1. Mission Area Gathering Mission MarketPlace Jan — Dec 2012

2. Engaging God’s Mission

3. What’s mission anyway? In my life … In the life of our Church … In the life of our faith communities… In the life of our neighborhoods … In the life of the world…

4. What’s the mission of the Church? To restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. (BCP, 855)

5. Yeah, but what’s mission? “If everything is mission, nothing is mission.” — Bishop Stephen Neill

6. Five Marks of Mission Tell: Proclaim the Kingdom’s Good News Teach: Baptize and nurture new believers Tend: Respond to human need by loving service Transform: Change society’s unjust structures Treasure: Safeguard the integrity of creation — The Anglican Communion (1984-1990)

7. But it still doesn’t tell us what mission is… Our understanding of mission has developed, from God Acting (actio dei) to God Sending (missio dei) to WHO GOD IS …

8. In other words: mission is the creating, reconciling, transforming action of God flowing from the community of love found in the Trinity, made known to humanity through Jesus, and entrusted to the faithful action and witness of the people of God, who through the Spirit, are a sign, foretaste and instrument of the reign of God. — National Council of Churches in Australia

9. Mission is God’s desire (agency, impulse, force) to be known and make a difference in the world.

10. What do we do? – MT 22:36-40 (Great Commandment) Who does it? – MT 28:16-20 (Great Commissioning) How do we do it? – Jer 29: 7

11. “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you… and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Jer 29:7

13. Episcopal Church can no longer claim privileged place in today’s diverse, increasingly post- Christian U.S. – 2010: 0.2% U.S. population in Episcopal Church on Sunday (657,000) – Average Sunday attendance loss for TEC from 2000-2010, 23% (MN, 22%)

14. “These statistics reveal something very important about the challenges we face as a Church… One of those is that we cannot allow statistics like this to make us anxious about our survival. Earthly survival is not much a value of the Gospel. Striving for the kingdom and righteous of God is… Concentrating on the latter is likely to yield more abundant life than the former (Mt. 6:31-33).” —Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer

15. “…Right now, I think the cross calls us to die to those trappings of our old establishment life, and that means turning our attention single mindedly to God’s mission and our participation in it, which means that we are going to have to restructure and reform ourselves accordingly. Churches that turn inward will die. Churches that turn outward will not only live, but thrive. The numbers call us to strengthen our commitment to turn outward.” —Bishop Stacy Sauls

16. Rethink theological basis for mission: from doing mission for God to participating in God’s ongoing mission… God’s ecstatic communal life God’s reign of mercy and justice The world’s hospitality (Lk 10) Cultivate theological imagination

18. world’s needs our gifts

19. A Prayer for Mission O gracious and loving God, you work everywhere reconciling, loving, and healing your people and your creation. In your Son and through the power of your Holy Spirit, you invite each of us to join you in your work. We, young and old, lay and ordained, ask you to form us more and more in your image and likeness, through our prayer and worship of you and through the study of your scripture, that our eyes will be fully opened to your mission in the world. Then, God, into our communities, our nation, and the world, send us to serve with Christ, taking risks to give life and hope to all people and all of your creation. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.