Contents Up one level Lincolnshire Five Marks Eight Aspects Feed my Sheep Conclusions Communication        

By John Cole

 

B: The Five Marks of Mission

The Five Marks of Mission, first widely used by the Anglican Consultative Council in the early 1990s, are believed to be Methodist in origin.

1. To proclaim the good news of the kingdom

‘Proclaim’, even in the New Testament, is not the sum total of the evangelistic task
Saint Francis’s comment seems relevant: "Use words if you have to"
Effective gospel communication requires from us

Ø Renewed spirituality, sensitivity and humility
Ø
Renewed ways of expressing what it is to be ‘church’ in the context of a post-Christian society

What we are and what we do has to be so attractive as ‘good news’ as people apply it to their own hopes and fears for the whole of their life (nothing directly to do with getting people into church) that they want to know more.

2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers

This ‘mark’ highlights the clear calling of the Christian fellowship to ‘enable disciples’
The early Church’s direct response to the Matthean version of the Great Commission was to set up the Catechumenate.
In what kind of context(s) will effective Christian formation, the ‘enabling of disciples’, take place?

3. To respond to human need by loving service

Often this is only recognised as ‘of the Church’ when engaged in by professional ministers
Yet this ought not to be an excuse for clericalising our congregations
The self-sacrificial quality of the loving service offered by Christ’s disciples is what alone will prove credible and attractive.
Communicating gospel is costly.
Those who use our congregations as comfort zones may be among the least ready ‘to give and not to count the cost’.

4. To seek to transform the unjust structures of society

Our calling is to challenge, but also sometimes to affirm, the ‘principalities and powers’ of human society on the basis of kingdom values. These include

justice,
mercy,
peace (God’s shalom),
the pricelessness of every human being as in the image of God
and the integrity of creation (the fifth mark below)

5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

The fragility of humankind and the whole life-system of planet earth are becoming plain to see.
More work needs to be done, however, to articulate this theologically.
Beware lest we overlook this fifth ‘mark’ because it looks too much like a fashion accessory!

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