The Research Vision is a detailed picture of the size, location and vitality of all churches across the City with the demographics of Greater Melbourne, to resource and inspire the whole Church towards a common vision and coordinated strategies for ministry and intentional mission to our city.
How can the Great Commission be fulfilled in Melbourne? Is anyone fulfilling the Great Commission?
With over 3.6 million people (2006 census) in Melbourne, it is unlikely that more than 400,000 are active members of local churches or Christian communities.
• How can "The Church" reach out to the other 3.3 million?
• Who are these 3.3 million? What areas and what people groups have little or no contact with the Church or opportunity to hear the Gospel?
• Where is the Church strong and where is it ineffective, dying or non-existent?
• How many "churches" are there? What about "ethnic" churches?
IS ANYONE FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION?
There is a general belief in local churches and denominations that by doing a whole range of ministries, services, programmes, etc that somehow we are "fulfilling the Great Commission". But it seems that rarely is there serious thought given to what this would mean.
Any meaningful understanding of the Great Commission in a local community or across Melbourne calls us to reach out to (in fact to make disciples of) ALL people.
Clearly no one congregation or denomination can do this for the whole of Melbourne, no matter how big or active. There are few if any with a vision and strategy to reach out to all the people even in their local community.
To obey Jesus' call to take His mission to all people, we must at least ask "Who are all these people outside the Kingdom?", "where are they?" and "what would it take to reach out to them?".
This mission is so vast, it is clearly a job for the Whole Church working together. So then we must ask "What and where is the Body of Christ?", "What is the Church doing already?", "What are its strengths and weaknesses?". We also need to ask "Where the Church is NOT". Only when we have identified the "MISSION FIELD" and the 'MISSION FORCE" is it possible to be intentional about the Great Commission. It allows us to ask "What would it take to reach all these people?", "How will we work together to get it done?" and "How long will it take?". These are the bones or any strategy to fulfil the Great Commission.
We need to respond urgently to the call to intentional mission and reach our city together.
You can buy the research reports on line here.
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