Penn West Conference

Global Missions Team Theological Statement

Our Penn West Conference commitment to global missions is grounded in our commitment to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Redeemed and transformed by the love of Jesus for us, we embrace with joy the privilege of carrying out the mission Jesus has given to the Church.

Jesus clearly described this mission (Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:45-48). The account of the Ascension includes Jesus’ outline of how the mission is to be carried out:  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

In these words Jesus warns us to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and tells us to be “my witnesses,” sharing His Gospel and serving His agenda. To do this, we must begin where we are (Jerusalem), reach out to our own culture and to people who are like us (Judea), cross racial and cultural barriers (Samaria), and penetrate to the “ends of the earth.” Paul tells us that we are to be “ambassadors for Christ,” calling human communities to reconciliation on Christ’s behalf (2 Corinthians 5:20).

     Jesus made it clear that being witnesses to the Gospel means caring for the whole human condition. When He described his own mission He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19). James warns us that offering blessings to people without meeting their physical needs (food, clothing,  shelter) is an exercise in “dead faith” (James 2:14-17).

     In carrying out Jesus’ mission we act as recipients of grace, sharing what we have been given. We enter the world with open hands to receive the fresh gifts that God will give us through the people to whom we reach out in Jesus’ name. In Jesus’ name we go forth to teach and to learn, to heal and be healed, and to share Jesus as well as to find Jesus anew in the faces, cultures and experiences of all those we will meet.