Learning Journal 13 - The Five Marks of Mission

In Ministry Formation Groups we did a session on the Anglican view of mission. I found this session to be very helpful and it was encouraging to see how holistic the Anglican view of mission can be. We examined the ‘five marks of mission’ from the 1988 Lambeth Conference, which are

1) To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.
2) To teach, baptize and nurture new believers.
3) To respond to human need by loving service.
4) To seek to transform unjust structures of society.
5) To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the earth.

This list seems to be fairly comprehensive to me and I would be glad to be part of a church that was taking all five seriously. If our church is to be shaped by mission, which I believe it should be, then these five marks of mission ought to be heard, read, marked, learned and inwardly digested by every man, woman and child who belong to it.

We looked at a case study from South America which was a wonderful example of this kind of holistic mission. If only we could fully take on board the fact that we are in a missionary situation in this country. I see part of my calling as encouraging, equipping and enabling the five marks of mission.