There is a constant tug in the church between mission and maintenance. The Church is, by nature, missionary, charged to spread the good news far and wide. Yet, as any human institution, it needs to maintain structures and organization in order to carry out that mission. St. Paul, the missionary par excellence, knew this. They sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now accomplished. And when they arrived, they called the Church together and reported what God had done with them. The Apostle was aware that he was not a Lone Ranger but someone sent by the Church who had responsibility to the Church. He did what he did not on his own initiative but due to the commission he had received. While we think of the missionary work as inspired by the Holy Spirit the reality is that all that makes the Church the Church is the work of the Spirit.
MAY52026
By Church Staff
