up in the grace and truth of Christ
(Eph. 2:1–10, 4:14–16).
4)
Gathered in reproducing local
churches:
Those who are placed by
the Spirit into the Body of Christ
join with other gifted believers to
celebrate and proclaim the gospel
(Acts 2:41–47, 1 Tim. 2:3–7, 3:15–16).
5)
Sent to make disciples among all
nations:
On the basis of Jesus’
authority over all, the Church
identifies and commissions servants
to advance his mission among the
nations (Matt. 28:18–20, Acts 13:1–5,
14:21–27).
If crystallized into four components,
this one mission could be described by:
1)
Exaltation
: A passion to exalt the
glory of Christ among the nations
2)
Evangelism
: A prioritization to
proclaim salvation in Christ among
the nations
3)
Edification
: A commitment to the
healthy growth of the Body of Christ
among the nations
4)
Equipping
: An investment in
identifying, training, and sending
servants of Christ among the nations
JESUS’ MISSION
AND MISSIONS
Christ has
one
mission for this
Church age, dynamically expressed in
a diversity of missions. However, he
did not provide multiple handbooks,
one for doing church in our own
culture, and another for doing
missions outside our culture. Rather,
we do the one mission of the Church
everywhere, and our one handbook
for this mission is the Bible. The
mission of the Church is not one
program among many other programs
in a local church; it is
the
program—
the engine that pulls the train
and
the
track that aligns all the cars.
WHERE IS THE
MISSION FIELD?
We overlook the first 2–3 geographic
spheres of Acts 1:8 (Jerusalem, Judea,
and Samaria) when we talk about
the mission field as if it is only
somewhere “overseas” or cross-
cultural. The mission field is certainly
farther away out there, but it is also
right where you are and everywhere
else that the full rule of Christ is yet
to be realized.
Therefore, the mission field is
wherever the mission is advancing
with the spread of the Word and the
growth of the Church (Acts 6:7, 16:5).
Distance and cultural boundaries
do not define the mission field or
the missionary; rather, the genuine
advance of the mission is what
defines the missionary and the
mission field.
JESUS’ MISSION AND
THE MISSION OF ABC
Appalachian Bible Fellowship is
a mission of the Church, for the
Church, and by the Church—
supported by and serving a coalition
of like-minded local churches. These
churches, through the Spirit’s work,
identify prospects for ministry
training and cooperate through
Appalachian Bible College to equip
these servants for the mission.
This partnership of churches for
equipping servant-leaders is united
by a trio of core values: 1) the
primacy of the Bible, 2) the priority
of the Church, and 3) a passion for
servanthood. Together, these define,
first, our
what
: We’re motivated, in all
belief and conduct, by the absolute
necessity and sufficiency of God’s
authoritative Word, the Bible. Jesus’
mission only advances through the
advance of his Word. Second, our
where
: We’re committed to serving
local churches to equip servant-
leaders for the Church. Third, our
how
: We’re passionate for a ministry
philosophy of loving enslavement to
others that exalts The Servant, Jesus
Christ.
Our passion for The Servant, our
dear Savior Jesus, and the priority
of his mission are the compelling
motivations for world missions and
for the purpose of Appalachian Bible
College. In short, life is for
gospel
service because The Servant is our
life. Is your passion worth living and
dying for?
In addition to serving as Vice President of
Development, Jonathan Rinker is the newly
appointed Chair of the Bible and Theology
Department. He recently received a Ph.D. in
Biblical Studies from Baptist Bible Seminary.
A 1998 graduate of ABC, Dr. Rinker loves to
teach on campus and mentor students in his
church. He has served at ABC with his wife,
Sarah, since 2001.