Unpacking Our Mission
"to help restore us"
The idea of restoration here implies the repairing of something broken, the return to something that once was. It presupposes the fact that the way things are is not the way things are supposed to be—not the way things were designed to function. It touches on the idea that this world, and even we ourselves, are fallen, distorted, broken. And we need help, we need rescue, we need restoration. And that is just what Jesus has come to provide!
Therefore, this is what we as a church have to offer you in him. The church is God's restoration project. And we get the joy of partnering with him in this great work!
Therefore, this is what we as a church have to offer you in him. The church is God's restoration project. And we get the joy of partnering with him in this great work!
"through the good news of Jesus Christ"
Restoration comes through (or by way of) the good news of Jesus Christ. Every other religion offers advice on how to fix the brokenness we all experience, but this only burdens and breaks us down further. Only Christianity is brave enough to hold out the twofold reality that: (1) we can't fix this ourselves; but (2) God can and has already done the decisive work in Jesus. On the cross, Christ took our sin and brokenness upon himself. He experienced the full weight of them in his death. But, on the third, at break of dawn, he rose again, victorious . . . with good news to proclaim! The battle has already been won for you in Jesus. We can be restored upward to God, inward to neighbor, and outward to city because Jesus has come down to us. He meets us in the mess and changes everything!
Therefore, we as a church are jealous to make sure we are always holding out not mere "good" advice, but the good news of Jesus Christ. There is no hope for our restoration outside of his finished work.
Therefore, we as a church are jealous to make sure we are always holding out not mere "good" advice, but the good news of Jesus Christ. There is no hope for our restoration outside of his finished work.
"to God"
Most everybody in our day would admit that there is something wrong with the world and, even, with themselves. But, if we were to go out and talk to people on the streets around our city, it is likely that few would say they think all of this is resulting from some fundamental fracture in their relationship with God. They’re not thinking about God. They don’t care about God. And that's the problem.
The good news of Jesus Christ, before it does anything else, restores us to God. Jesus leads a people dying of thirst back to the Fountain of living water (Jer. 2:13; John 4:10).
Restoring us to God through the good news of Jesus Christ directs our energies as a church upward. If we are not restored to God through Christ, we cannot even begin to be restored in these other directions (Lam. 5:21).
The good news of Jesus Christ, before it does anything else, restores us to God. Jesus leads a people dying of thirst back to the Fountain of living water (Jer. 2:13; John 4:10).
Restoring us to God through the good news of Jesus Christ directs our energies as a church upward. If we are not restored to God through Christ, we cannot even begin to be restored in these other directions (Lam. 5:21).
"to neighbor"
When we’ve been restored to God in Christ, we can finally start to enter into relationships with other people. Until then, sure, we have relationships, but it’s all ultimately still about us. We need something from them. We hang out with those richer, smarter, "cooler" than us because it helps our image. We hang out with those more needy than us because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We hang out with those who are like us because they enjoy the same sorts of things as we do. Every relationship is run through the grid of self-concern—“What am I going to get out of it?” Because we’re still thirsty at a fundamental, soul level.
But then we meet Jesus, and he plugs us into God, into living water. We come to find that, even though we’re sinners, we are loved and secure and forgiven in him. And do you know what happens? In our relationships with other people, no longer do we have something to prove, something to get. Now we actually have something to give!
Restoring us to neighbor through the good news of Jesus Christ directs our energies as a church inward—because we believe that the only way we are truly going to be restored to neighbor, to other people, is if we are brought into the family of God and establish relationships around the gospel (Eph. 2:13-16).
But then we meet Jesus, and he plugs us into God, into living water. We come to find that, even though we’re sinners, we are loved and secure and forgiven in him. And do you know what happens? In our relationships with other people, no longer do we have something to prove, something to get. Now we actually have something to give!
Restoring us to neighbor through the good news of Jesus Christ directs our energies as a church inward—because we believe that the only way we are truly going to be restored to neighbor, to other people, is if we are brought into the family of God and establish relationships around the gospel (Eph. 2:13-16).
"to city"
A city is the place we inhabit—the place we work, rest, play, and live. The idea of being restored to city, then, is this idea of being restored to a sense of purpose and joy in the place we occupy. It’s gaining a clearer sense of why we’re here, what we’re doing, and who we’re doing it all for.
When we are brought back to God and into his family, the church, we enter a story so much bigger than ourselves. We start to see so much more worth living for. Even common, everyday activities begin to shimmer with eternal significance. Whether we eat, drink, or whatever we're doing, we want to do it all in love for him and for others (1 Cor. 10:31).
Restoring us to city through the good news of Jesus Christ directs our energies as a church outward. We’re not just about connecting us to God and one another and then hunkering down until Jesus returns. No! We go back into the city with a renewed sense of purpose and joy. We want others to know what we've found in Christ!
When we are brought back to God and into his family, the church, we enter a story so much bigger than ourselves. We start to see so much more worth living for. Even common, everyday activities begin to shimmer with eternal significance. Whether we eat, drink, or whatever we're doing, we want to do it all in love for him and for others (1 Cor. 10:31).
Restoring us to city through the good news of Jesus Christ directs our energies as a church outward. We’re not just about connecting us to God and one another and then hunkering down until Jesus returns. No! We go back into the city with a renewed sense of purpose and joy. We want others to know what we've found in Christ!
Connecting Our Values
Through the years, we've identified three core values that have come to mark all that we are and want to be about as a church: Faith, Community, and Mission. These three core values really serve to put a finer point on the three directions identified in our mission statement. In every case, they answer the question: how?
Faith
How is a person restored upward to God through the good news of Jesus Christ?
Answer: By Faith that is fixed upon that good news.
Answer: By Faith that is fixed upon that good news.
Community
How is a person restored inward to neighbor through the good news of Jesus Christ?
Answer: By Community that is centered around that good news.
Answer: By Community that is centered around that good news.
Mission
How is a person restored outward to city through the good news of Jesus Christ?
Answer: By Mission that is mobilized by that good news.
Answer: By Mission that is mobilized by that good news.
