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Mission

Exalting Christ and the Church

Jesus came, and what resulted was the church. So it was, and so it is. This fact has become increasingly evident in the religious world of our day. Catholics, Protestants, and others have re-directed their attention to the church and its significance --- with much profit.

In this issue of Mission we present a collection of articles focused on the church. What is the church? What is her relationship to Christ, the gospel, and the Bible? What can and should the church be doing today? Broadly speaking, every issue of Mission is and will be concerned with these questions --- at least, implicitly. But here we treat these questions explicitly, with the hope that we may be stimulated to a deeper understanding of the church and to a renewed dedication to the will of God for the church in our day.

There are some who object to "church-ianity" as a perversion of Christianity. But such objections are often founded on a perverted view of the church and --- even more --- a church perverted in her life and practice. We cannot change the fact that in the beginning (of Christianity) was the church. So it was, and so it is. It remains for us to understand the true nature of this church, to guard against perversion, and to seek to fulfill the mission of this church today.