A mission.hack is defined here. We look at mission statements or at mission initiatives and examine different ways of expressing them. Hacking them…if you will.
The United Methodist Church at General Conference 2008 just voted to no longer make disciples of Jesus Christ.
In other words, the mission statement of the UMC was previously “to make disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Now the UMC’s mission statement is “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World.”
This is a good mission.hack. Why? Because it is utterly Wesleyan in that our discipleship leads us to act. We are not a passive people, we are a people with a blessing that requires that we pass it on. Like a cup overflowing with God’s love, now our mission statement reflects that discipleship must bubble up out of us in acts of mercy and justice.
May all congregations adopt this mentality of connecting faith with action. Bravo for the GC2008!
Are we not making disciples? I think it is always important to keep in mind that we DO make disciples, but to be clear what a disciple is. At the very least, a disciple is participating in the transformative work of God, both personally and in their community. I applaud the General Conference for making the social aspect of our mission clear – we are here to collaborate with God’s great transformative work. But I would hate for us to neglect the basic idea that we prepare people to be effective, honest, Wesleyan disciples of Jesus Christ.
Well thank goodness! Making disciples always was a lot of effort. Now we’ll have more time to unclog toilets.