Questions 9 & 10

9. Describe the nature and mission of the Church. What are its primary tasks today?
The mission of the church is to make disciples for Jesus Christ.[1] This is done by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, providing healing for a hurting world, and equipping the laity for mission and ministry.
Teaching the good news of what Christ has done for us should be the first and foremost task of the church. Finding ways to reach God’s people with the message of what Jesus Christ has done for them is the most important thing that we can do as a church. This Gospel should be taught in more ways than just the Sunday morning worship service. It should be taught in Bible studies as well as different outreaches with which the church can be involved. When the Gospel is being proclaimed, the church can be moved to provide healing for this hurting world. Providing food and shelter for those who have little, helping those who are being discriminated against and also taking care of the gifts God has given us are important aspects that arise out of the Gospel.
The church must equip the laity to be in ministry and mission within the church, throughout the community, and around the world. In the grand picture of the church’s mission, the pastor’s responsibility is to move and motivate the congregation to take the gospel to the world. The pastor can make suggestions, but if the pastor is not training and equipping the laity to action, then the words coming out of the pulpit are empty rhetoric.
We see the church fulfilling the mission of the church when they look for ways to serve each other, their community and the world. I have seen this in various ministries such as mission trips to Mexico, second hand clothing stores and a legal clinic for the underprivileged. It is through these ministries that God’s people help the church to come alive and touch the lives of people in the community and the world.

10. Discuss your understanding of the primary characteristics of United Methodist polity.
The primary characteristics of the United Methodist Church consist of the constitution, doctrinal standards, ministry of Christians, social principles, and the organization and administration of the church. These five different characteristics establish a connectional system that holds the denomination together and forms an important bond within the church.
It is through connectionalism that the entire denomination can move to make a difference in our community and in our world. This occurs when the local congregations are connected in districts that are connected to annual conferences. Each annual conference is in relationship with other annual conferences in a regional Jurisdiction, which ultimately relates to the General Conference.
The constitution outlines how the United Methodist Church was established and shares basic views on the connection that we have. The doctrinal standards are statements that the church believes and teaches. The ministry of Christians is a part of our polity to encourage and equip our members to be in ministry to the world.
Our social principals say to the world what the church believes and how we stand on social issues including socioeconomic, life and death and morality. These principals are written to encourage all people, but especially for United Methodists to critically reflect on those issues to see how God is calling us to act upon them.
The final part of our polity deals with the organization and administration of our church. This describes the patterns and plans for how the church is run so we stay uniform in our administration. Each aspect is defined in the Discipline so that it is clear and ambiguity cannot cripple the process.
[1] Matthew 28:19