Five Marks of Mission
The General Assembly of October 2020 endorsed the Five Marks of Mission, agreeing that for the Church to be fit for purpose in the 21st Century, these five marks must be evidenced at local, regional and national levels. Originally developed by the Anglican Communion in the 1980s as a way to define Christian mission they are:
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
- To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
- To respond to human need by loving service
- To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
The Assembly Trustees noted that they will be interpreted and expressed differently across the Church and said that church members may also use an alternative definition of the Five Marks of Mission created by the Anglican Board of Mission in Australia in 2013:
- Witness to Christ's saving, forgiving, reconciling love for all people
- Build welcoming, transforming communities of faith
- Stand in solidarity with the poor and needy
- Challenge violence, injustice and oppression, and work for peace and reconciliation
- Protect, care for and renew life on our planet
Whichever way of expressing these essential ideas is preferred by the local, regional or national Church, the call to Christ's people to do and to be something in the image of Christ, and serve within the world, remains clear.
