“What Is the Mission of the Church?” — Continuing the Conversation
This post expands on our latest Faith & Process conversation with Millard Driver, exploring the mission of the church, how we read Scripture, and why a Jesus-shaped vision still compels.
Why “mission” is the right first question
In the episode, Millard suggests that a church’s mission should align with “what Christ had in mind for the movement he started,” framing it as nothing less than the reconciliation of all creation to God. That claim is deeply biblical and widely affirmed in missional theology.
* Scripture touchpoints:
* 2 Corinthians 5:18–20 — ministry of reconciliation, entrusted to the church
* Colossians 1:19–20 — in Christ, God is reconciling “all things…on earth or in heaven”
For those of us in the Church of the Brethren, this resonates with our long-cherished motto: “Continuing the work of Jesus. Peacefully. Simply. Together.” It’s not a slogan in search of a mission; it distills one—active, communal, and peace-shaped.
From “rules” to relationship: how Jesus recenters the law
We wondered whether Christians sometimes default to a “rules and retribution” reading of the Old and New Testaments. Two clarifications help:
* Jesus’ summary of the LawWhen asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus fuses two Torah texts:
* Love God (Deuteronomy 6:4–5)
* Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18)He then says all the Law and the Prophets hang on these (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34). Jesus doesn’t discard Torah; he re-centers it on love of God and neighbor. It presents an image of God that is consistent with this center.
* The “do’s” are there—often for the vulnerableLeviticus commands landowners to leave the edges of their fields so the poor and the foreigner can glean (Leviticus 19:9–10; 23:22). That’s not retribution; it’s economic mercy written into farming.
Takeaway: Jesus fulfills Torah by bringing its core—love—front and center, then pushing that love outward to enemies, outsiders, and creation itself. Providing us with a reconstructed image of the Divine.
Did “empire” change Christianity?
We tossed around a quip: that Christianity “was doing fine until Caesar adopted the faith.” History is more complex, but two moments matter:
* Edict of Milan (313, Constantine): Legalized Christianity and restored confiscated property. It did not make Christianity the state religion.
* Edict of Thessalonica (380, Theodosius): Made Nicene Christianity the empire’s official faith, cementing orthodoxy by law and coercing “heresy.”
Anabaptists (and many Brethren) read this “Constantinian shift” as a drift toward power. Whether you accept every part of that critique, it explains why contemporary mission talk emphasizes witness over domination and service over control.
So…what is the mission of the church?
A biblically grounded synthesis from this conversation might read like this:
Join God in reconciling all things in Christ—by loving God wholeheartedly (Deut 6), loving neighbors as ourselves (Lev 19), embodying practices that protect the vulnerable (Lev 19; 23), and announcing and enacting the good news that God is making all things new through and with us (2 Cor 5; Col 1).
For Brethren people, this looks like continuing Jesus’ work peacefully, simply, together—a community whose life (economics, worship, peacemaking, neighbor-love) enacts the reign of God in this realm.
Reading Scripture “more fully” (not just “correctly”)
A helpful frame from missional theology is to read with the grain of the gospel—through the lens of God’s reconciling mission and Jesus’ love-command. That’s not modern spin; it’s how Jesus interprets the law’s center.
Some in our community also find language from open and relational theology useful: God relates to us in real time, inviting collaborative love rather than coercion, with an emphasis on God’s responsive, self-giving love.
Practicing the mission this week
* Leave your “field’s corners.” Build margin in your budget, schedule, and church programs to prioritize the poor, the newcomer, and the wounded (Leviticus 19:9–10; 23:22).
* Make love measurable. Establish a practice that embodies “love your neighbor”—a grocery gift-card fund, shared childcare, or an ecumenical partnership.
* Practice non-coercion. Let your speech, social posts, and politics bear the imprint of Jesus’ non-dominating love—witness, not weaponization.
Join the conversation
* When you hear “mission of the church,” what do you picture first: saving souls, serving neighbors, changing systems—or all of the above? Why?
* Where have you seen reconciliation—between people, churches, or in your neighborhood?
* What “field corners” could you leave this month? What resource, privilege, or space could you share?
If you’re new here, Faith & Process is a weekly recorded conversation at Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren where we wrestle—honestly and hopefully—with God, church, and life. Subscribe, join the comments, and share this post with a friend who’s rethinking what faith can be.
