Focusing on Mission in Word and Deed

…repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Luke 24:47-48 (ESV)

The end of Luke’s Gospel records the Lord’s last teaching before he left us to return to the Father. Continuing into the book of Acts, St. Luke shares more about our Savior’s final moments with his disciples, and reveals some of his last and most lasting words. In Acts chapter 2, we see the pouring out of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in a special way in the life of the Church. The Spirit of God empowers the People of God to engage in the mission of sharing the Gospel and making disciples. The last words of Jesus, his standing orders to the Church, stand to this day. Since that time, we have seen the Lord build his church as countless believers have followed the call to take the Good News of Jesus to the corners of the earth.

Sharing the love of Christ is our calling. Making disciples is our mission.

For the last several months at Terra Nova in Troy, we have been talking about our need to refocus on our mission, particularly in the city where we meet every week for corporate worship. Perhaps you’ve been there on these Sundays and have likely heard us talking about “re-engaging Troy.” This came out of Terra Nova’s tenth anniversary celebration in January. Our reflection on what the Lord has done motivates us toward the future. As we look to the next ten years we realize how important it would be for us to keep our mission in the foreground.

Too often, as churches enter their second decade of existence there is a tendency to lose sight of those original passions to love our neighbors and share Jesus. If we are not intentional in maintaining our Gospel focus, we can allow the organizational structures needed to minister effectively to evolve into institutional structures. We can run ministries and miss the Spirit of God. We can become more about self-preservation than preaching “repentance and the forgiveness of sin.” We can become the curators of museum rather than men and women on mission.

We are calling on the people of Terra Nova-Troy to join us as we re-engage our community (and encourage you to serve your city from wherever you might read this) — not because we have disengaged with our neighbors in Troy, but in order to pursue our mission together with a renewed passion for the Church’s purpose. As Terra Nova Church transitions into the Terra Nova Network with 3+ churches in/around the Capital Region, we are uniting around a vision for our local congregation to re-establish our presence here in Troy.

What does that mean? Currently we are looking for opportunities to build partnerships with other churches and organizations that serve the people of Troy. Through these relationships Terra Nova can bring glory to our Savior, as we serve alongside these community partners to address areas of need within our city. Our desire is that through our efforts we are able to demonstrate our commitment to Troy and our love for our neighbors so that doors for sharing the Gospel will be opened. It means we have to gain exposure to the needs and service opportunities, engage in serving, and through service evangelism, share the good news of Jesus.

Our vision in the next few years is to see groups from Terra Nova-Troy serving regularly in our city through established relationships with our community partners. We want a season of exposing people to various ministries in the city and beyond. We hope to see our people working with a group like the Salvation Army – across the street from the Troy offices – to address hunger/nutrition issues. We hope to have groups that are volunteering with the Boys/Girls Club of Troy to help teens from the surrounding neighborhoods prepare for their future. We would like to have groups volunteering to help the city care for the many parks in Troy so that children have clean, safe places to play.

As we engage with community partnerships there are multiple benefits. Our groups of volunteers (originating from our Tribes) will be able to share God’s love in tangible ways while building inroads into our community. In addition, the people serving in these groups will have opportunities to grow personally and to catch a vision for specific needs that they can address. It is this second part of our vision that is truly exciting.

Through the learning process that happens as we are stretched in areas of service, the Lord will open our eyes to needs in the community that might not be getting the attention that they need. We trust that the Lord will help us to see, as we gain exposure to needs around us, how to engage with long-term presence in the neighborhoods of Troy. We pray that this will give opportunity, particularly for evangelism and discipleship. It is the powerful combination of word and deed, proclamation and demonstration, that marries the Church to Mission.

Our prayer is that volunteer groups, starting at entry levels with rakes and paint brushes, develop a love for specific neighborhoods — a love that blossoms into investing in relationships with our neighbors. Relationship is where the Gospel can be shared, where individuals respond to Christ, and where disciples are made. In this way we trust that the Lord will continue to grow Terra Nova Church as a movement for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the glory of Christ.