St Mark's and Putnoe Heights

MISSION STATEMENT

'We preach Christ crucified'

The following is our mission statement and policy. It may be a bit heavy but it's the serious stuff so only read on if you're interested. For the theologically concerned we are always pleased to receive challenging comments—our policy is always open to review!

MISSION—CHRIST'S CALL FOR THE EXTENSION OF GOD'S KINGDOM.

It is clear from Matthew 28 that the universal Lordship of Jesus now demands a universal mission.

'Go make other disciples and tell them what I have commanded you.'

We must from the words of Christ associate his Kingdom with the sphere of his reign and lordship. This is twofold in its implication for us a church and has been described as a deepening of the pool as well as a widening of it—

1. Incorporation into the body of Christ of more disciples—numerical church growth
2. A deepening of commitment of those who already are disciples—individual spiritual growth

At the heart of all of our activities as a church we seek to prayerfully seek God's will. This Mission Policy is not a substitute to following God's will or of substituting the power of the Holy Spirit with our own good intentions. Rather the Policy is a tool to enable us to be more obedient to the call of Jesus to make disciples and to be more open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

The following words are good as a Mission Statement, they are also an appropriate prayer to lie at the heart of all our enterprises in this the Decade of Evangelism.

Loving Father
Empower us by your Holy Spirit
so to witness to our faith
that all may be drawn to you
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
Amen.

The bible tells us that 'God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son' Jn 3:16. The word for world which is used is 'cosmos', it gives us the picture of God making everything which we can see or know about. And not only does God loves us but he loves everything which he has made and wants it to work together as beautifully as he intended. Often we play our part in messing up God's world as well as our own lives, its good to know that God forgives us and offers us the opportunity to be a part of his master plan to heal the wrongs in this world and beyond.

WHAT IS MISSION?

You may have reservations about what Mission is. When we think about words such as Mission and Evangelism, pictures can come into our minds that are not very helpful. In his address to the clergy in St. Albans Abbey in June 1990 Bishop John Taylor said, 'It brings to mind putting everyone through the hoop of conversion that we may or may not have gone through ourselves. But it is not tub thumping or buttonholing'.

However the words Mission and Evangelism/Evangelisation are for all Christian people and are concerned with bringing people into a saving faith in Jesus Christ, by whatever means. Our Mission Policy has moved aside some of the old images of mission in place of very 'ordinary' or 'grey areas' of activity. Recognising that relationships are vital to mission our policy is often concerned with simply making friends, introducing people to others in the church, or just allowing people to come though the door of the church for whatever reason.

We recognise the following as a helpful study of how people have been brought into faith. These figures are a typical example

Since the home is so important clearly a good parent can also be a good evangelist! This does not mean pushing children into making premature decisions, but a Christian life-style. Of course the same goes for all relationships in families and outside with our friends. People will listen if they trust and respect us; very few will be persuaded to Christian commitment by clever arguments. For this reason mission is recognised as a process which may take many years.

PROCESS MISSION

Hence we recognise that mission is a process—rather than a one off event, it takes place within existing relationships and the ongoing life of the church. We probably all have stories of how people are 'put off', in spite of honest motives, if we are not responsible in the way we share our faith. Our policy is based around the principle that there is no need for mission to be 'forcing our religion down other people's throats'. We will also continue to respond quickly and imaginatively to national occasions when our churches have been seen to take an important lead.

Baptism —We will continue our open approach to baptism encouraging families to bring children to the family services. Our literature will reflect this open and welcoming approach. We will continue our procedure of inviting families to annual celebration services at Mothering Sunday and invite families to other church activities.

Weddings—The practice of lifelong, monogamous marriage lies at the heart of the church's understanding of how the love of God is made manifest in the sexual companionship of a man and a woman. In seeking to affirm and support such relationships it will be normal practice for the Ministers to offer a service of holy matrimony to those seeking marriage. Encouragement will be shown to couples seeking to formalise their commitment which may have previously involved cohabitation. Similarly the Ministers will exercise pastoral sensitivity and discernment and be supported by the Church when offering the opportunity of remarriage to those who have been involved in previous relationships.

Leaflets—We will continue our practice of distributing leaflets at significant occasions, especially Christmas, Easter and Harvest. We will also have a church brochure available to introduce new people to the main areas of the church. This will also be available in other languages in accordance with our Equal Opportunities Policy.

Confirmation —Prior to Confirmation services the Ministers will speak with candidates and encourage them to consider their part in the life of the church, specifically this might include membership of house/youth groups. They would seek to encourage a regular pattern of church worship for those seeking confirmation.

Home Groups—There will be many of these in operation across the parish especially for Lent.

Women's Group—There are groups specifically for women where contact is made with church members.

Uniformed organisations—Cubs, Scouts, Brownies are visited and parade services are held on a regular basis.

Visiting —As a matter of course Ministers will visit those who they are advised are unwell. Specifically it is our hope that nobody would be a hospital in-patient for any length of time without receiving a visit from the Ministers. A Partnership Pastoral Support Team will assist the Ministers in visiting, particularly ensuring that all those who are bereaved are visited following a funeral by one of the Ministers. This formal arrangement will be in addition to an ethos of care which exists informally and which all church members share in the responsibility.

Special Social events—It is recognised that purely social events are an important means of making contact with people on the fringes of the church. Family frolics, car boot sales, church meals, dances, quizzes and other non-threatening social events will be held to which people can be invited.

Community Based Social Responsibility & Charities—It is recognised that the social responsibility and community involvement of the church is an important non-verbal witness of the church. We will seek to work alongside other agencies and charities offering a partnership approach to community needs.

Community Based Voluntary Groups/ Societies—Numerous people will visit the church premises to attend the groups operating on church premises. This is valued as a positive contribution to mission introducing people around the 'fringe' of church life.

Garden of Remembrance—The bereaved will attend church following funerals and will come to the Chapel and Garden of Remembrance. Ministry to the bereaved is a fundamental priority for our church mission.

Ecumenical Involvement—Our church will continue to welcome people to worship irrespective of any other denominational background or none. In line with our constitution we will encourage other churches in or near the neighbourhood of the Partnership to negotiate for participation at any time, subject to the agreement of the Sponsoring Body and the appropriate denominational authorities.

Use of Media—We will make the public aware of the existence of our church through publicity in the press, radio. Television and the Internet.

Listening—Every effort will be made to respond to the current needs of the community. Communication with local community leaders will continue through the Church and Community Group, the Brickhill UCC and other channels.

Use of Gifts—it is our desire to see the gifts of the whole church used in the mission of our church. We wish to encourage those with evangelistic gifts of all kinds, understanding that the Gospel is most usually communicated in non verbal means, imaginative employment of all talents is desired.

Top of Page