. I strongly believe that these are not just roles. The church does this naturally in the world through believers. We never stay only in the church or our houses, but also go into the world with the Gospel. The church from its beginning has existed for the world, yet it remains separate from the world. It has proclaimed the Word of God and made disciples. The church not only proclaims the Word of God, but also serves as the place where disciples of Jesus grow in faith, witness God’s works in fellow believers’ lives, and learn God’s attributes.

There is an African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I think it shows very well the primary work of the church today. For raising a child, we not only need a good church but we also need a good community. We do not stay only at church, for beyond the church we need to connect and serve our community through God’s love. Likewise, we need to make an effort to improve social justice in our world.