The marks and the mission of a Gospel-rooted church
From Michael Horton’s book, People and Place:
“We must therefore resist the false choice between looking after the sheep already gathered through preaching, sacrament, and discipline (the marks) and reaching out to the lost sheep who have yet to hear and believe (the mission).
…Confessional Protestants typically focus on the apostles’ teaching; independent evangelicals and Pentecostals on fellowship and evangelism; more liturgical churches on the breaking of the bread and the prayers, while more liberal churches concentrate on caring for material needs. However, a genuinely apostolic and therefore missional church will be intent on integrating all of these concerns. In the process, our churches will become not only more apostolic (the marks oriented toward mission) but more catholic (universal) as well.
…In spite of its profoundly mixed record of faithfulness to its commission, the ordinary ministry of the church (baptizing, catechizing, preaching, receiving the Supper, praying, singing, caring and comforting, admonishing and encouraging in fellowship, and finally, burying the dead in hope of the resurrection) has yielded the most effective results even when considered on purely empirical grounds. Those who are deeply rooted in the mysteries of the gospel will not only be more confident but also more zealous to share their hope in the ordinary course of daily life. And they will also more eagerly encourage others to attend the public means of grace, where strangers are reconciled.” (p. 254)
