The mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This mission statement summarizes two passages of Scripture, which are central to the United Methodist Way:
The question for each local church is: "So what does that really mean for us?" In other words, we need to find connections between our mission (and the Biblical foundations of that mission) and our day-to-day life in the congregations and communities we serve.
As your congregation moves through this process, there are milestones along the way to encourage you to keep making progress, and there will be a report of your goals at the end. But the most important part of this process is the "holy conferencing" that will take place as your congregation explores how God wants to use your congregation to make disciples of Jesus Christ and change the world.
The Vital Congregations Planning Guide will serve as a roadmap for your congregation in this process. Visit the United Methodist Church's website for resources.
But the most important part of this process is the "holy conferencing" that will take place as your congregation explores how God wants to use your congregation to make disciples of Jesus Christ and change the world.
The Vital Congregations Planning Guide will serve as a roadmap for your congregation in this process.
Vital Congregations defined
Disciple-making and world transformation occur through Vital Congregations.
What is a vital congregation? Vital congregations are spirit-filled, forward-leaning communities of believers that welcome all people (Galatians 3:28), make disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20), and serve like Christ through justice and mercy ministries (Micah 6:8, Luke 4:17-21).
A vital congregation has:
Vital congregations are led by and made up of vital disciples. These are some marks of vital disciples:
Resources