• Directories
    • Business Directory
    • Church Directory
    • Organization Directory
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Help
  • Log In

MENUMENU
  • Learning
        • Leader’s Edge
          • Author Interviews
          • Book Summaries
        • Book Reviews
          • Book Look
          • EMQ Book Reviews
        • Publications
          • Anthology
          • Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ)
          • Missiographics
        • Podcasts
          • The Mission Matters
          • Members Only Feed
          • Missions Podcast DirectoryNew
        • Topics
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Diaspora Missions
          • Global Issues Updates
          • Member Highlights
          • Mobilization
          • Muslim Missions
          • Support Raising
          • UkraineNew
        • Media Library
          • Conferences
          • Global Issue Updates
          • On Mission
          • Thought Leader Briefings
          • Webinars
          • Workshop
          • View All
  • Programs
    • Accreditation
    • Bible Certificate
    • Church Missions Coaching
    • Cohorts
    • Cybersecurity
    • ImproveNew
    • Mission Jobs
    • Missions DataNew
    • Publish
    • RightNow Media
    • The Mission App
    • Women’s Development
  • Events
          • Calendar
          • In-Person Events
          • Virtual Events
          • Event Recordings
          • Awards
        • Premier Events
          • Mission Leaders Conference
          • On Mission
        • Upcoming Events

          • Evangelical Views on Women in Ministry & Marriage: Differences in Interpretation, Not Inspiration
            Fri May 20, 2022, 04:00 PM PDT
          • Webinar: An Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Cross-Cultural Risk
            Thu May 26 2022, 12:00pm EDT
          • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
            Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
        • View All Events
  • Research
          • Missions DataNew
          • Missiographics
          • Research Reports
        • Popular Research
          • Compensation Reports
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Field Attrition Report
          • View All Reports
        • Contribute
          • Current Research Projects
          • Volunteer
  • About Us
        • Who We Are
          • Our Contribution
          • Meet the Team
          • Board Members
          • History (1917–present)
        • Our Beliefs
          • Statement of Faith
          • Community Standards
        • Awards
        • Partner with Us
          • Advertise
          • Donate
          • Sponsorships
          • Volunteer
        • Help
          • Contact Us
          • Advertising Specs
          • Branding Guidelines
  • Join
        • Learn
        • Learn what you cannot learn anywhere else.

        • Meet
        • Meet people you otherwise won’t meet.

        • Engage
        • Engage in a community like none other.

          • Benefits
          • Benefits for Churches
          • Pricing

Sponsored Content

Upcoming Events

  • Evangelical Views on Women in Ministry & Marriage: Differences in Interpretation, Not Inspiration
    Fri May 20, 2022, 04:00 PM PDT
  • Webinar: An Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Cross-Cultural Risk
    Thu May 26 2022, 12:00pm EDT
  • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
    Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • From Harlem to the World - the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions
    Wed Aug 3 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Innovation Leaders Discussion
    Mon Aug 8 2022, 01:00pm EDT

View all events »

Topics

author interview CEO Church Church Missions Church Mission Team Church Planting COVID-19 Cross Cultural Skills Diaspora Disciple Making Discipleship Focus Future Innovation Islam Justin Long Leadership Management Member Care Missiology Missionaries Mission Finance and Administration MLC2019 MLC2020 MLC2021 Mobilization muslim Muslim Diaspora Networks Partnership Podcast Presenter Pursuing Partnerships Series Research Risk Short-Term Missions Spirituality support raising Training Trends Unengaged Unreached Weekly Roundup Women Women in Leadership

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

The Church is Not Individual

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Hannah GuintoMay 9, 2022

The Church does not exist without Christ, for Christ is the Cornerstone and we are living stones being built together in Him (1 Peter 2, Ephesians 2). Yet somehow, we as believers miss that oneness of the Church as a whole. Christ never meant for us to function individually, for nothing in the Word is individual. Does Christ care for individuals? Absolutely! Does God save us as individuals? Yes! Individually, is abiding and obedience important? That shouldn’t even be a question, but yes! Do we each have specific skills, talents, and personalities? Of course! We were designed by God!

But let’s not miss this: the Church is made up of individuals, and together we are one body – all of the Church around the world. Christ is the Head and He gives gifts of grace to each part of the body for the building up of the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4).

Jesus does this for the ministry as a whole. We are chosen for His purposes, to accomplish His work of redemption. He equips us together as individual parts to work together as a body of believers for His ultimate glory. Oftentimes the Church views only the work they are doing within their community of believers without seeing that every gathering of believers is a part of the Church as one body. Or worse, our focus can become so engulfed in what we individually do or don’t do for the Kingdom that we completely miss out on the sovereignty of our Creator and the fact that He’s been at work for thousands of years. We can’t mess that all up.

A body cannot function without the head (obviously), but we also won’t be as useful if a leg is missing, or a vital organ is missing or even a finger. We were never meant to do the work alone, claim the work as our own, or be so individualized that we make the work of Christ centered on us as individuals. The Church belongs to Christ, and Jesus Christ died so His bride could be made alive with Him, AND so that all the nations, tribes, languages, and peoples would too come to know Him.

The Church MUST work together, in love and humility. Jesus never meant for anything to be individual. He uses individuals to accomplish His purpose, but it’s never been about us as individuals. Who is it all about? Who has it always been about? Jesus Christ!  

–––

International Commission equips and enables believers worldwide to conduct church-based evangelism projects to reach unbelievers and make disciples. You can find free resources to learn more about sharing Jesus with people in your own backyard and around the world at internationalcommission.org/training.


This article is submitted by Brooke Stewart of International Commission. International Commission is a Missio Nexus member.  Member organizations can provide content to the Missio Nexus website. See how by clicking here.

GoToOlder PostNewer PostAll PostsArticlesFeaturedMember HighlightCommunication and RelationshipsLeaders

Write a Comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to Our Mailing List

Keep up to date with our community.

Menu

  • Home
  • Directories
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Join

  • Join
  • Benefits
  • Learn
  • Meet
  • Engage

Help

  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Cookies Policy

About Us

  • Who We Are
  • Statement of Faith
  • Awards
  • Resources
Missio Nexus Logo

© Missio Nexus. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate Missio Nexus earns from qualifying purchases.


PO Box 398
Wheaton, IL 60187-0398

Phone: 770.457.6677
678.392.4577

Annual Sponsors

ECFA Logo Brotherhood Mutual Logo

Subscribe to our Mailing List

Membership website powered by MembershipWorks