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Viewpoint 12 and
Over the past year that group’s input has transformed our corps life. Five days a week they cook and serve hot meals for people experiencing homelessness, while corps members provide additional practical and pastoral help. On average, 20 people are served daily. Over the past eight months, about 3,500 evening meals have been provided.
This community mission has brought many people together, from service users to volunteers and prayerful supporters. Our corps might be small, but our God is not. To make our mission flourish, we need to actively explore Kingdom partnerships to respond to the needs of vulnerable people.
ONE CHURCH, ONE SPIRIT
There is, however, a danger of dichotomy in using the slogan ‘local mission flourishing’. Local mission is part of the holistic mission of God. The ‘you do the mission and we support’ approach is not mutually engaging. Of course, we welcome and appreciate such support but there are things to do at other levels as well.
People don’t see the Church as local. Their local church is the universal Church. If there is any scandal in the Church it puts many people off and local churches bear the brunt. Local missions cannot flourish without continuous repentance and renewal as a universal Church. We can’t expect people to trust us if we are not willing to confess and address wrongs done in the past and the present.
We can’t expect young people to come to our churches if we don’t address justice issues in our society. If we fail to aspire to be a prophetic voice for God as a Church, then our local mission will be limited in terms of meaningful engagement with wider society and our impact on it.
The apostle Paul writes: ‘There is one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all’ (Ephesians 4:4–6). Our local mission should be an expression of this oneness, finding unity in God beyond differences and inequalities in our ever-divided society.
What do you think is needed for local mission to flourish? Share your thoughts at transformation@salvationarmy.org.uk
