A Response to Dr. David Watson’s Proposal for a New Mission Statement for the Global Methodist Church
I, like many others, am deeply thankful for Dr. David Watson. David embodies both an enlightened mind and a warm heart. I treasure his love for Jesus, the local church, his openness to the Holy Spirit, and his love for his family. On a lighter note, I love David’s sense of humor, which occasionally bubbles up in his presentations or on Twitter (X). He is a gift to the church as a theologian and as a person. Therefore, let me be clear that I submit the following in a spirit of dialog and discernment and a trillion miles from a spirit of contention.
David has proposed the following statement in his Firebrand blog post titled, A Mission for a Peculiar Church: On the Global Methodist Church’s Mission Statement:
The mission of the Global Methodist Church is to spread scriptural holiness across the globe.
Over the emerging paragraphs, I would like to provide a rationalization as to why I would modify David’s proposal for a mission statement for the Global Methodist Church. Here’s my recommended modification:
The mission of the Global Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by spreading scriptural holiness to all peoples.
I will attempt to provide a rationalization for this modification in three parts:
- Why I agree on the need for the phrase “spreading scriptural holiness” in our mission statement.
- Why we should include the words “make disciples” in our mission statement.
- Why we should use the phrase “to all peoples” rather than “across the globe.”
Why do I agree with our need to include the phrase, “spreading scriptural holiness” in our mission statement?
First, I want to affirm with David and others that “spreading scriptural holiness” is the grand depositum of Methodism. This is the compelling rationale for why we would give this phrase prominence in a proposed mission statement. For an additional understanding of why this is vital, I recommend an easily accessible piece by the late Frank Bateman Stanger. You can access it HERE. I would also recommend the book Perfect Love by Dr. Kevin Watson for a deeper understanding.
Why should we include the phrase “make disciples” in our mission statement?
God has a mission. And God encapsulated in skin expressed it with great clarity and precision. Would it be appropriate to reason that, ultimately, only Jesus has the authority to declare the mission of His church? And would it be appropriate to point out that Jesus did this very thing by saying,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV)
The way Jesus expressed God’s mission should bear great weight for us, particularly when we are declaring the primacy of Scripture matters in this new movement. Synergy with the Son of God’s words surrounding God’s mission in God’s church matters infinitely.
Why did Jesus not say, “Go therefore, and spread scriptural holiness to all nations”? One reason rests in the consistency of specific words He used when he taught throughout His ministry. Jesus repeatedly defines or places emphasis on “being or becoming His disciple(s).” This is recorded well in all four Gospels (Matthew 10:24–25; Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27; John 8:31–38; John 13:34–35). For Jesus’ ministry to conclude by reinforcing what He had already taught, with the specific words He had consistently utilized for the church to now “go and make disciples” should only reinforce how the mission statement Jesus declares should be central in the mission of any New Testament church. These are His words for His mission for His church. As a church, and particularly one that is new, we want to be in harmony with Jesus’ purpose and mission.
The inclusion of Jesus’ clear command to “make disciples” is not a drift into latitudinarianism (1) but is a reflection of faithfulness to Jesus Christ and the Scriptures, which is a reflection of our desire to propagate “the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (2)
Why should we use the phrase “to all peoples” rather than the phrase “across the globe”?
Because we are a global church in a global age serving a global God, we must embrace a new level of faithfulness to the fullness of the Great Commission as a people called Methodists. I have written about this in varying ways HERE and HERE and HERE.
Jesus said:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (NIV) (Emphasis mine)
Why should we use the phrase “to all peoples” rather than the phrase “across the globe”? In short explanation, specificity. The word “peoples” is defined as an ethnic group. When Jesus gave His church His mission, He expressed the command to “make disciples of all nations.” The Greek word used for nations is the word “ethne,” from which the English word “ethnic” is derived, and we utilize in defining ethnic groups or the people groups of the earth. Thus, Jesus was not commanding us to reach nations regarding geo-political states but was instructing us to reach every ethnic group on every continent.
Today, there are over 6,000 unreached ethnic groups on the planet. This is not okay. These represent what is often referred to as the unreached peoples of the earth. And as Jesus said, “The fields are ripe unto harvest” (3). Therefore, I would recommend the word “peoples” because it aligns better with Jesus’ command to reach all people groups (ethne).
So, in light of these three areas of biblical reflection, I would propose the following mission statement for consideration at the first convening conference of the Global Methodist Church:
The mission of the Global Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by spreading scriptural holiness to all peoples.
May God grant great wisdom, anointing of His Holy Spirit, and a burning vision for the emerging days ahead. Most of all, may God be glorified throughout the generations through the people of the Global Methodist Church.
(1) I do not believe David’s intent was that Wesley thought it inappropriate for the church to mold its intention on the mission of “making disciples” as being an expression of latitudinarianism. I believe David’s intent was rooted in what he rightfully cited as probable cause for Wesley’s concern for the Methodist movement to properly express what makes it distinctive. (I.e. scriptural holiness). For a classical understanding of latitudinarianism, I suggest this LINK.
(2) Jude 1:3
(3) John 4:35
