Our Vision
- Jeff Cloeter
- Jun 30, 2008
- Series: Call to Mission
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A mission statement is an overarching statement about why an organization exists. A mission statement never changes. For the church, every congregation has a similar mission, usually in relation to Matt. 28:18-20. Reliant's mission statement is to reveal Truth, renew life, and reform the world with the gospel of Jesus (see the "Article on Mission Statement" for further explanation).
A vision statement is different than a mission statement. Lovett Weems defines a vision as "a picture of a preferred future." A vision statement is a little more precise and immediate as compared to the mission statement. It seeks to define a more particular direction of how the mission is lived out. The vision of Reliant is to be a people through whom the Gospel is "earthed." This sentence may seem a bit odd or confusing, so it requires an explanation. The first half of this article consists of an explanation of the components of the vision. The second half is a storied description of what the vision looks like. At the end of this article, think about someone you know who "earths" the gospel of Jesus. Then share their story.
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People: We are a community gathered in and through Jesus Christ. Simply put, we are church, with Jesus as the head (Col. 1:18). Our vision is that of a missional church, which means that we seek to be a vibrant community that is growing. We believe that the message of Jesus is one which "goes out" as a movement of God among people. We stand in the center of St. Louis as a missional church committed to speaking and living the gospel in an ongoing and expanding manner.
Gospel: Gospel means the "good news" of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. But more specifically, what makes it "good news" is that it is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for you. "I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). Jesus' sacrificial blood shed on the cross and his resurrection from the dead are graciously and personally applied to the broken sinner in the power of the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Earthed: The transcendent gospel must be grounded in reality for people to see. We believe that our very lives are the way in which people understand the gospel of Jesus. The message is known by the flesh and substance of the messengers. The gospel is embodied by our members both communally and individually, as God's mercy is tangibly revealed in the speech and life of his people. God's reconciling plan to put everything back together in Jesus is carried out in a concrete way through the life of the church.
Our vision is that our mission to reveal Truth, renew life, and reform the world would be powerfully lived out in the lives of our members, both individually and corporately across St. Louis. This statement rests on the fundamental belief that God accomplishes his mission through the church. This community is God's primary agent in the world (Acts 1:8). Through worship, community groups, and intentional community impact, we seek to further "earth" the very divine message of salvation. Thus our vision is that we would continually discover very real and concrete ways in which the gospel may be known in our lives.
Vocation is an additional and fundamental component to our vision. Vocation comes from the Latin vocatio, meaning "calling." Each individual follower of Jesus has specific callings in life (brother/sister, mother/father, friend, spouse, citizen, employee, employer, student, etc.) Essentially, for every Christian, vocation means this: freedom in Christ for service to world. This is reflected in our mission statement, and it is our goal that each member of Reliant grows in their understanding of their very specific vocations. As we "earth" the gospel, a sense of vocation (divine calling) means that everything we do, even the mundane, is of eternal and spiritual significance (see article on vocation).
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"Earthing" the gospel can take many forms, because the church who lives the gospel is a diverse people. A boss who treats her employees with care and concern. A teacher who sacrifices for her students. A husband who loves his wife like Jesus loves the church. A child who honors and obeys his parents. The way one conducts his or her life speaks to the Jesus they trust in. Additionally, the way one speaks "earths" the gospel, imaging the mercy of Christ in real ways. A story of personal salvation. A proclamation of faith in Jesus' resurrection. A word of concern that grows out of a heart changed by Christ. Think about someone you know who "earths" the gospel. Who lives and speaks in such ways that truly communicate the grace of Jesus in real and concrete ways?
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My father-in-law Bob Prahl "earths" the gospel. Bob is a dairy farmer. He milks his Holsteins twice a day, 365 days a year. He cultivates hundreds of acres of cropland with his old Ford tractor. He supplies milk to Foremost dairy company, which in turn uses his milk to make the cheese you eat. As a farmer, he's a mechanic, a businessman, a politician, a manager, an agriculturalist, an environmentalist, and an accountant.
Bob hires high school students to help with chores. They do everything from putting automatic milkers on the cows to cleaning the barn. But the high school students he employs aren't just hired help. Bob sees the process of farming as more important than its outcome. Milk may sell for $18 per hundred pounds, but a more valuable result for Bob is the time he has spent mentoring students. They learn discipline, patience, sacrifice, and teamwork on the farm. But the greatest source of personal formation occurs during milking time.
I remember Bob recounting a conversation with one of his workers who just got married. Things were tense with the young marriage, so Bob listened. He told a joke. He gave some advice. When the tension had broken, Bob took another step. He spoke of his own brokenness and his own mistakes in his marriage. He spoke of forgiveness in marriage. And then he spoke of forgiveness in Jesus. He said, "I know two truths. The first truth is stupid stuff that I don't want to admit about myself. The second truth is what God says about me in spite of those things."
Bob Prahl earths the gospel. As a farmer, a husband, a mentor, and a father. And in all of these corners of his life, he speaks of the great implications of the gospel in everything he does. In this way, everything takes on an eternal dimension. Even milking cows in the barn can be a holy moment. Because it is at these times, during real life, that the gospel is "earthed" in the lives of people.
Share your own story of someone who earths the gospel. No more than 500 words. Please send your story to .