We are moving forward to make our vision a vibrant part of who we are as a congregation. For more than 30 years we have pursued a biblical vision while, at the same time, cultivating a sub-identity as a unique congregation in Chattanooga.  

Every Christian church is connected in a mission to carry forward the name of Jesus. Echoes of congregational mission are heard in Jesus’ words to His disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Mt. 28.18-20).” Mark captures Jesus’ vaunted language: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mk. 16.15-16).”   

“Covenant Presbyterian Church exists to love God and our neighbors by making Christ known in all of life,” which we understand as a personalized, yet clear, articulation of the broader mission of Jesus’ church. I have been helped by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert as they expound this in, What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission.   

Unfolding this mission in the local church becomes an expression of our vision. In the words of Donald MacNair, “Vision is a focused (and modifiable) plan to implement Jesus’ mission in our local community, as a uniquely gifted mix of believers.” A schematic of this vision would be something that addresses our direction, our action, our manner, and our object as a local church.  

Our direction in this vision is vertical and horizontal: we exist “to love God and our neighbors”. This is nothing other than our King’s summary of the law (Mt. 22.37-39; Mk. 12.30-31; Lk. 10.27; 1 Jn. 4.21), connecting the Old and New Testament (citing Dt. 6.5 and Lev. 19.18). In this, He also guides us away from a love that is sentimental and selfish, into a love for God and others that is bathed in thankfulness for His own love for us, according to His word and will (see Lk. 1.68-69, 74-75; Tit. 2.11-14; Rom. 7.22). 

If love is our direction, our action as a congregation is love “by reverently and winsomely proclaiming”. This may sound like an archaic expression, though it is clearly the expression of the mission of the church in Mk. 16.15-16. Proclamation makes sense when asked the question, “As a Christian, when do I get to proclaim myself?”. As Christians, we are called to do all things for His glory (Col. 3.17; 1 Cor. 10.31; Rom. 11.36). Our proclamation is nothing less than seeking to order all of our thoughts, speech, and actions so that our lives become a living testimony to Him (Rom. 12.1-2; 6.19), and not...us (2 Cor. 4.5). 

Our direction and action, however, need to be tempered by a manner. Over and over again, Scripture calls us to approach God with both awe and joy. Our God is both transcendent and immanent, Majestically Other, and personally present. As the women departed the empty tomb, they did so with fear and joy (Mt. 28.8; also Ps. 2.11; Jer. 33.9). The world ought to know that we serve a holy God with awe and reverence (Heb. 12.28; Mal. 2.5; 1 Pet. 1.17).  The world also ought to know that we serve as undeserving outcasts (Lev. 19.33-34) called to love others with gentleness and respect (1 Pet. 3.15; Col. 4.6; 2 Tim. 2.25), persistent hospitality (Ac. 16.15), and unimaginable joy, even in hard circumstances (Heb. 10.34). To be winsome is to be attractive to a world that, deep down, yearns to be loved.  

The object of our proclamation is the trifold perspective of the work of Christ, our King: “the salvation we have received from Him, the union we enjoy with Him, and the restoration He brings to all things”. First, the life of a Christian flows entirely from the atoning work of Jesus, as an act of God’s great grace (Rom. 3.24-25; 2 Cor. 5.21; Ps. 32.1-2; Rom. 5.17-19; Gal. 2.16; Phil. 3.9). Being graciously adopted, we continually enjoy God’s presence in comfort and in suffering, in holiness and in repentance (Gal 2.20; 2 Cor. 5.17; 1 Cor. 6.19; Rom. 14.17; Jn. 15, 17). Finally, we live our lives in sure expectation that the evil, brokenness, and hurt all around us is not meant to be, and that the instrument of God’s restoration is the rightful reign of the King, who will Himself restore all things (Isa 11.6-9; 55.10-13; Rom. 11.36; Ps. 72.19; Rev. 21.1-4; 22.1-5). In this way, the object of our proclamation is not narrowly self-referential (“It’s all about my personal testimony.”), not dismissive of present struggles ("Indwelling sin, worldliness, the Devil, and suffering, are myths.”), and not timid about the future (“I gotta believe, someday, things will be better, and everyone will be happy.").  

~Pastor Jones