From the Editors
Marshall Shelley
April 1, 1989
Recently I visited a church well known for its specialized ministries to street people, unwed mothers, international students, business executives, mothers of preschoolers, and other target groups.
But in the worship service that day, the focus was not on their carefully planned outreach; it was on something less likely to get the attention of the media, less likely to be the theme of the next pastors' conference.
The service centered around two ancient ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. As the five new believers were baptized, we heard the familiar words, "Buried with Christ in baptism; raised to walk in newness of life."
Moments later, we were taking the bread and the cup and remembering Christ's words, "This do in remembrance of me."
The pastor didn't deliver a sermon. He simply told about individuals in the congregation who had ministered to others within the body: a couple whose young son had died, an older man with cancer, a single parent struggling with teenage children.
We were reminded that day that the foundation of all our exciting and well-planned ministries is the quality of our love for one another.
It's good to have goals and strategies that focus on mission, and this issue of LEADERSHIP is devoted to the topic. But as I took Communion that day, I realized setting goals is a relatively new idea. We look in vain in the church's classical creeds for any mention of specific goals. According to historic Christianity, the church was not structured to accomplish measurable goals; it was established by God to be something.
Yes, it's vital that we do ministry, and do it well. It's even more important that we be God's people.
One of my interests this past year has been the quality of family life, especially for those ...
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