A Theological Position Paper on Mission

If the Episcopal Church in Minnesota were to disappear, what would be lost? What would be the impact on our communities, on those who have not heard the good news of Jesus Christ? Would it hinder God’s mission in our time and place? Who would miss us? What might God be calling us to do?

The position paper is a “gift offering” from the BCMS to encourage theological conversation in our diocese. As noted in the paper below, “being Anglican … means being a theologian—the answers aren’t all given in advance” (¶37). All the baptized “do” theology as we seek to discern what God would have us do in this time and place. In other words, the goal of theology is to work out what God wants God’s people to be and do in their situation. Because God in Christ continues to be present in the church and to be active in our history, we are constantly challenged to align our ways with God’s ways. Doing theology is meant to assist with this alignment.

This paper was first distributed as part of the BCMS process in February 2007. It continues to express the theological grounding of our work on Mission Strategy.

The full paper is available below in PDF format.