the function of liturgy? - what is mission

Annika helpfully left this comment on my post "the function of liturgy?":

"Can you define 'mission' - I think it would help being very clear in what that would mean in today's world. Only once that is clear we can then move on and talk about liturgy's function in sending 'people out to join with God in mission.'"

Well, that is a good question. Here is my very anglican answer:

So what is mission? The Anglican Church uses these five marks or strands to describe what mission is all about. Here are the Five Strands of Mission:
• To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
• To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
• To respond to human need by loving service
• To seek to transform unjust structures of society
• To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
(Bonds of Affection-1984 ACC-6 p49, Mission in a Broken World-1990 ACC-8 p101)

Mission can be described as a rope, and these are the five strands of that rope. Together they describe mission. Some will argue that the first statement is what mission is all about (for example on http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/mission/fivemarks.cfm) Others will argue that the no brainer in all this is the transforming of unjust structures (Because God really does not like it when people are treated unjustly, just read the bible) But really all of these are needed.

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