church

The Church
A Community Designed to
Transform the World

Session 11
 article: a biblical paradigm: purpose-driven churches:
the eight purposes of the church1
Introduction

What is needed today are Churches that are driven by purpose – God’s
purposes – instead of by other forces. Strong Churches that transform
their communities know God’s purpose and vision for this world and seek
to put into action the mission God has given them! Growing, healthy
Churches have a clear-cut identity. ey understand their reason for
being; they are precise in their purpose. ey know exactly what God’s
overall vision is and what God has called them to do to advance his
mission on earth. ey know what their business is, and they know what
is none of their business. Does your Church have a clear-cut identity?
Does your Church know its purpose and mission?

Nothing precedes purpose. e starting point for every Church, therefore,

should be the question, “Why do we exist?”; “What is our purpose and
mission?” Until you know what your Church exists for, you have no
foundation, no motivation, and no direction for ministry. If you are
helping a new Church get started, your first task is to define your purpose.
It’s far easier to set the right foundation at the start of a new Church than
it is to reset it after a Church has existed for years. However, if you serve
in an existing Church that has plateaued, is declining, or is simply
discouraged, your most important task is to redefine your purpose. Forget
everything else until you have established it in the minds of your
members. Recapture a clear vision of what God wants to do in and
through your Church family. Absolutely nothing will revitalize a
discouraged Church faster than rediscovering its purpose. What’s more,
unless the driving force behind a Church is biblical, the health and growth
of the Church will never be what God intended. Strong Churches are not
built on programs, personalities or gimmicks. ey are built on the
purposes of God – on his vision for the world – on his mission for the
Church.

To become a purpose-driven Church, then, you require a new perspective.

First, you need to understand God’s dream for this world and what role
the Church is to play in making this dream become a reality. You must
know the purpose for which the Church has been created! Second, you
must begin to look at everything your Church does through the lens of
eight biblical purposes and see how God intends for the Church to
balance all eight purposes. In the remainder of this article we will look at
these two elements.

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 Perspective 1: e Role God has called the Church to Play in Advancing his
Mission on Earth

e Church has paid an enormous price for not understanding the fullness
of God’s integral vision and mission and for not knowing the fullness of
its own purpose within God’s Story. What, then, is the work of the
Church to which the Bible calls us? What is the Church called to do in
the world? What is the mission and purpose of the Church, empowered by
the Holy Spirit, to be?

It is crucial to note that what our Lord Jesus left behind him when he
ascended to heaven was not a book, but a visible community to make
explicit who he is, what he has done, and to advance God’s dream for this
world.2 In Scripture itself God’s purpose is not just to save human beings,
but to renew the whole world. is is the unfinished story – the
unfinished purpose – in which members of the Church are invited to
become actors in their own right.3

e mission of the Church, then, is the same as Jesus’ mission: to follow in

his footsteps and work with God to bring about his Kingdom of Shalom
on earth as it is in heaven.4 is Kingdom was never intended simply as a
distant goal for which one has to wait in passive expectation. God’s future
Kingdom has already broken into the present in Jesus, and the Church’s
task consists not least of continuing Jesus’ mission to announce the good
news of God’s inbreaking Kingdom, invite the rich and poor to renounce
their old ways of life and join God’s side, build a disciple-based movement
that would put into practice the truths of this Kingdom of Shalom, and
confront the powers that oppose this vision. If the Church has not this
visibility and does not follow Jesus’ footsteps, then it is not the Church.5

Indeed, central to Scripture’s definitions of the Church are metaphors

describing it as ‘salt’ and ‘light’. ese imply penetration and permeation
of society. e Church gathers in order to scatter; it withdraws inwardly
only to better serve the world outwardly. Its calling is to actively
participate in the life history of the world – making it reflect more of
God’s vision – and not to be self-conscious about sanctity and the
preservation of its own identity.6 In other words, Christ has called the
Church to impact its world by being “in the world, but not of the world."
Many Churches are "in the world and of the world." Other Churches
have disengaged from the world—they are "in the Church (building) and
out of the world." But the Church is to be a people who gather for
worship, prayer, teaching, equipping and fellowship, and then scatter into
the community, marketplace, and public square – as the heart, mind,
hands, and feet of Jesus Christ.7

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 e Church gets in trouble whenever it thinks it is in the Church business
rather than the Kingdom business. In the Church business, people are
concerned with Church activities, religious behavior and spiritual things.
In the Kingdom business, people are concerned with Kingdom activities,
all human behavior and everything God has made, visible and invisible.
Kingdom people see human affairs as saturated with spiritual meaning and
Kingdom significance. Kingdom people seek first the Kingdom of God
and its justice; Church people often put Church work above concerns of
justice, mercy and truth. Church people think about how to get people
into the Church, Kingdom people think about how to get the Church into
the world. Church people worry that the world might change the
Church; Kingdom people work to see the Church change the world… If
the Church has one great need, it is this: To be set free for the Kingdom of
God, to be liberated from itself as it has become in order to be itself as
God intends. e Church must be freed to participate fully in the dream
and vision of God for this world.8

In the final analysis, then, our primary calling is not to build bigger, more
anointed, or better Churches, since Church growth is not equivalent to
Kingdom growth. ough Church growth is a crucial and strategic
element, we as the Church are to focus on working for the realization of
God’s dream of Shalom on earth as it is in heaven. is is God’s purpose
for us.9 at mission of proclaiming God’s dream for this world and
doing whatever we can to move this world – including its political,
economic and religious structures – toward ‘becoming the Kingdom of
Lord and of his Christ’ is the essence of what the Church is to be about.10

Perspective 2: e Eight Purposes of the Church to Fulfill Its Mission and

Advance God’s Dream

e purpose-driven Church is committed to fulfilling all eight tasks that

God ordained for his Church to accomplish,11 in order to advance his
vision of Shalom on earth as it is in heaven:

Purpose 1: Praise & Worship – Love the Lord with all your heart
How do we love the Lord with all our heart? By worshipping him! e
Church exists to worship God. It is its
first purpose.12 A purpose-driven Church
believes wholeheartedly that God deserves
our honor and our praise. As a result, it
joyfully sets aside times to corporately
celebrate God’s great worth, expressing
commitment and love for him, confessing
sins, seeking intimacy with him, and
allowing its members to be impacted and

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 changed by God’s character of Shalom. A purpose-driven Church
prophetically points to the God-centeredness of all creation – including its
systems, structures and powers – proclaiming God's loving Lordship over
all of life. A purpose-driven Church, finally, knows that worship is not
just an event, but also a lifestyle, and therefore encourages its members to
express their love to God in everyday life. It encourages them to live in
such a way that demonstrates God’s great worth above anything else in
this world: above the opinions of people, above principalities and powers,
and above material things.

Purpose 2: Prayer & Intercession – Exercise your dominion for God’s will to
be done on earth
How do we advance God’s vision of Shalom on earth? In part, by praying
and fasting! e Church exists to pray so that God’s will be done and his
Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. A purpose-driven Church
believes that prayer and intercession are the lifeblood of Church members’
personal and corporate life with God. It prays,
thus, as a way to exercise its God-given
dominion on earth; it prays to pursue intimacy
with God; it prays for the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit’s on all that it does and on the
people it serves; it prays because God’s vision
exceeds its abilities. A purpose-driven Church
understands that prayer is the deepest cry of
rebellion against the way things are, a
demonstration of true yearning for things to
change. rough prayer, members of purpose-driven Churches listen to
and seek wisdom and power from God to preach the whole Gospel,
confront injustice and the unseen powers, and demonstrate God’s power
by bringing healing through signs and wonders.

Purpose 3: Teaching & Equipping – And teach them to obey everything that
I have commanded you
How do we form people who are willing and
ready to become part of God’s movement to
change the world? By teaching and equipping
them to practice the truths of God’s Kingdom.
e Church exists to edify and equip God’s
people to develop a godly character and
become more like Christ in their thoughts,
feelings, and actions. is process begins when
a person is born again and continues
throughout the rest of his or her life.13 e
purpose-driven Church knows that the
purpose of the Gospel is not simply to win a
convert, or change a person’s religious

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 affiliation, but to transform whole persons by the renewing of their
worldviews, values, allegiances, lifestyles, hearts and minds in accordance
with God’s will.14 e purpose-driven Church, thus, seeks not to develop
spiritual spectators, but mature and character-strong believers who exercise
their talents, spiritual gifts, influence and resources to build up the Church
and disciple their communities and nations by showing them an entirely
different vision for their society – a vision of life lived in Shalom.

Purpose 4: Reconciliation & Community – You are my body

How can we be Christ’s body? By emphasizing that as Christians we are
called to belong, not just to believe. We are not meant to live lone-ranger
lives; instead, we are to belong to Christ’s family and be members of his
body. e Church exists to provide
meaningful fellowship for believers – a place
to receive support, nurture, encouragement
and friendship.15 e purpose-driven
Church understands that God has always
worked in and through a people – first Israel
and then the Church – who he desired to be
a witness and blessing to the nations through
their redeemed relationships. e purpose-
driven Church, thus, accepts its calling to show to a divided world that
separation, alienation and barriers of all kinds can be overcome through
the reconciling power of Christ.16 It practices this truth in its own
community, by equipping its members to minister in teams that reflect a
Spirit of unity in diversity.

Purpose 5: Incarnation & Presence – Be my hands and feet

How can God’s vision of Shalom come alive in our communities and
nations? In part, by being the presence of Christ in our world. e
Church exists to represent Christ on earth –
not by opting out of the world, but by
engaging the world. Unfortunately,
Churches and Christian groups often prefer
to keep distance from “the world”, because
they believe that we should be separate from
the “world” and everything “worldly”. is
mentality of separation is prompted by fear
of defilement. However, Jesus taught us to
beware of this Pharisaic attitude.17 He
taught us by his example to be present with the sinners, modeling a
different way of life and being an appealing fragrance to those around us.18
e purpose-driven Church, thus, accepts its calling to learn the heartbeat
and language of its surrounding community, to befriend members or its
community and engage them with the intent to eventually changing
society. It seeks to imitate the life of Christ by establishing meaningful

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 relationships with those in need of a doctor; by standing in solidarity with
“the widow and the orphan”19 who represent all the disadvantaged in the
world; by accepting that such embodied love may require suffering and
self-denial.

Purpose 6: Evangelism & Mission – Go and make disciples

How are we to extend God’s vision of Shalom in this world? In part, by
telling the world the message of God’s inbreaking Kingdom of Shalom
and calling people into this Kingdom! We
are ambassadors for Christ, and our mission
is to spread the Good News of salvation to
the world – beginning in our immediate
community and to the ends of the world.20
e Church exists to communicate God’s
vision; to tell and retell God's redeeming
story in order to sustain the vision, for
without a vision the people perish.21 e
purpose-driven Church accepts the privilege
of proclaiming the gospel so that people may turn to Christ, be saved from
their sins, and become part of God’s revolutionary force to restore this
creation to its original purpose. It understands that growth is not optional
– it is commanded by Jesus. As a result, it equips its members to share the
Good News wherever they go; it is intent to announce the presence of the
Kingdom through its prophetic witness, so that people may be added to
God’s eternal family and entire nations may be transformed by the power
of God.22

Purpose 7: Service & Social Action – Love your neighbor as yourself

How do we love our neighbor as ourselves? By demonstrating God’s love
to others in tangible ways that make a visible
difference in their lives! e Church exists
to minister to and serve people who are
hurting. Jesus said that even a cup of cold
water given in his name was considered as
ministry and would not go unrewarded.23
e purpose-driven Church understands
that it is not just called to minister to the
spiritual needs of people, but to bring
healing24 to the entire person, including
their emotional, relational, physical,
economic, social, educational, health, and
environmental needs. e purpose-driven
Church, thus, seeks to liberate people from everything that interferes with
their capacity to live as God's image bearers. It does so by equipping its
members to do good works individually,25 while corporately engaging in

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 social actions that seek the betterment of the Church’s surrounding
community.26

Purpose 8: Justice & Advocacy – Seek justice, defend the cause of the weak
How can God’s justice become manifest on earth as it is in heaven?
rough supernatural intervention God could swiftly dismantle all
injustice on earth. Yet, by some great
mystery and enormous privilege, he has
chosen to use his people, empowered by his
Spirit, to complete this task. He simply
does not have another plan.27 e Church,
then, exists to be the answer to social evils,
a force for social reform, a threat to any
injustice.28 e purpose-driven Church
understands that seeking justice is a
straightforward command of God for his people and, accordingly, accepts
its calling to be an advocate and champion of those who are poor and
weak and voiceless – including the environment. It prophetically resists
evil, exposes the idols of our age, contradicts false claims of authority and
seeks to dismantle all opposition to God’s Kingdom of Shalom in the
tradition of the Old Testament prophets and of Jesus himself. e
purpose-driven Church doesn’t shy away from holding the powers
accountable and insisting that they bring their actions more in line with
God’s will. In doing so, the purpose-driven Church understands that it
may incur the wrath of the powers. Yet, it also knows that God’s power
will sustain the Church as it becomes God’s voice to those who commit
injustice, and God’s defense to those who suffer from injustice committed
against them.29

If you examine the earthly ministry of Jesus, it is apparent that he included

all eight of these elements in his work. e apostles not only fulfilled
these purposes in their ministries, they also equipped the emerging
movement of disciples to practice them in their individual and communal
lives. ese disciples came to be known as members of “e Way” and
their continued embrace of these eight tasks eventually undermined the
oppressive Roman Empire which recurrently saw the Christians as a threat
to the Empire’s order. Today our purposes are unchanged: e Church
exists to worship, intercede, equip, fellowship, incarnate, evangelize, serve
and seek justice. While each Church will differ in how these tasks are
accomplished, there should be no disagreement about what we are called
to do.30

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 reflection questions
Reflect on the following questions and write your answers to the questions into
your Application Journal. Come prepared to share your answers with other
members of your group in the next class session:

• According to this article, why does the Church exist? What are we to
be and to do as a Church? What does God want done in the world
through the Church? How are we to do it? What is your reaction to
the article’s claims?
• How is Jesus’ revolutionary message and model significant to the
Church’s understanding of its own purpose? Have you ever heard the
local Church described as a revolutionary community of disciples in
revolt against the ways things are and working towards restoring this
creation to its original purpose – Shalom? If so, what is your reaction?
What do you think has held the Church back from understanding
itself in this way? What is the cost of neglecting this understanding of
the Church?31
• In the following question, circle the number that most closely reflects
the practice of your church. What does your answer indicate about
your church?32
Missing diagram / chart thing
• In general, how much do you think Churches contribute to the health
of your society? Do you see your nation moving towards – or away
from – its potential? In what ways could your Church be involved to
help your nation move towards its potential?

application journal:

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The Integral Mission of the Church 10 Living the Story Series
 group study: the purpose of the church
Study the following Scripture verses assigned to your group, reflect on the
questions below, and come prepared to share your answers with the entire class:

• Why does the church exist?

• What are we to be as a church?
• What are we to do as a church?
• How are we to do it?

Group 1: Read Psalm 57:7-11; Psalm 96; Ephesians 5:19; 1. Peter 2:4-5;
9-10; Romans 12:1-2
Group 2: Read Matthew 6:9-14; Ephesians 1:15-23; 2 Chronicles 7:14;
Jeremiah 33:3; Luke 18:1-2; Ephesians 6:17-18; 1 ess. 5:16-19; Matthew
16:19-20; Matthew 18:18-20; James 4:2; Acts 4:31-35
Group 3: Read Ephesians 4:11-16; 2. Tim. 2:2; Colossians 1:28; Acts 6:1-4
Group 4: Read 2. Cor. 5:17-21; Gal. 3:28; Matthew 5:9; Romans 14:19;
James 3:18; Acts 2:41-47; Ephesians 2:14-22
Group 5: Read Philippians 2:5-8; Jeremiah 29:4-7; Matthew 5:13-16;
Jeremiah 5:1;
Group 6: Read Romans 10:9-17; Matthew 10:1-10; Matthew 28:19-20;
Marc 16:15; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; Juan 20:21
Group 7: Read James 1:19-27; James 2:8; Galatians 6:2; Matthew 5:16;
Matthew 22:36-40; Matthew 25:34-40; John 15:12,17; 1. John 3:17; 1. John
4:20; Psalm 82:3-4; Ezekiel 16:49
Group 8: Read Isaiah 1:15-17; Hebrews 13:3; Galatians 2:10; Colossians
4:18; Psalm 146:5-10; James 2:15-16; Psalm 82:3-4; Psalm 10:2, 15, 18; 1.
John 3:17

• What major conclusions can you draw from this Scripture study for
the life and mission of your church?
• What fruits has your church produced, when you consider the
purposes that God has for your church?

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 endnotes
1 is entire section is adapted from Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 80-82
2 adapted from Lesslie Newbigin, e Household of God: Lectures on the Nature of the
Church, 20
‘Church’ in the New Testament does not refer to buildings or hierarchical structures but
simply to people whose life is focused on Jesus Christ and his mission. e whole body of
those who believe in and worship Jesus wherever they may be are the ‘Church’. e whole
body of those who are followers of Jesus in a particular locality are the ‘Church’. ose,
who gather together to worship the Lord Jesus in certain people’s houses and seek to
advance God’s Kingdom in their locality, are the ‘Church’ (Dewi Hughes, God of the
Poor, 72-73). Many translations today use ‘Church’ to translate ecclesia. In the Septuagint
(Greek translation of the Old Testament) ecclesia is often used to translate qahal, the
‘congregation’ of Israel, ‘the nation in its theocratic aspect, organized as a religious
community’. William Barclay, in his study New Testament Words, describes what the
word ‘ecclesia’ meant. at was the picture which Jesus’ use of the word ‘Church’ would
have conjured up in the minds of His audience. Barclay says: “e ecclesia was the
convened assembly of the people (in Greek City States). It consisted of all the citizens of
the city who had not lost their civic rights. Apart from the fact that its decisions must
conform to the laws of the State, its powers were to all intents and purposes unlimited. It
elected and dismissed magistrates and directed the policy of the city. It declared wars,
made peace, contracted treaties and arranged alliances. It elected generals and other
military officers. It assigned troops to different campaigns and dispatched them from the
city. It was ultimately responsible for the conduct of all military operations. It raised and
allocated funds. Two things are interesting to note: first, all its meetings began with
prayer and a sacrifice. Second, it was a true democracy. Its two great watchwords were
‘equality’ (isonomia) and ‘freedom’ (eleutheria). It was an assembly where everyone had an
equal right and an equal duty to take part.” us, according to Barclay, ecclesia referred to
a power structure. (quoted in Vishal Mangalwadi, Truth and Social Reform, 108-109)
3 N.T. Wright, e Last Word, 29-30
4 Graham Gordon, What If You Got Involved?, 18
5 Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, ?
6 Melba Padilla Maggay, Transforming Society, 60
7 Darrow Miller & Bob Moffitt, On Earth as it is in Heaven, xii
8 Howard A. Snyder, Liberating the Church: e Ecology of Church and Kingdom, 11
9 e primary social structure through which the good news of God’s Kingdom works to

change other structures is that of Christian community, the Church. (Ronald Sider, One-
Sided Christianity, 37)
10 Robert Linthicum, Transforming Power, 40

e Church is called to skillfully help God develop all parts of the human and non-
human creation to fulfill their creaturely calling: just political structures, secure families,
fruitful agricultural practices, fair economies, loving communities, life-giving social
structures (globally, village by village, and neighborhood by neighborhood).
11 Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 103
12 Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 103
13 Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 106
14 As the Church we are called not only to reach people, but also to teach them. After

someone has made a decision for Christ, he or she must be discipled. It is the Church’s
responsibility to develop people to spiritual maturity. (Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven
Church, 106)
15 Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 105-106

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 16 e purpose-driven Church believes, indeed, that Christian fellowship that neglects the
commandment of reconciliation and doesn’t bridge gaps between rich and poor, “Jew and
Greek”, man and woman, falls short of God’s vision for his Church.
17 Jesus taught us to empty ourselves and let go of our security that comes from closing

ourselves into the four walls of the Church. Instead – if we are to be obedient to God’s
call – we are to be present in our communities and incarnate Jesus in them.
18 Antjie Krog, in her extraordinary reportage on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation

Commission (Country Of My Skull) writes about the appealing fragrance of Archbishop

Desmond Tutu in her life: “is wonderful man in whose presence I always experience
humanity at its fullest – humanity as it was meant to be.” is is the fragrance that
Christians are called to exude to those around them.
19 Or the sheep without a shepherd
20 Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 104
21 Relief & Development Group, June 2002, 4
22 Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 104-105

e Gospel calls us to disciple nations by showing them an entirely different vision for
their society; it calls us to challenge elements in culture that disempower people. For we
know that if the Church does not disciple the nation, the nation will surely disciple the
Church.
23 Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 104
24 Biblical language for salvation refers to release and healing - release from debt, from

guilt, from slavery, from addictions, from sin; healing of diseases, healing of relationships,
healing of the body, mind and soul.
25 As Paul wrote, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good

works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). And what are good
works? “He has told you, o mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).
is task, then, is not just for a specialized elite group of Christians. We are all called to
do good works. (Gary A. Haugen, Good News About Injustice, 174-175)
26 Matthew 5:13-16 specifies that the Church is to be salt and light to the world. What is

meant by salt and light? e Church’s salt is to preserve the good things that are in the
world. e Church’s light is to be shown through good deeds, for the glory of God.
27 Gary A. Haugen, Good News About Injustice, 97
28 Vishal Mangalwadi, Truth and Social Reform, 106
29 e Church often the only voice of the powerless – a voice to which the principalities

and powers of a city must listen.

30 Rick Warren, e Purpose-Driven Church, 106-107
31 Brian McLaren, e Story We Find Ourselves In, 213
32 Darrow Miller & Bob Moffitt, On Earth as it is in Heaven, 98-99

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