Our Mission and Vision

The task and calling (mission) of All Saints Church comes directly from the words of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospels. Just before his ascension, Jesus told his followers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 28:18-20). As a body committed to Jesus Christ, then, the mission of All Saints Church is not up for grabs. It is becoming disciples and making disciples of Jesus Christ—full-fledged, growing followers of Jesus!

But what is a disciple of Jesus?

Before fulfilling the goal of his incarnation on the cross, Jesus’ earthly ministry focused on making disciples. Much of what he taught could be seen simply as defining “discipleship.” He called people to follow him (Mark 1:17), a simple but profound description of a disciple—someone who consistently seeks to give Jesus full allegiance and attention, obedience and affection. Jesus taught that God seeks people who worship him in spirit and truth (John 4:24); therefore, a disciple is a worshipper of God. Late in his earthly ministry, in response to a question about the greatest commandment, Jesus taught that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Loving God wholeheartedly, and loving our neighbors fervently and truly, is essential discipleship. The night before he died in our place, Jesus told his disciples, “By your love for one another, all men shall know that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35). A disciple is a follower of Jesus, someone whose heart, mind, will, emotions, and energies are directed toward loving, obeying, and serving God and neighbor.

Putting It All Together:  The Mission of All Saints Church

As followers of Jesus Christ, our mission is to become and make disciples of Jesus Christ—people who worship God in spirit and truth, grow together in mutual love and service, and bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our community by love, word, and deed.

Our Vision

All Saints Church is guided by our sense of mission, and our vision is simply to fulfill that mission as creatively and effectively as we can, through the opportunities God gives us as individuals, as a group, and as a church. We have a dream to be a biblically faithful Anglican church that embodies and proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Chapel Hill/Durham region through worship, prayer, multigenerational community, ministry to families, and robust outreach.

It’s easy to imagine what worship, prayer, and community within our church might be like, but the edge of our vision is what we call “robust outreach.” What might that look like?

• Engaging the honest issues and real questions of the people in our area.
• Personally and winsomely inviting people to understand and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Serving our neighbors who have great need.
• Investing life, skills, and strength in next-generation leaders.
• Partnering with others in local and international mission.
• Supporting and planting new sister churches in our region.

Extensive documents that expand this core “DNA” were developed in the first months of our existence and are entitled What We Believe (our convictions and commitments) and What We Do (our strategies and activities).  They are available to read online or in print at the church office.

It is our prayer that God will grant All Saints Church the privilege of fulfilling our mission of becoming and making disciples of Christ. Our dream is that the results will be evident in many creative and effective ways throughout the Chapel Hill/Durham area and the world for years to come!