Destination

In today's blog from Bishop Schnase's book Remember the Future, he utilizes a quote by Dr. Joy Moore, an associate dean at Duke Divinity School.  She said, "The church is not the destination any more than the plane and a successful flight are the ultimate destination on your next trip."

So let's unpack this a little.  Yes a safe plane ride and landing at your destination are important but they are not the end purpose.  Its seeing our family after a completed business trip or enjoying time together on vacation. This goes the same for the church.  The church is not our destination our overall purpose is "the way of salvation."

Now let's unpack "the way of salvation" a little.  This is the Wesleyan understanding that both the end and purpose of our Christian journeys are growing in grace and in the knowledge and love of God, serving neighbor and seeking justice, pouring our lives out in service to God. On "the way of salvation" we are to be grounded in Scripture and fully participate in acts of piety and works of mercy.

The Bishop pushes this metaphor a little further in his book and questions:  If church is not the final destination, does our worship, community life, and service ministries take people to the destination or not? Does our worship take us to more profound connections with God? Does it help us to see the world through God's eyes? Do our service and justice ministries pull us into the fullness of Christ's compassion for a hurting world?  And he goes on to ask even more questions. He even pushes the metaphor further to say that just because people board the plane along with other travelers that if there is not a trained driver they will not get there either.  He writes, "Like planes, some congregations never leave the ground.  Others circle the airport, while people enjoy the snacks but never move toward a destination.  Some congregations don't take us where we need to go...And how do seasoned travelers and flight attendants treat first-time flyers who don't know the seating charts, the protocols and the etiquettes of airlines? Are they treated with impatience and rudeness or merely tolerated for the inexperience? Or are they offered good-humored support and encouragement and welcomed aboard?

God uses congregations to change the human heart and to reach a hurting world.  Congregations are a means of grace, a concrete and personal way God reaches into our world to work God's purposes in us and through us.  They open us to the way of salvation. They bring us Christ, and through us, they bring Christ to the world.

The mission is not ours; it is God's. The invitation is not ours; it is Christ's. Its not about us. It's about God's mission in Christ and how we embody that in our churches...Otherwise, we will never reach the destination."

• How does God use your congregation to fulfill the purposes of Christ? How would you describe the purpose of your annual conference?
• What do you think should be the destination, end, or purpose of your congregation? How well do we, as leaders, keep this clearly in focus?

Read Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 28:16-20, and the many "I am" statements by Jesus in John.  How do these passages help us understand the purpose God has for the church?