The Church's Mission: Maturity in Christ

Köstenberger and O’Brien on Paul's missionary commission: “The activities in which Paul engaged as he sought to fulfill his missionary commission included not only primary evangelism, through which men and women were converted, but also the founding of churches and the bringing of believers to full maturity in Christ” (italics mine).[1]

In the push for the Church’s mission to evangelize the lost, which I hear a lot about today, there can oftentimes be no push toward Christian maturity, which I hear less about today. Get 'em in, keep 'em in (usually with programs), and get 'em bringing more in (usually with programs). We ought to make sure that we don’t lose the apostles’ mission and focus.

Paul wanted nothing short of maturity in Christ (Eph. 4:13-16; Col. 1:28-29), for which he labored and suffered in word and deed. Churches whose mission does not aim for converts and local churches to mature into the fullness of Christ fail to come up to the fullness of apostolic mission. For apostolic ministry, Christian maturity fits into conversion like hand in glove. No Christian maturity, no fulfilled mission. No push toward maturity, no real push in Christian mission. No matter how many people show up at church on Sunday.

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[1] Andreas J. Köstenberger and Peter T. O’Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A biblical theology of mission (ed. D. A. Carson; Downer’s Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2001), 184.