Mission statement
"We exist to form a community of Spirit-filled, missionary
disciples of Jesus."
To fully unpack what it means to “form a community of Spirit-filled, missionary disciples of Jesus” and be prepared to share it with others, it is important to go through the phrase piece by piece, looking at the key components. As we look at each piece, taking the time to define them and how they relate to one another, we can better understand the full meaning of why we exist.
Community of...
Community requires intentional relationships with an explicit commitment to the Lord and to one another. We recognize that we are not intended to live the Christian life alone. Jesus never sent disciples out, on mission, one by one. Rather, they are always accompanied by other Christian disciples. Our current culture is so individualized it is easy to lose sight of the importance of intentional relationships that are calling us on. The emphasis on community is important because it helps us to recognize that living in community is actually something we need in order to receive more, be challenged, and called into the fullness of the Christian life. The Christian life is not lived in a vacuum. We need other people around us, who are also trying to follow the Lord. If we don’t have support and community, without others calling us on or challenging us to a deeper relationship with Jesus, the Christian life does not exist.
Spirit-filled,...
We desire to see the full outpouring of grace, as on Pentecost, in our parish. The Church's missionary activity is radically transformed through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As a parish, we are seeking to live in a place of docility, open to all of His gifts and graces so that we can witness to Jesus. Where the Holy Spirit is at work is where the Church is successful in its efforts to evangelize, convert, and bring people to encounter the Lord. We recognize that, in order to live as Christians in today's world, we need the fullness of the Holy Spirit, because without Him we will be unsuccessful.
Missionary...
We are a people who recognize that, by virtue of our relationship with Jesus, we have been entrusted with a mission to proclaim His name to the people. First and foremost are those whom we have the most intimate relationships with, family and friends, calling them to deeper relationships with the Lord. But then, certainly in our places of work, in our spheres of influence and other relationships, we are meant to be witnessing our faith in Jesus Christ. There is a burden here and it is important that we emphasize it as a challenge to be on mission and to witness to others. We also must recognize, as we hear from Saint Paul in Corinthians, that a burden has been imposed on me and “woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1Cor 9:16). We want parishioners at St. John’s to be in that same place, saying “woe to me if I'm not witnessing to Jesus Christ", ready to go out and evangelize, ready to witness to Jesus Christ!
Disciples...
A disciple is defined as one who follows the opinions or teachings of another. To be clear, it is Jesus who we are following. However, we should also make a distinction that we do not take the modern understanding of the teacher to pupil relationship. Rather, the classic understanding of a disciple is one who has the dust of the rabbi (teacher) on them, meaning that the pupil is spending so much time with the teacher that they are being formed by their way of life, actions, and habits. This understanding sees discipleship as the formation of the whole person, not only via intellectual teaching, but by an example of life. Being a disciple of Jesus carries the idea that we are receiving from Jesus, and that what we are receiving is actually informing and teaching us how to live our lives and impacting every facet and aspect of who we are.
