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Every church is to be a witness, instrument, and sign of God’s kingdom – but every church does this in a unique way. Each church will respond differently to the missional question, ―How can our congregation embody God’s character and carry out Christ’s work in our particular context?” The types, scale, scope, and style of activities that churches undertake as an expression of local mission will be different.
What is the mission of the church? How can your church express God’s character and saving actions in the world? Discuss your church’s understanding of mission in terms of the three theological dimensions described below.
The church is God’s chosen vessel for modeling and sharing the Good News of Christ in our world. There is an indescribable quality about a church committed to living out the gospel that whispers to your spirit: Yes, this is how Christ meant his followers to live, love and serve together.
Launching a new ministry can be personally rewarding, but also draining. Like athletes warming up before a sporting event, ministry leaders can intentionally prepare to enter the ministry arena. This personal preparation will pay off not only by enhancing the ways that God can use you to bless others, but also by cultivating the soil of your own life for God’s ongoing work within you.
By Christena Cleveland
“If you are preparing to do [urban ministry] and you’ve never had a non-white mentor, you are not an [urban minister], you are a colonialist.”
– adapted from Soong-Chan Rah
By Sarah Withrow King
Does gendering the earth help or hurt the environment?
The fracking industry has been widely deregulated at the federal level—with exemptions from key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Emergency Planning, and Community Right to Know Act, among others.
By Ben Lowe
The writing is on the wall. According to a comprehensive and groundbreaking new report from the world’s foremost scientific experts, the impacts of climate disruption are expected to be “severe, pervasive, and irreversible.”
Founded over 25 years ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an unprecedented collaboration of thousands of the world’s credentialed climate scientists to assess what we know about the changing climate, its current and projected impacts, and what we can do about it.
By Ellen Dooley
Pornography’s toll on our most intimate relationship
“We Forgive You” is a beautiful, compassionate song that offers a message of hope and forgiveness for those who have experienced an abortion. It’s by Steve Siler of Music for the Soul, a Christian ministry that uses the power of songs and stories as a bridge to hope and healing for people facing life’s most difficult issues.
By Rachel Marie Stone
The first time I walked into the hospital here in Malawi, I felt awkward and useless. I’m a volunteer doula, trained to give physical and emotional support to a woman as she labors, but clinical duties like measuring blood pressure or listening for fetal heart tones lie outside my scope.
By Chelsen Vicari
Let’s get all the cards out on the table. I am a proud, full-fledged member of the conservative pro-family movement.
By Olivia Jackson
“I saw dried blood on the jagged edge of the blade. She spat on it and wiped it against her dress… The next thing I felt was my flesh, my genitals, being cut away. I heard the sound of the dull blade sawing back and forth through my skin.”
By Michele Clark
The real story behind egg harvesting
Calla Papademas was a 21-year-old Stanford senior with a fashion-model body, above-average
grades, and a big heart. She had a boyfriend, planned to go to graduate school, and hoped to make a difference in the world.
By L. Lewis Wall, M.D.
The book of Genesis famously declares that “in sorrow” women shall bring forth children. This is still a sadly accurate characterization of many women’s childbirth experiences, particularly in poor countries.
CSA is a group of Christian scholar-activists, stirring the imagination for a fuller expression of Christian faithfulness and a more just society.
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