Fulfilling the Mission of Christ
The mission of the Church flows directly from the mission of Jesus Christ. Rooted in Christ’s identity as Prophet, Priest, and King, this mission defines not only the nature of the Church but also the vocation of every Christian.
This ecclesiology, present in Vatican II, offers a renewed vision of how this threefold mission translates into lived discipleship. Grounded particularly in Lumen Gentium, we rediscover that the Church’s role to teach, sanctify, and govern is not simply a matter of function or administrative duty.
What follows is a deeper exploration of how these dimensions—Encounter, Transformation, and Mission—are part of our participation in Christ’s own prophetic, priestly, and kingly identity. Only with this foundation can we grasp the full scope of the Church’s calling. Formation is not just for clergy or religious, but for all the faithful if we are to truly fulfill the work Christ entrusted to His Church.
Understanding Christ’s Mission
The mission of the Church comes directly from the mission of Jesus Christ. We often speak of Jesus’ mission in three roles: Prophet, Priest, and King. Many Church Fathers discuss some or all of these aspects in different ways, but it was Bonaventure who put them together as the synthesis of Christ’s entire mission. These roles help us understand how Jesus relates to us and how the Church is meant to continue His work.
As a Prophet, Jesus didn’t just speak about God. Rather, He Himself is the message. His life, actions, and teachings reveal who God is. Jesus didn’t just teach us ideas about God, but invited His disciples into a personal relationship with God in His own person. Through Jesus, I come to know God not as a distant figure, but in encountering Him as someone who loves me and I Him. This relationship draws us into the life of the Trinity—Jesus reveals the Father and the Holy Spirit.
As a Priest, Jesus offers the perfect sacrifice to sanctify His people. He did this by offering Himself on the Cross. Sanctification is a process by which we are conformed into the very image of Christ. It’s not only about being forgiven, but being transformed—our hearts, minds, and lives change and become more and more like His.
As a King, Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of Heaven. He formed a group of people, His Church, who would continue His mission to establish this Kingdom by transforming the world. This is a participation in the new creation that goes beyond the sanctification of individuals and requires a renewal of the entire secular order.
The Mission of The Church
The Church is called to extend the mission of Jesus Christ throughout time and through the whole world. This missionary demand is for all the baptized to “go make disciples.” It is valid always and everywhere, enduring till the end of time: in “each epoch and in every land.” (LG 33)
Lumen Gentium grounds this mandate in the threefold mission of Christ as prophet, priest, and king. (LG 10-13) From this foundation, the Church derives its right and duty to teach, sanctify, and govern.
While there are differences in how these roles are carried out, all the baptized share in this responsibility.
However, if these functions are disconnected from the reality of Christ’s mission, they risk being understood in a shallow or superficial way.
The role to teach cannot be reduced to the transmission of information. The role to sanctify cannot be reduced only to making the sacraments available. And the role to govern cannot be reduced to administrative oversight.
Encounter
To fulfill our prophetic mission in teaching, we must go well beyond the exposition of ideas. Instead St. Paul emphasizes our need for a renewal in how we think, not just the information we possess. (Rom 12:2) St. Paul describes this as an experience of coming to know the love of Christ that is “beyond knowing.” (Eph 3:19)
The obligation to teach should not be centered on transmitting ideas, but on helping others experience the love of Christ. This knowledge beyond knowledge only comes from prayer as real encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. Just saying words or even the performance of liturgical motions are not enough. The Church must constantly lead people to actually come to know Jesus Christ.
Our role is to give credible witness to the reality and possibility of this encounter. Then we help facilitate it.
Transformation
To fulfill our priestly mission in sanctifying, we must not reduce grace and the spiritual life to what is ex opere operato. Instead, St. Paul describes our sanctification as a process of transformation into Christ that directly proceeds from that encounter. (2 Cor 3:18) He even goes so far as to describe the process and his own experience saying, “I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” (Gal 4:19)
The obligation to sanctify should not be centered only on availability of the sacraments, but on the dynamic and radical transformation that comes from receiving, protecting, and nourishing the life of grace within us. What we should expect by a fully sanctified individual is a complete transformation of the whole person, inside and out. St. Paul describes this as nothing less than being filled with the utter fullness of God (Eph 3:19) and growing to the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:13)
Our role is to assist in the development of this inner transformation. In addition to providing the necessary opportunities for sacramental and actual graces, we also serve as a guide, support, and encouragement.
Mission
To fulfill our kingly mission in governing, we must “open our eyes and look at the fields.” (John 4:35) Mission territory extends well outside the walls of our church buildings. If we only see this responsibility as administration, then we will not go without and move beyond maintenance. The Church cannot remain shut up and afraid in the upper room. We must feel like St. Paul, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” It cannot be confined to Sunday morning liturgy.
The obligation to govern should not be centered only on management of what properly belongs to the Church. All the universe belongs to Christ, and our mandate is to participate in the establishment of His Kingdom. The Church exists to mobilize lay people who live a Christian life “engaging in temporal affairs and ordering them according to the plan of God… [they] work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven.” The very name of the liturgy as the “Mass,” with its final “Ite Missa Est” testify to this structure of the sacramental life leading to our kingly mission.
Our role is to help all Christians grow into disciples who become apostles. This means, first of all, a commissioning to go out in the name of the Christian community. “No one takes this honor upon himself.” (Heb 5:4) The call comes from God, but just as Peter confirms Paul, so the Church is necessary to bless all our activity as apostles in the world. Even the most personal ministry cannot take place outside the relationship to the parish. This also requires a specific development for people capable of living as apostles in the world. And, where helpful, the parish can provide structure and organization to improve the effectiveness of each person’s ministry.
Formation
This is the fullness of the Christian life. Growing into it is only accomplished through an active partnership with the Holy Spirit. The process of this development is called formation. It is the supernatural flourishing of grace in the soul and the holistic transformation of the individual to the point that they fully conform to Christ.
In the modern Church, formation is often spoken of in 4 categories: “intellectual, spiritual, apostolic, human.” This can be helpful and is present in the previous outline. However, This division comes from a particular approach to priestly formation that aims to prepare a man for a role.
Reading St. Paul, formation (growing into the full stature of Christ) used to be a part of what it meant to be a Christian. It’s only after the council of Trent that it solidly becomes something reserved for the “religious professionals.”
Formation is no longer understood in the full biblical / Pauline sense because we do not live out the authentic ecclesiology presented in Vatican II. Once we see the Church’s identity and mission as founded in the identity and mission of Christ, then formation comes out as an essential element of what it means for a group of Christians to live a fully Christian life.
A comprehensive description of formation is still being developed, but for now we can assert that these elements are necessary for a full living of the Christian vocation within a Christian community.
- Give witness to the reality of a personal relationship with Jesus as a real, practical foundation.
- Facilitate this deep encounter with the person of Christ.
- Provide means for living the sacraments and piety.
- Assist each person’s complete transformation in Christ as guide, support, and encouragement.
- Give a commissioning, specific training, organization, and structure for personal and collective apostolic activity.
