Following his resurrection, Jesus sent the eleven disciples ahead of him to Galilee. There he met with them on a high hill to give them their commission as Apostles; a commission which would be embedded in the church through their leadership: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (vv. 10-20a). This is the church’s mission given by Divine authority (vs. 18).

The church may do many things that are good and admirable. For instance, one church may provide a service to members of their community which meets a particular need. Another church may help build wells in an impoverished nation. But the mission of the church, that thing which she must do above all else, is make disciples of Jesus. And the church makes disciples through two primary means: incorporation into the church (“baptizing them”) and a full diet of biblical instruction (“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”).

Making disciples of Jesus Christ is the mission given to the church by the church’s Lord. Disciples cannot be made apart from or outside Christ’s body. And because disciples are made by and in the church, this mission will never lack the empowering presence of the omnipresent Jesus. He is with his church without fail in every step of her journey home.