TLDR: I think the United Methodist Church should abandon our mission statement.
This week, a few hundred United Methodists are gathering in Calgary, Canada to dream about the future. Which is so cool. The participants were chosen by the bishops, and each was given a set of questions to work on prior to the conference. The questions were all geared toward things that need to be changed in the denomination. Also, so cool. I truly love the spirit of reform in the air!
And so, as long as we are reforming things, how about we go right to the heart of it?
Since 2000, the official mission statement of the UMC has been to “make disciples,” a phrase that comes from Matthew 28:19. Prior to 2000, the denomination did not have a mission statement. Then in 2008 the phrase, “...for the transformation of the world” was added to the statement. And so at the moment the mission statement, comprising paragraph 120 of the Book of Discipline, reads as follows: The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jeus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches and extension ministries of the Church provide the most significant arenas through which disciple-making occurs.
That mission statement arose in the midst of systemic anxiety created by decades of numerical decline. At that time, denominational leadership decided that borrowing strategies from the business world would be the pathway out of that decline, and the adoption of a formal mission statement was a part of that pathway. It was a trend beyond the United Methodist Church, and had been for a couple of decades. (We have never been “early adopters.”)
So, it has been our official mission statement for twenty-six years, and it is high time to ask, “Is it working?”
I appreciate the reform-minded questions that ask, “What should we do differently in order to make disciples of Jesus more effectively?” But the question I want to ask is, “What should we do differently so that we can be the church that God is calling us to be, and does God maybe want us to focus on something other than disciple-making?” It is a new season, a new church is emerging, and maybe the way we talk about our mission should, too.
After all, there are a whole myriad of other options. Matthew 28:19 is just one verse, and there is no need to choose that one over any other. I suspect one reason it was chosen is because it is the verse most directly related to numerical growth, the pressing issue of the day. But there are others. For example, my choice would be the “new commandment” of John 13 - “Love one another.” Can you imagine how different things might be today if, in the year 2000, the United Methodist Church had adopted that as the mission statement?
The mission of the Church is to love people like Jesus loves them.
Isn’t that a breath of fresh air? Of course, it is really hard to make a s.m.a.r.t. goal from that! And how do you develop a strategic plan based on loving your neighbor? If we cannot measure it, how will we know if we are doing it?!?
I don’t know, but maybe we have moved past the season where anxiety about numerical growth governs every decision we make. In a way, the mission to “make disciples” actually adds anxiety into a system already anxious about decline. We are not only still in decline, we are also failing at our mission, which was (ironically) adopted to try to reverse decline! Ahh!
If the simplicity of loving one another isn’t active enough for us, how about Mark 16? The mission of the Church is to go into the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature. Or if we are not limited to the specific words of Jesus, how about 1st Thessalonians 5? The mission of the church is to encourage one another and build each other up. Even the second part of the sentence begun in Matthew 28:19 could be used: The mission of the church is to teach people to obey the commands of Jesus. And whatever happened to the “baptizing them” part of the verse? Why did we decide to skip that? So. Many. Options!
Look, I understand, the “making disciples” statement has historic roots, beyond its year 2000 appearance in the Book of Discipline. After all, the Christian tradition calls that verse the “Great Commission!” (Not that that title is in the Biblical text itself, you understand. It is an editorial heading added to the Gospel. But anyway.) And it is likely so deeply woven into the fabric of our faith that its removal is not an option.
But it’s the week for the United Methodist Church to dream, and this is one of mine. The last thing I want is to limit what God is calling us to do by sticking to disciple-making as our mission without critically, faithfully, and prayerfully wondering if maybe we should let Jesus handle that part. Which would alleviate the anxiety and free us up to truly reimagine the possibilities for our beloved Methodist movement.
