My Agenda

This is a document from my church which sets forth our “agenda” — what we are trying to be and become.   This agenda is at the heart of my take on ecclesiology.

The Agenda

We are trying to be a place where life is laid down for the sake of God’s kingdom.

We are trying to be an authentic witness to the nature of our Lord. God has called us to follow his example and set aside “life” (aspirations, pleasure, health, rest, safety, family, image, respect, dreams, etc., etc.) for the sake of His kingdom and for the sake of the other. With the help of the Spirit, we are committed to following this example.

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?” (Matthew 16.24-26)

We are trying to be a place of reconciliation and forgiveness.

We are trying to be an authentic witness to the nature of our Lord. God has called us to follow his example; to extend forgiveness and participate in reconciliation as he does. With the help of the Spirit, we are committed to following this example.

Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”  (John 17. 11)

We are trying to be a place of hospitality.

We are trying to be an authentic witness to the nature of our Lord. God has called us to follow his example; to create a place of welcome and rest as he does, to be generous as he is, to welcome the stranger like he does. With the help of the Spirit, we are committed to following this example.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”  (Hebrews 13.2)

We are trying to be a place of discipleship and transformation.

We are trying to be an authentic witness to the nature of our Lord. We follow a God who wants to see us grow up, we follow a God who nurtures and challenges, disciplines and comforts - so that we might be found “holy and acceptable.” With the help of the Spirit, we are committed to following this example.

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to god, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  (Romans 12.1-2)

“And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the building up the body of Christ, until we all attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love.”  (Ephesians 4.11-16)

We are trying to be a place of gratitude, joy, and celebration.

We are trying to be an authentic witness to the nature of our Lord. God has called us to follow his example. Yahweh is King amongst the other gods, when it comes to joy and celebration - Bacchus’ party spirit pales in comparison with the joy of Yahweh. Yahweh is alone amongst the gods when it comes to expressing gratitude. Expressed most clearly in the life of Christ, gratitude is a virtue that lies at the heart of the Trinity. With the help of the Spirit, we are committed to following this example.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100)

We are trying to be a place of service.

We are trying to be an authentic witness to the nature of our Lord. God has called us to follow his example; Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. With the help of the Spirit, we are committed to following this example.

“Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”  (Matthew 25)

We are trying to be a place of steadfast love, fellowship, and belonging.

We are trying to be an authentic witness to the nature of our Lord. God has called us to follow his example; Yahweh is the God of dogged love and steadfast loyalty. Yahweh is fellowship, this is expressed most clearly in the truth of the Trinity. Yahweh has by his grace allowed us to belong to him. With the help of the Spirit, we are committed to following this example.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Hebrews 12.1-3)