The Story Church Imperatives, Part 4: MISSION

Mission – A Story of serving together in the grace of Christ.

“In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.”  -- Richard Halverson

God’s design for his followers and their relational connection is called the church. The purpose of the church is to fulfill His divine mission of reconciling the world to Himself through His son, Jesus. Those that have decided to follow Christ and accept His sacrificial death as payment for their offenses against God have entered into a new reality, a reality of the Kingdom of God here on earth. The church is the assembling of these kingdom participants for community, worship, formation and mission.

The church is not and cannot be a kingdom in and of itself. The goal is not to see how many people we can invite to our church building or Sunday morning service.

But rather, our goal is to see how many people we can invite into our lives by living as a part of God’s Kingdom.

It is a place of love and connection, a place of worship and healing, a place of learning and growing, a place of serving and meeting needs. Yet it is foremost a place of sending. We are to live missionally as "sent ones," engaging the culture we live in, bringing the powerful love of God to all that we come in contact with.

Whatever part of town we meet in, we will work for the good of the entire Springfield metro area. As a result, through social justice and releasing people to fulfill the call to create & cultivate culture in every area of the social grid, we are committed to building a great city not just a good church. Our vision has to be greater than simply one more full church ‐ that’s the last thing Springfield needs. Our vision is no less than a renewed city. We long for Springfield to look increasingly like God’s Kingdom.

Core Value: Movement- We value movement over locale; a people on mission, sent from one location. 

We are a church defined by reproduction; disciples reproducing new disciples and churches reproducing new churches. The Story Church is not seeking to create a new denomination, rather a network of like-minded churches throughout Springfield and the world, completely autonomous but united around a similar simple vision.

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.”  Matthew 28:19-20

Why Plant Another Church in Springfield, MO?

WHY SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI?

Here are three reasons we are planting The Story Church in Springfield:

1) We love this community. Our hearts break for the broken lives and broken families of Springfield. We recognize we cannot single-handedly fix our community, but we believe we can be a catalyst for change by loving well the community where God has placed us. Just because we can’t do everything doesn’t mean we can’t do something. We look forward to joining with other churches and organizations that share our desire to bring heaven to earth just as Jesus prayed.

2) This community needs more Christ-centered churches. While it is true that Springfield is saturated with churches, some of them have focused on legalism and moralism. This has created a large population of “de-churched” people who are still open to Christ but skeptical of the church. Our answer is to come like Jesus, “in Grace and Truth.”

3) There are many people in Springfield who do not walk with Jesus. Over half of the population claims Christianity, yet 80% will not gather with a church on any given week.

Springfield, Missouri:

• Population: Metro Area contains 436,000 with 159,140 within the city limits

• Voted 100 Best Communities for Young People

• Voted Top 40 City for Quality of Life

• 8.5% workforce growth over the past two years

• Housing Costs 25% lower than the national average

• Ranks in the top 50 cities for hospital care and hosts six hospitals with the top two listed in the Top 100 in the U.S.

• Cost of living is 10% below the national average

• More than a dozen colleges and universities, enrolling a combined 43,000 students

A Religious Community

There are an abundance of church buildings and a highly religious culture in the city.

• Sixth on Barna Research Group’s list of the most biblically minded cities in the United States

• 56.2% of the population affiliated with a religious congregation

• Southern Baptists represent the largest proportion with 39% of adherents and 22.9% of congregations

• Birthplace of Assemblies of God denomination

But Religion is not the answer

Religion alone leaves mankind empty and lost. It often creates frustration and separation between the created and the Creator. This is evidenced in statistics and demographics regarding the city of Springfield. In many ways, the statistics indicate the culture is headed in the direction of decay, not spiritual and cultural renewal through the gospel. While Springfield has experienced decades of spiritual vitality, like many other cities, it is now beginning a slow transition toward secularism.

• Springfield is sometimes referred to as “the meth capital of the United States.” In 2011, there were 2,096 meth lab busts, making Springfield the nation’s leader for meth.

• Springfield is ranked second in the state of Missouri for child neglect/abuse.

• Springfield has a rate of violent crime that is more than double the national average with one violent crime occurring for every 151 residents.

The only answer to Springfield’s religion and irreligion is the good new of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.