This version of the paper has been updated. You can also see the original paper, written in 1993

Mission vs. Vision

The mission for our church is the same as for all churches. We believe God spells out the mission and function of the church in the New Testament -- Reconciling the world to God. Reconciliation begins with evangelism and continues with grounding and discipleship of new believers, progressively helping them to grow closer to God. It also involves salting the earth with God's love through acts of service, especially to the poor.

Vision, on the other hand, has to do with the particular spin our local church puts on that misison. The way we approach the task may be different from other churches. For instance, mass evangelism techniques would be one kind of spin. Attractional worship services would be another. We, too, have our take, or calling, and it constitutes a different way of approaching the mission.

Our Vision

Our vision for advancing in the cause of Christ today should still, as it has in the past, center around the formation, nature and composition of our work force. Xenos has always been viewed as a church with an extraordinary work force. We believe the Lord would have our church continue the task of building up a godly work force which can do his bidding. This vision is really focused on discipleship, in that the focus is on raising people up to "the full stature of the mature man in Christ." (Eph. 4:13)

This work force is not the same as our leadership, but it should include all our leaders. In addition to leaders, there are those who are Christian models—examples of mature and righteous living, perhaps without the gifting or suitability for leadership. These people may be involved in prayer ministries, healing ministries or service ministries. They live the same values we want modeled by the leaders and have gained maturity and experience in serving God. Therefore, they should be considered a part of our committed force of servants of the Lord.

An authentic servant force of the right sort is a potent tool in the God's hands. Whether winning the lost, serving the poor, planting churches or doing foreign mission work, nothing will accomplish these aspects of our mission better than a godly and mature work force. The consensus of the church also arises from this work force, and all sense of vision and unity emanate from this group. These are the opinion leaders in our church.

Committed servants draw motivation and edification from being with like-minded people. When we are "intent on the same purpose and united in spirit" (Phil. 1:27). we experience fellowship that is nourishing and refreshing. The mission of Xenos is well known. We now need the quality work force to carry it out. As Watchman Nee says in The Normal Christian Worker, "It's not the method but the man that matters."

Those who are recognized as mature workers in our force can become members of our Servant Team. These "deacons" or servants have taken upon themselves the burden of following the Lord at the highest level. These are Christians from all ministries who understand what God wants, and who have denied self to accomplish his will.

Stated succinctly, this is how we see God's vision for our church:

"Xenos should set out to build a highly trained, grace motivated, caring, leadable, cohesive, committed, and flexible force of Christian servants all operating for the right motives most of the time--namely, serving the Lord and doing his will."

Detailed Explanation

This is how we understand the development of our work force in more detail. By examining the vision statement above, you can see key phrases and terms defined below:

They must be highly trained and sophisticated. We cannot accomplish our mission today with a work force that is ignorant or simplistic. Xenos has demonstrated particular strength reaching thinking students and adults. We are determined to continue this emphasis by keeping a strong focus on the truth of the Word of God. The need for discernment has never been greater. Training is particularly important for the work force of the church. A work force made up of those who have to be given detailed instructions for every situation, and who cannot reach judgments about complicated ministry situations, will not go far. We believe the level of training often found in the established church today as inadequate. We want to stick by our higher standards of learning (2 Tim. 2:15).
Grace Motivated. Xenos is a grace-focused church, and we believe grace is more motivating than law. Our workers must be those who draw deeply on the grace of God for their motivation rather than from pressure or fear. Only a heart response to the love of God can fully and properly motivate Christian workers.
They must be caring. The fact that our work force is well-disciplined and tough should never mean they are uncaring or unmerciful. God's servant is to be gentle and patient when wronged at the same time he or she should be firm and immovable on the truth, including "correcting those who are in opposition" (2 Tim. 2:24-26). A godly Servant Team would be welcoming and open, helping others to reach their full potential for God.
The work force must be leadable. If Christians won't respond to godly leadership, they are an uncohesive mob, not a godly work force. At the very least, such a group would be completely unreliable. The Bible teaches that those who want to serve God should also be prepared to loyally follow the legitimate leadership in the local church (Heb. 13:17). Church leadership is authorized by God to direct the operation of the church. Church leaders are only authorized to lead in the operation of the church, not in other areas such as telling others what to do with their houses or who to marry.
However, when it comes to church policies and rules relating to how ministry is done we will call for leadability, with or without dissent. Dissent also must be within legitimate bounds. (See below.) The Servant Team also has the opportunity to affirm or replace each elder every three years by vote.
They must be cohesive. Scripture is clear that we are to be united in spirit and intent on one purpose (Phil. 2:2). We are to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). This means that mature servants of the Lord have a strong desire to be cohesive as part of a team. It also means mature servants elect to practice interpersonal disciplines which will increase unity. Specifically:
1. Mature servants will not take up the offense of another when they have not heard both sides. They will insist that those with complaints resolve their problems maturely (Prov. 3:30; 26:17).
2. Mature workers will avoid unrighteous judgments of colleagues or others. Judging motives is one type of unrighteous judgment. Scripture commands us to "not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God" (1 Cor. 4:5; Rom. 14:10).
3. Cohesive workers will handle dissent in an appropriate way so as to avoid ruining the unity of the church. They will go to the leadership and discuss problems they are having in a timely way. They will not resort to power tactics involving inciting others to rise up against their opponents. They will not threaten or menace others. Such tactics destroy trust and break down the ability of a group to work together (Eph. 4:31; Tit. 3:2).
4. Those who dissent from leadership directions, and feel their dissent is serious, should seek understanding or compromise with the leadership of the church. If they cannot obtain agreement with the leadership of the church, they need to consider 1) ignoring the difference and serving in harmony with the leadership's direction; 2) finding a church more in agreement with their own point of view; or 3) if they plan to actively oppose the direction of the church, resigning their position as part of the Servant Team until they feel they can again support the church's direction. Dissent should be, and is allowed in our church. However, the Servant Team is for those who already agree in principle with the direction of the church.
5. Mature workers will also consider it mandatory that they learn to forgive those who wrong them without exception. Col. 3:13 says we are to be "bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." While we can call for repentance, forgiveness must be the controlling ethic of our mature team of Christian servants, specifically ranking higher than avoiding hurt or wrongdoing. This is because avoidance of hurt is not always possible, but forgiveness is always possible.
They must be committed. Commitment is more important than gifting or seniority for servants of Christ. Those who have matured in the Lord understand that total commitment to the things of God is our perfectly reasonable service of worship. Committed Christians regularly participate in personal and corporate prayer, Christian fellowship and in sacrificial giving (1Tim. 2:1; Heb. 10:24, 25; Gal. 5:6,13).
Commitment in this context also includes commitment to our particular church, and the mission and vision of our church community. Our commitment to God can be lived out in any local church, but it is important that mature servants of God find one church where they can give themselves to God and others. In the case of those in our Servant Team, the church of choice is Xenos Fellowship.

Giving of ourselves should include not only time and energy, but also financial support of this church's general fund, the building fund (when applicable) and our missions (2 Cor. 8:7). This is important, first because the worker believes in the cause of our church, and second as a role model for others to follow.

Commitment to our mission includes the idea of regular attendance and prayerful concern for meetings like the Central Teachings and other fellowship-wide meetings where participation lends power and edification to everyone there. Serious workers should show up at such events every time they are able.
They should be flexible. Christians who are bound to traditions and external forms are ill-equipped to follow the Lord. God expects mature servants to be willing to cooperate with change in ministry. This acceptance of change is not a one-time event. It should be a willingness to change as often and as much as needed in order to remain effective in the Lord's service. While the immature will usually complain and resist change, mature servants should work for change when appropriate without complaining and should trust God for their security.
They must operate on the premise of serving the Lord, and doing his will. This means godly servants do not operate based on wrong motives such as egotism, appreciation from others, recognition, power, loneliness or any other sinful motives for ministry. We will be found out by the devil if we have such veins of moral weakness in our work force.

Conclusion

We should invite all people in Xenos to join our work force, and if they are willing, we should help them develop the spiritual, personal, and ministry dimensions needed to fill that role. If we continue to succeed raising up such high quality workers, we believe all will go well with our church.

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