One way of describing the primary task, the unique purpose and work of a congregation is to gather those called by God into Christ’s body, the Church, a community of transformation of mind, heart and action, and to send these same into the world to be and to act as God’s loving and transforming presence.
Another way of saying this is that the purpose of a congregation is to be the body of Christ and, with God’s help, to create and renew the Christian folk who in turn, create and renew a world that we believe both already is and is in the process of becoming God’s own realm—a realm of forgiveness, reconciliation, justice, peace and hope.
Core Identity is Key to Growth
It’s easy to think that in order to grow, a congregation needs to be “all things to all people.” However, we have observed congregations that develop and articulate their core identity have the greatest potential to deepen who they are, which appeals to newcomers most suited to that congregation.
The congregation primarily exists in order to renew people in their baptismal identity – through worship, education, and community, and then send them out into the world to love and serve God. Your congregation has a specific way of doing that, within a particular context in the world. Instead of being “all things to all people” we encourage you to engage in a process to discover, articulate, and refine how your congregation uniquely worships God, serves in Christ’s name, and invites people more deeply into their baptismal ministry.
When you know who you are as a congregation, you can articulate that in compelling and succinct ways in your surrounding culture. This is the way people can come to know you, find you, and join in the worship, mission, and ministry your congregation is offering.
Resource Information
Please download this three page Word document for more information on Congregational Identity.
Congregational-Identity:Discovering and Speaking about Who We Are Among Ourselves and to Newcomers