This week's question comes from a church shopper. This is the greatest and first commandment. But few churches have I known that give the commands and the commission priority in their ministries. Recently, I visited a church that was united in its purpose. This unity in vision and mission had enabled the church to make disciples of literally thousands of people, all of whom were just as committed to the vision and the mission of the church as those who had first invited them.
Unity does more than just grow churches, though.
A church whose membership is committed to a vision and a mission has neither the time nor the energy to get into destructive conflicts. Unity also creates an atmosphere of harmony and expectation of great things. Therefore, a church unified around a single vision tends to be joyous, excited, and caring. These marks will be evident in every church that takes seriously the commands of Jesus Christ. The sad reality is that many churches do not share a common vision, nor do they take seriously the commands and the commission of Jesus.