“The Church has only one reason for its existence; that reason is to go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, to see that no creature in all the universe misses hearing the good news of when Jesus comes. There must not be a single person anywhere who has not been reached by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and His only way of reaching the lost is through the Church.“
[Excerpt from: Bishop Monroe, R. Saunders, Sr,. The United Church of Jesus Christ, Apostolic, Convocation, June 1990]
Jesus’ ministry characteristically reached toward the lost and marginalized through costly service that challenged social and religious constructions of reality. The Apostle Paul understood ministry as an Apostolic urgency. Ministry meant holding nothing back complete transparency and comprehensive spiritual instruction. Paul addressed the Ephesian church elders at Miletus, reminding them of his three years of ministry among them marked by humility, tears, and persecution before revealing that the Holy Spirit had warned him of coming imprisonment and afflictions. Against this backdrop of impending suffering, Paul declared that none of these threats moved him because he counted his life as expendable in order to complete the ministry he had received from Christ: testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:17-38) Paul understood ministry as the work of reconciliation God had given believers the word of reconciliation, making them ambassadors for Christ. (2 Cor 5:18-20)