~ Rev. Ben Pascal This article was originally published in PCJH’s Summer 2025 Pinnacle, “Partners in the Gospel”
Engaging in the Missio Dei: The Mission of God
Cue the music. You know the one—suspenseful, urgent, full of purpose. It’s the theme from ”Mission: Impossible”, and for many of us growing up, those words—“Your mission, should you choose to accept it”—sparked our imaginations. Secret tapes, high-stakes missions, agents who never hesitated.
They never said, “Eh, not today. I’m feeling more like a beef sandwich and a nap.” Why? Because when you’re an agent, mission isn’t optional. It’s your identity. The same is true for us. If you’re a follower of Christ, you’re an agent of the Most High. You have a mission. And trust me, it’s more significant than golf games, Netflix marathons, or the next level of Candy Crush.

But what exactly is that mission?
Is it about my purpose—missio me? Or is it about aligning with something bigger than ourselves—missio Dei, the mission of God? Let’s find out.

Life Together: Rooted in Christ, Reaching Out in Love
At PCJH, our mission statement captures a beautiful vision, “Life Together: Rooted in Christ, Reaching Out in Love.” That third part (‘reaching out in love’), is where our identity meets our purpose. It’s our outward-focused mission. It’s the Missio Dei.
The Missio Dei (Latin for “the mission of God”) isn’t a church program. It’s not even something we create or control. It’s God’s mission to redeem, renew, restore, and reconcile all things through Christ—and we’re invited to participate. Every member a missionary. Not some. Not the pastors. Not just the mission team. All of us. You have unique gifts, passions, and callings. What if those were given to you not just for self-fulfillment, but so you could be part of God’s mission to transform the world?

What Is the Missio Dei? Theologian David Bosch once said, “Mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God.” In other words, mission doesn’t start with us. It starts with the heart of God. Alan Hirsch put it another way: “It’s not so much that the church has a mission; it’s that the mission of God has a church.” God is a sending God. We see this clearly in the Trinity:

The Father sends the Son, The Father and Son send the Spirit, The Spirit sends us. Mission is woven into the very nature of the Triune God. It’s not a side project—it’s who God is. In Luke 4, Jesus defines his mission by quoting Isaiah 61:“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor… freedom for the prisoners… sight for the blind… to release the oppressed…”
And then Jesus says, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus knew exactly who he was and why he had come—to fulfill God’s mission to rescue, redeem, and restore creation. Our mission flows from our identity, too. We are children of the Most High. We are co-heirs with Christ. We are ambassadors of reconciliation. We are called.

Joining the Mission: The Church’s Role
So what’s the church’s role in all of this? Jesus said plainly: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). We are sent people—empowered by the Spirit to join God’s work in the world.
Isaiah 61 reminds us that we will be called “ministers of our God.” In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul calls us ambassadors of Christ. And not just any ambassadors—we carry the message of reconciliation, the hope of transformation. The Greek word used for ambassador here is presbeuō—yes, it’s where we get “Presbyterian.” But more than elders or leaders, it reminds us that all of us are called to be ambassadors. We are sent to be signs and agents of the kingdom of God. The mission isn’t just across the ocean—it starts across the street.

Outward-Focused Mission: Why It Matters Now
One of PCJH’s four core values is “Outward-Focused Mission: Sharing the hope of Christ through generosity, service, and partnerships; pouring out God’s love to neighbors near and far.” That’s not just a tagline. It’s a vision for how we live. The church was never meant to be a country club for the saved. It’s a launching pad for the sent. Reggie McNeal put it bluntly: “The culture around us does not wake up each morning thinking they would go to church if only there were a good one to attend.” We must be present in our neighborhoods, engaged in our communities, and attuned to the spiritual hunger around us. Church activity doesn’t equal spiritual vitality. A busy church isn’t always a missional church.
We don’t need more programs—we need more presence. More Spirit-filled followers of Jesus living out an embodied apologetic, witnessing not just in word, but in transformed lives that radiate love, joy, justice, and peace.

Transformation Is the Mission
God’s mission is nothing less than the transformation of all creation.
That’s a big claim, but it’s exactly what Scripture promises. 2 Corinthians 5 says:“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
The Greek word for reconciliation in this passage is katallassō—from which we get the word catalyst. A catalyst doesn’t change itself, but it changes everything it touches. That’s what Jesus does. He remains the same, yet everything he touches is transformed. He touches us—and we are changed. We are no longer slaves to sin, but sons and daughters of grace. No longer exiled, but brought home. No longer consumers, but co-laborers in God’s mission.

Where Do We Go From Here?
The final words of Jesus, in Acts 1:8, before his ascension echo still: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”
This isn’t theoretical. It’s practical.

Our Jerusalem is Jackson Hole.
Our Judea and Samaria may be the broader U.S.
Our ends of the earth are Guatemala, El Salvador, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, France, Israel, and beyond—wherever our mission partners are planted.

In this issue of ”The Pinnacle”, you’ll hear stories from our mission partners—locally, nationally, and globally. These stories are a glimpse into how the Missio Dei is unfolding today—and how we’re called to join it.

“I Know a House…”
Let me leave you with a beautiful image from author and pastor Earl Palmer, who once wrote:
“I know a house that took me in, to send me out… I came to know the people of this house who took me in and who sent me out because they taught me here about the owner of the house and in time I learned his name… I felt the powerful surprise of hope and resolve… I know this house. And wherever I go I find it… always the house that takes me in to send me out.”
That’s the church. That’s PCJH. A place that gathers us, transforms us, and sends us.

Choose the Mission
So I ask again: What mission are you living for? Missio me? Or Missio Dei?
You were made for more than comfort or distraction. You were made for transformation. To be transformed—and to bring transformation. As a follower of Jesus, your life is part of God’s great story to redeem and renew the world. So cue the music. Your mission awaits. And this message… will not self-destruct.