WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH? For most of my life, I thought the answer was simple. The purpose of the Church is to make disciples of all the nations—first by sharing the gospel, then by baptizing unbelievers into faith, and ultimately by training followers of Jesus to become more and more like Him. This work is inherently self-perpetuating. Witnessing to the world is not enough. Converting unbelievers is not enough. Christians are called to help God’s family grow both quantitatively and qualitatively. This is the enduring purpose of the Church: to mold fallen mortals into citizens of a
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