Like a Good Neighbor - the Church’s Mission

by Barry Park

When Jesus gathered His disciples on the mountain in Matthew 28:18-20, His words were unmistakably active: “Go and make disciples of all nations…” The command was never passive. It wasn’t “wait and see who shows up,” nor was it “build something attractive enough that the world comes knocking.” It was a commissioning - a sending - rooted in the authority of Christ and fueled by His presence. The mission of the church has always been outward, not inward; movement, not maintenance; engagement, not isolation. 
(For help developing mission, see “An Elder’s Playbook,” p. 215, Play 60: Vision, Mission, Core Values.) 

Yet somewhere along the way, many churches have drifted into a “come to us” mindset. We build programs, polish services, and hope the world will wander in. Without realizing it, we create an invisible wall between “us” and “them,” forgetting that Jesus never divided the world that way. He didn’t wait for sinners to find Him. He walked to them, ate with them, touched them, healed them, and loved them. The Great Commission is not fulfilled by staying. It’s fulfilled by going. 

The Great Commission tells us what to do - go and make disciples. The Great Commandment tells us how to do it - with sacrificial love. 

This outward movement is deeply connected to the second command Jesus highlighted in Matthew 22:39: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” When the religious leaders pressed Him with “who is my neighbor,” Jesus responded with the story of the Good Samaritan (in Luke chapter 10). It wasn’t a theoretical answer. It was a disruptive one. 

The Samaritan crossed the road. He crossed cultural boundaries. He crossed prejudice, fear, and inconvenience. He sacrificed time, resources, and comfort to love someone who, by every social standard, should have been considered an enemy. Jesus was redefining “neighbor” not as someone who lives near me, looks like me, or believes like me, but as anyone God places in my path - especially those I would naturally avoid. 

This is the heart of the mission: love that moves, love that goes, love that sacrifices. 

Church services matter. Gathering matters. Worship matters. Teaching matters. But if the church becomes a place we attend rather than a mission we live, we’ve missed the point. We are always one generation away from losing the Gospel - not because God is weak, but because His people can become comfortable. The early church grew not because they had great buildings or polished programs, but because they lived out love among the people. They went where others wouldn’t go. They loved those others wouldn’t love. They carried the message of Jesus into homes, marketplaces, workplaces, and streets. 

We must recover that movement. 

The world is not commanded to come to church. The church is commanded to go to the world, to go where people live, work, learn, and play; to go into conversations, into neighborhoods, into brokenness, into need; to go with humility, compassion, and genuine care; to go with the Gospel not just on our lips but in our lives. 

This kind of going will cost us something. It will require time, vulnerability, patience, and sacrifice. But this is the way of Jesus. He didn’t love from a distance. He didn’t serve when it was convenient. He didn’t draw lines between insiders and outsiders. He crossed every barrier to bring life to those who needed it most. The incarnation itself is the ultimate example - Jesus didn’t wait for humanity to come to Him; He came to us. 

If we refuse to go, we begin to resemble the Pharisees - religious, structured, knowledgeable, but unmoved by compassion. They knew the Scriptures but missed the heart of God. They loved their systems more than their neighbors. Jesus warned His followers not to fall into the same trap. 

This mission begins with us. 

If you are reading this article, you are likely a leader in your local church. And if you are not personally, sacrificially investing in and loving those outside the church, the church will follow your example. I hope you will take a moment to do a self-evaluation - more than knowing the Gospel, are you living the Gospel as Jesus commanded? 

The Gospel travels best on the rails of authentic love. 

If we claim to follow Christ, going is not optional. Loving is not optional. Sacrifice is not optional. This is the way of Jesus, and He invites us to walk it with Him. 

May we be a people who go.

May we be a people who love. 

May we be a people who live the mission - not just inside the church, but everywhere God sends us.