Now that we’ve understood God’s purpose for us of who are in Christ (that we’ve been “called to be the presence of Jesus in our world today”), sensed the vision God has for us at St. Philip (“to empower people to discover and live out their unique calling in Christ”), and understood the values that guide us in carrying out this mission, the question remains: How do we practically live this out, both personally and as a ministry?
The answer to that question is really simple – it’s all about relationships! Relationships is what life is all about. We were created to live in relationship with God, with each other and with the world around us. That’s because our God is a relational God. He exists as a co-unity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As such He created us to live in community with Him, sending Jesus as the means by which this personal relationship with God might be restored. It is this relationship we have in Jesus that changes our relationships with those in our lives and the world around us.
With this relational understanding of life in mind the following is our 3-fold ministry philosophy that expresses how we seek to live out our faith with God, with each other and with the world – it’s as simple as Up, In, and Out:
Spiritual/Up – Growing in our relationship with God through Jesus and His love
We seek to grow first “Up” in our relationship with God because this is the first and greatest relationship there is in life. Without Him we would not know what love is because love comes from God. That’s because God is love! And this is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10) So we seek to grow spiritually in our relationship with the One who came seeking us with His love and giving us true life. That One is Jesus.
Relational/In – Connecting our lives relationally in care with one another as Christ’s Body
As we grow in the love that God has for us in Christ, we seek to love one another “In” as a community of faith. Jesus defined life as loving God and loving others. (Matt 22:37-39). As we grow in the love Jesus has for us, His love then empowers us to not only love God, but actually to love one another. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) This is what defines us as followers of Jesus, how we love one another. For this reason, the Church ought to be relational in everything we do so that we might reflect the heart of God. By doing so, glory is given to Him and community offered to us.
Missional/Out – Living out our callings in word and deed as we live our lives for others
When God is the central focus of our lives and hearts, His mission “Out” defines our involvement in the world. God came seeking to save and redeem people through His Son. It’s through the person and work of Jesus that God expressed His love for the world. (John 3:16) As such we seek to be a missional community. His mission is our mission! Jesus continues His earthly ministry He began long ago of touching hearts and transforming lives through us today. As His Body, both individually and collectively, we are His hands, His feet, and His voice. As such, we live as a missional community, seeking to be aware and involved in what God is doing in the world around us, making His love and presence known as we live out our unique callings in life, in service to God and to others.
