Mission: What We Hear as the Church
In our increasingly secular culture, where spirituality is often shaped by success, experiences, and achievements apart from God, the mission of our church needs to intersect with this reality. In light of this reality, the church’s leadership is calling the congregation to adopt the following mission for the church going forward: Guiding all people to an abundant life in Jesus. Jesus makes known: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Abundant life in Jesus goes beyond the world’s definition of a “good life” — it’s the most fulfilling life possible, aligning us with our Creator’s purposes and filled with deep peace, purpose, and lasting fulfillment.
Values: What We Feel as the Church
Our values define what we hold dear in this journey. They help shape us into people who look and act like Jesus, embodying His life in the world. Our values are:
Disruptive Truth
We are committed to God’s truth even when it disrupts our lives. Truth is often uncomfortable; it calls us to reconsider our priorities and patterns, challenging us to live differently from the world.
Simple Faithfulness
We are committed to being faithful to God. While faithfulness may not always be possible in grandeur ways, we can be faithful in simple and grounded ways, like excellence within our means, consistency, and frequency, routine habits, serving, and giving. The same simple, not always flashy, faithfulness that characterizes God’s relationship with us.
Uncommon Presence
Jesus’ presence was unique — He spent time with those the world often avoided, treating them with honor and love. We aspire to that same uncommon-in-our-world, grace-filled presence, meeting others the way that Jesus did with the woman at the well (John 4). We hope that when people encounter us, they encounter Jesus.
Strategy: Where We Go as the Church
The following strategy will help us practically step into our mission in everyday life:
Meet Consistently (close circle):
A close circle represents this avenue of participation, as it’s where the presence of Jesus comes closest to our lives, making space for Jesus to have access to our lives. Building an abundant life in Jesus happens within a framework of regular, intentional gatherings:
Meeting with Jesus daily through Bible study and prayer.
Gathering weekly with Jesus’ people in worship.
Connecting consistently with other believers to encourage each other in the faith.
Engaging with someone who doesn’t know Jesus yet, building relationships that open doors to share His love.
Share Vulnerably (dotted circle):
A dotted circle represents this avenue of participation, as it’s where the presence of Jesus extends into our personal relationships, making space for others to access our lives with Jesus through our witness. Abundant life grows in spaces and relationships characterized by authenticity and vulnerability:
Sharing honestly with Jesus in prayer.
Sharing openly with a small group of disciples, receiving encouragement, wisdom, and reminders of God’s promises.
Sharing vulnerably with those outside the church, letting them see Jesus’ impact on our lives.
Invest Sacrificially (half circle):
A half circle represents this avenue of participation, as it’s where the presence of Jesus goes with us beyond our lives, making space to invest in people disconnected from Jesus’ abundant life. Giving of ourselves — our time, talents, and resources — is part of discipleship:
Investing sacrificially in our own relationship with Jesus.
Supporting the church and the global mission of God.
Walking alongside one to two others in discipleship, helping them grow closer to Jesus.
Reaching out to someone who isn’t yet part of God’s kingdom, actively working to help them experience Jesus’ love.
At the intersection of these practices — consistently meeting, vulnerably sharing, and sacrificially investing — we experience abundant life in Jesus.
Marks: Who We Become as the Church
If our mission is guiding all people to abundant life in Jesus, how do we know we’re making progress? These “marks” help us evaluate our growth qualitatively and quantitatively toward abundant life in Jesus:
When did I meet with Jesus today?
This reflects our relationship with Jesus through Bible reading, prayer, and worship.
Who am I vulnerably sharing with this week?
This is where we share our life with Jesus in relationship with others.
What am I doing to help someone enter God’s kingdom this year?
This reminds us of the mission, making sure we are actively investing in someone’s journey toward Jesus.
By reflecting on these questions regularly, we can see how closely we’re hitting the bullseye of our mission. As individuals and as a congregation, this self-evaluation guides us back to our core purpose: living in the abundant life of Jesus and guiding others to do the same.
How Do We Put This into Practice?
The church leadership aims to resource and equip the congregation for this mission by providing opportunities to regularly meet with Jesus and the church body, to share vulnerably from a life rooted in Jesus, and to sacrificially invest time, talent, and treasure in furthering God’s Kingdom. We desire to see each person empowered to live out this mission, becoming a beacon of abundant life in Jesus for a world seeking purpose.
All of this simply captures our understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in WNY, in an increasingly secular age, in a world searching for abundant life in everything but Him. We have the opportunity to collectively row in the same direction and live, share, and invest toward guiding all people to abundant life in Jesus. The leadership of CCC hopes you will join in this mission.
The sermons throughout November will be focused on giving more attention to the mission, values, strategy, and marks. I hope you will make time to hear and reflect on them further.
You have the opportunity to join God’s mission for the world by supporting CCC’s mission partners through a monthly Faith Promise offering. But what exactly is a Faith Promise? It’s modeled after the Macedonian Christians’ example in 2 Corinthians 8—a commitment to give toward mission work, even beyond your regular giving. It’s an act of faith, where you express your desire to be generous, trusting that God will make your small contribution go further than you could imagine. It's not about meeting a need that God has—God doesn’t need our money—but about participating in His desire to funnel His abundance into the world through our generosity.
You can learn more about the Faith Promise process and submit a paper form in the offering box at the church building, or digitally at ClarenceCC.org. You can submit your Faith Promise anytime between now and this Sunday, November 3rd.
What is the ICOM (International Conference on Missions)
The Clarence Church of Christ has a long tradition of connection to the annual International Conference on Missions (ICOM). This event unites followers of Jesus, leaders, and global missionaries to encourage and spur engagement in God’s mission. The ICOM offers a valuable opportunity to learn about God’s work globally and helps each follower discover their role in His mission. This year's conference is in Lexington, KY, and the theme emphasizes that Jesus has entrusted us with the gospel—the best news—to share with those around us. As we experience His grace, we are called to extend His glory. Every believer is created, called, commanded, and commissioned to be a disciple-maker, making participation in God’s global mission essential.
Join the ICOM at Home
While many attend ICOM in person, technology now allows for remote participation. We invite you to participate purposefully in this way. We understand that you have a busy schedule and aren’t able to join all the digital ICOM programming, so we encourage you to set aside time to watch 1-2 of the ICOM workshop live streams, along with one keynote speaker session live stream – all available to stream live between November 14-16.
How to Participate at No Additional Cost to You:
Continue reading to register for access…
Continue to trust that God is present and active.
