The Mission of the Church

1
The Mission of the Church

• Archdiocese of Port of Spain

GIS Consultation - 6 Agreements Agreement 1
Forge consensus around the Mission and Vision for
the Archdiocese.
2
What is the Mission of the Church?

• Methodology/Approach towards defining the Mission
  of the Catholic Church in Trinidad and Tobago
• Explore Scripture and Church teaching - (May
  2007)
• Explore the demands of the Kingdom in the REALITY
  of Trinidad and Tobago ("signs of the times") -
  (March - July 2008)
• Decide on priorities and formulate a Mission
  statement (July 2008)

3
What is the Mission of the Church? Exploration
of Scripture and Church teaching

• Scripture
• Church Teaching
• Consultation

4
ScriptureMission as Evangelization

• Go into the entire world and preach the good
  news to all creation. Whoever believes and is
  baptized will be saved, but whoever does not
  believe will be condemned
• (Mk 1615ff)

5
ScriptureMission as Evangelization

• The Mission of the Church is explicit
  proclamation of the Gospel, the person and values
  of Jesus Christ to all peoples, offering an
  invitation to discipleship and salvation through
  baptism

6
ScriptureMission as Evangelization

• The vocation/call of the Church to go every where
  and proclaim the good news. Its motivation and
  source being a deep apostolic zeal in Christ

7
Church TeachingMission as Evangelization

• The task of evangelizing all people constitutes
  the essential Mission of the Church." (Evangelii
  Nuntiandi 14)
• The Church, which draws her life from the
  permanent and mysterious presence of her Risen
  Lord, has as the core of her mission a duty to
  lead all people to encounter Christ. (Ecclesia
  in America 68 )

8
ScriptureMission as establishment of the Kingdom
of God

• "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will
  enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
  the will of my Father who is in heaven"
• (Mt 721)

9
ScriptureMission as establishment of the Kingdom
of God

• The Mission of the Church is to establish the
  Kingdom of God as begun by Jesus Christ
• The vocation/call of the Church is to holiness
  through humble service to the most vulnerable.
  Its motivation and source being a deep
  relationship with Christ

10
Church TeachingMission as establishment of the
Kingdom of God

• The Church is effectively and concretely at the
  service of the Kingdom (Redemptoris Missio
  20)
• The mission to proclaim and to spread among all
  peoples the Kingdom of Christ and of God and to
  be, on earth, the initial budding forth of that
  kingdom (Lumen Gentium 5)

11
Church TeachingMission as establishment of the
Kingdom of God

• Our mission is to bring men together in mutual
  love through the power of that kingdom of justice
  and peace which Christ inaugurated by His coming
  into the world.
• (Ecclesiam Suam)

12
The Heart of Mission as Evangelization and as
Proclaiming Kingdom is the Great Command
13
Scripture Mission as Love

• " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
  with all your soul and with all your strength and
  with all your mind' and, 'Love your neighbour as
  yourself'." (Lk 10 27)

14
Church Teaching What is the Kingdom of God?

• Christ was sent by the Father to bring good
  news to the poor, to heal the contrite of heart,
  to seek and to save what was lost. Similarly,
  the Church encompasses with love all who are
  afflicted with human suffering and in the poor
  and afflicted sees the image of its poor and
  suffering. (Lumen Gentium 8)

15
What is the Kingdom of God?

• The Kingdom of God is
• Living the values of Christ and proclaiming by
  example
• The Spirit that defines us - Our Christian
  Culture
• Encounter with Christ as Love
• Loving one another as Christ has loved us
• Transformation in Christ
• The Good News we proclaim
• Why we proclaim the Good News
• Reconciliation with God, Neighbor, Creation and
  Self
• The fire in our belly

16
False Conceptions of the Kingdom (Redemtoris
Missio 17ff)

• Kingdom as only a social project
• Kingdom as only a spiritual project
• Kingdom as only evangelical project
• Kingdom as a club of the saved

17
Church Teaching Constitutive Elements of the
Church (God is Love 25)

• a) The Church's deepest nature is expressed in
  her three-fold responsibility
• of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria)
  
• celebrating the Sacraments (leitourgia)
• exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia)
• These duties presuppose each other and are
  inseparable.
• b) The Church is God's family in the world. In
  this family no one ought to go without the
  necessities of life. Yet at the same time
  caritas - agape extends beyond the
  frontiers of the Church koinonia.

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How do we serve the Kingdom of God?

• Kerygma-Martyria
• By evangelization and proclamation of the Good
  News (Redemptoris Missio 21)
• Koinonia
• By establishing Communities and spreading the
  Gospel Values throughout the world
  (God is Love 25)
• Leitourgia
• By celebration of the sacraments
  (Redemptoris Missio 21)
• Diakonia
• By exercising the ministry of charity
  (Lumen Gentium 8)

19
Church TeachingMission of the Church - Summary

• The Mission of the Church is to proclaim and
  establish the Kingdom of God begun by Jesus
  Christ among all peoples (Compendium of The
  Catechism of The Catholic Church 150)

20
Dialogue with Local Clergy, Religious, Ecclesial
Communities and Laity on Mission
Consultation
21
Kingdom of God
Leitourgia Worship
Kerygma/ martyria Evangelization
Diakonia Service
Christ
Koinonia Communion
22
Consultation Mission of the Church
Worship
Christ
Evangel ization
Service
Communion
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Mission of the ChurchArchdiocese of Port of Spain

• Kerygma/Martyria - Proclaiming the core message
  of the Gospel/laying down our life every day
• Leitourgia - Loving God with our all
• Diakonia - Loving Neighbour as self
• Koinonia - Communion with all disciples of Christ

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DiscussionMission of The Church

• With what aspects of Mission are you most
  uncomfortable?
• How does this understanding of Mission challenge
  us as a Vicariate?
• If we are to be faithful to this understanding of
  Mission what are the tangibles that we need to
  do?
• What benefits do you see coming from this
  initiative?

25
How would you rate the Church on

• The Mission of the Church general
• Evangelization
• Service
• Fellowship
• Worship