our mission

The members of Damascus Road Church believe we are sent into the world to proclaim the gospel and to teach people to live like Jesus.

Quite simply,our mission is a rewording of the Jesus own Command to: 

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28.19-20)

Sent Into the World: 

The word "Sent" reminds us that building a community of believers has a purpose-it is a means to an end, not the end in itself.   Sometimes, however, we confuse church for the mission.  The church does not have a mission, the mission has a church.  God's mission has been the redemption of His people since time began.  We do not separate ourselves from the world to avoid living worldly--which is disobedience to God.  We discern what is redeemable in culture and reclaim it, renew it, and through it point people back to Jesus.  We do not ATTRAC. Like Jesus, we INCARNATE into the world, find where He is already at work, and join forces with Him.

To proclaim the Gospel:

Our engagement of the world has a purpose.  It has been said that "everything preaches."  The truth of the gospel should permeate all that we do, from our advertising to our preaching.  Jesus is the beginning and end of all things, the hero of every story, the aim of all of our efforts and praise.  We are not saved by the gospel and then changed by obedience, but the gospel itself transforms us (II Cor. 5.17 A NEW CREATION), is the way we grow (Gal. 3:1-3 PERFECTED by THE SPIRIT) and are renewed (Col. 1:6). It is the solution to each problem, the key to each closed door, the power through every barrier (Rom. 1:16-17 THE POWER OF GOD)."

To teach people to live like Jesus:

God's objective in this life is to make us look more like Jesus.  We aim to live like Jesus as he lived in and among the people.  Specifically, we live NO MORE than Jesus and NO LESS than Jesus.  By no more, we mean that we do not build self-righteous rules that are simply attempts to work our way back to Jesus and minimize the need for the atonement.  We also recognize God will not accept less than Jesus and requires perfection.  In our dependence upon the cross alone and Jesus living in us (Galatians 2.20), avoid both self-righteousness and self-indulgence.