What Is The Mission Of Our Church?

(9Marks) According to Scripture, the local church’s mission is to proclaim, preserve, and display the gospel.

Proclaim the gospel. Jesus charged the apostles with proclaiming the gospel to all nations (Matt. 28:18-20), and he established the church to carry out that task. Preaching the gospel is central to the church’s mission (2 Tim. 2:15, 4:2)

Preserve the gospel. Paul calls the church a pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). The church is charged with the task of preserving the true gospel throughout the ages (1 Tim. 1:3-4; 2 Tim. 1:13; Tit. 1:9). It does this through faithfully preaching the gospel, refuting false teaching, and maintaining doctrinal and moral purity among its members.

Display the gospel. Paul says that through the church God makes known his wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (Eph. 3:10). Through the holy lives of its members and its unity-in-diversity (1 Cor. 12:12-26), the church is called to be a vivid, living color display of the gospel it preaches.

Historic Confessions

We recognize that God has been at work in every generation throughout history to call out a people for His name.  At various points in history, battles against false teaching have been waged by those committed to the truth of the gospel.

Below are links to several historic confessions that we find of value in our defense of gospel truth:

Apostles Creed is an ancient creed dating back to at least AD 390.  It provides a simple outline of basic doctrine.

London Baptist Confession 1689 with preface by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

New Hampshire Baptist Confession 1833

Catechism

Throughout history the church has made use of questions and answers as a means of teaching doctrine to the next generation.  We believe that catechism can still be of help in grounding us in the faith.

In 1855 C.H. Spurgeon compiled a catechism for his church family, he wrote this in the preface:

“I am persuaded that the use of a good Catechism in all our families will be a great safeguard against the increasing errors of the times, and therefore I have compiled this little manual from the Westminster Assembly’s and Baptist Catechisms, for the use of my own church and congregation. Those who use it in their families or classes must labour to explain the sense; but the words should be carefully learned by heart, for they will be understood better as years pass.”

A Puritan Catechism (Spurgeon)

A Baptist Catechism (Edited by John Piper)

Associations

Kitwe Church is a member of the Sola5 association of churches in Southern Africa.

Sola 5 is not a church or a denomination of churches, but an association of God-centred evangelicals in Southern Africa. Sola 5 straddles country borders to embrace churches in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The association aims to enable committed member churches to benefit from:

• an unambiguous shared identity;
• fellowship;
• prayer;
• accountability;
• theological education;
• mutual support in church-planting ventures;
• coordination of missionary activities;
• an effective Internet website; and
• economies of scale in the publishing of sound literature.