Mission is our understanding of the specific reason that God has called us as a community into being. Mission answers the question, ‘What are we here for?’
Our reason for being is summarized by the statement ‘Transformed by the Gospel: Life, City, World’
We believe that the transformation that our world really yearns for is only through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel, the reality of who Jesus Christ is and what He accomplished on the Cross, is the one means of transformation that literally changes everything.
LIFE
Gospel transformation begins at a personal level. The Apostle Paul stated "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
The gospel starts with us. It is personal, and when we respond to who Jesus is and what He has done for us, the Bible tells us that we become a "new person, a new creation." (2 Cor 5:17)
The question each of us needs to ask ourself is: have I understood who Jesus Christ is and how his life, death, resurrection and return as the True King impacts me personally? And then: have I trusted him as my Savior and asked Him to forgive my sin? This is always the starting place in a personal relationship with God and the first step in personally being transformed by the Gospel.
CITY
A personal relationship with God, however, isn’t just personal. A person, an individual, a life that has been transformed by the Gospel, becomes an agent of transformation whereby personal transformation radiates outward and begins impacting everything around them.Think of a stone being thrown into a pond. Out from the center, rings of water begin to impact the entire pond.
This is how the gospel works. God has created each one of us for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10, 2 Cor. 5:17-21). Our purpose of living out the gospel begins in our closest relationships – our most intimate friendships, our marriages, our families, our workplaces, our neighbourhoods and our city. Because of the gospel we have a special calling to our city, to Vancouver, and to working to make it a better place. The gospel calls us into the brokenness and the beauty of our City to seek its peace and prosperity (Jeremiah 29:7).
On one hand the Gospel calls us out of the city by transforming who we are, but at the same time calls us back into the city, so that the power and presence of God in us begins to impact and change where we live.
WORLD
While God has given us a special calling to our city of Vancouver, we also understand that the gospel calls us to lovingly care for our entire world. In a world that constantly experiences brokenness, pain, and injustice, the gospel compels us to care for and serve others around the globe.
