Mission Statement
The purpose statement of Mission Alive succinctly defines our identity and ministry. The purpose of Mission Alive is:
"to discover, equip, place, and nurture church-planting leaders
who will plant missional churches
in suburbs, city centers, and poverty areas with unbelievers as the primary target."
The focus of Mission Alive is upon "discovering, equipping, placing and nurturing church planting leaders. These leaders are specially equipped by God and experience for church planting ministry because of a number of qualities.
- They are, like the Apostle Paul, initiative-directed, self-starters.
- They believe in radical conversion—transformation from darkness to light, from the dominion of Satan to the kingdom of God (Acts 26:18).
- Despite their initiative orientation, they walk with God acknowledging that they are merely clay lamps (2 Cor. 4:7).
- They passionately believe that God works through local communities of believers.
- They not only lead in evangelizing but also spiritually nurture new Christians to a mature walk with God.
- They focus on equipping God’s people for works of service (Eph. 4:12).
- They actively facilitate the development of community life.
- They collaboratively work with other Christian leaders.
A major task of Mission Alive is to discover church planting leaders by networking with Christian schools, campus ministries, and leaders in existing churches with the heart and ability for church planting ministry.
Mission Alive equips church planting leaders through labs and/or classes and practical ministry in church planting contexts.
Mission Alive places church planting leaders in emerging suburban communities highly receptive to the gospel, among the urban poor in planting multiple churches in apartments, and urban, downtown contexts now undergoing urban renewal.
Mission Alive nurtures church planting leaders by training spiritual mentors, strategy coaches, and financial managers for each church planting couple. Nurturing also includes collaboration and dialogue within the Mission Alive community of church planters.
Church planting leaders are to plant missional churches. Missional churches are "biblically-focused, Christ-formed, Spirit-led fellowships representing the purpose and reign of God on earth." These churches are not driven by "what works" but by "the will of God." They practically understand themselves as people sent on a mission by God and form their ministries upon kingdom principles.
The phrase "in suburbs, city centers, and poverty areas with unbelievers as the primary target" describes Mission Alive's context of ministry. Approximately 60 percent of all church planters will minister in emerging suburban communities. These are the most receptive urban areas because people are entering communities with no heritage of relationships and are seeking nurturing places to belong for themselves and their children. Jesus, however, was also concerned about the poor. Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18). Thus 20 percent of all our church planters will minister in planting multiple churches in apartments where the poor live. We will enter these contexts incarnationally replicating the ministry of Christ, who became flesh and dwelled among us" (John 1:14). Tillie Burgen of Mission Arlington has prototyped this ministry (www.missionarlington.org). Finally, 20 percent of our church planters will minister in the urban core of our cities, which are currently undergoing urban renewals. Thousands of people are today moving from various suburbs back downtown. The focus of our ministry will be on connecting to various types of unbelievers in their contexts to guide them into a living, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
This mission statement is reflected in the following descriptions of Mission Alive:
Pathway to Church Planting:
Equipping Church Planters One at a Time
Enabling Churches to Plant Churches who Plant Still Other Churches