Mission
The gospel calls us out of the world and into a distinct Kingdom family where we are marked by our faith in Christ. As we gather together weekly to worship, we are also equipped to scatter back into the world on mission. At Christ Covenant, we believe that the local church is God’s primary agent for advancing His gospel to the nations. Therefore, it is our aim to equip our members to evangelize, make disciples, and contribute to the work of multiplying churches around the world.
Mission Convictions
As Christ Covenant seeks to be more faithful to the Great Commission and as we get more focused in our missions efforts, it is important that we are guided by principles that we can agree to as a congregation.
-
We believe that prayer is ordained by God to advance His kingdom. Therefore, we are committed to praying for the gospel to move forward rapidly through our church’s efforts and global partnerships (2 Thess. 3:1; Matt. 9:37–38). We will gather regularly and corporately to intercede for our members on mission in our city and our partners serving around the world (Col. 4:2–4; Eph. 6:18–20).
-
Since the local church is God’s primary means of advancing the gospel to the nations, we prioritize church planting and strengthening as our central mission efforts (Acts 14:22; 15:32, 41; 16:5; 18:23).
Indigenous Churches
Our goal is to send church planters and missionaries to strategic cities worldwide to establish new churches or strengthen existing ones. Our missionaries aim to disciple, train, and raise indigenous pastors and leaders who can create Kingdom outposts in their own cultural contexts.
International English-Speaking Churches
We believe that international English-speaking churches are a powerful model for missions in global cities. God is drawing the nations to multicultural, multilingual urban centers, often reaching them through churches worshiping in world languages (lingua francas). Many internationals in these cities, lacking fluency in the local language, worship in a second or third language, often English. We are committed to sending elder-qualified missionaries and teams to lead these churches, reaching the nations in these urban contexts.
-
As the Lord gathers the nations into urban centers at an unprecedented pace, we are dedicated to church planting and strengthening in global cities. To take the Great Commission seriously, we must focus on reaching cities both in North America and worldwide.
The Bible and the City
Scripture provides a compelling vision of hope centered on a future city, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1-4, 22-27). This city restores the garden realities of Eden, offering the nations the joy of God’s presence (Gen. 2:8-9; Rev. 22:1-5). Tim Keller aptly describes it: “The city is the Garden of Eden, remade. The city is the fulfillment of the purposes of the Eden of God. We began in a garden but will end in a city.”
The City and Culture
Even in a fallen world, God’s common grace manifests in cities, glorifying Him and benefiting His image-bearers (Jer. 29:7; Ps. 107:7). While cities face many challenges, they also harbor resources, innovation, and talent, shaping the cultural standards of the age. As the church, we have the opportunity to display and proclaim the restorative grace of the Gospel in cities worldwide. Locally, we can engage our city through distinct witness in our neighborhoods, vocations, and civic lives.
-
Long-Term
Believing that God works through the local church to accomplish His global redemptive mission, we are committed to identifying, assessing, and equipping qualified long-term missionaries from our congregation (Acts 13:2–3; Rom. 10:14–15). This process involves leveraging Christ Covenant’s pipeline, including cohorts, Covenant Institute classes, apprenticeships, and residencies (2 Tim. 2:2).
Mid-Term
We offer opportunities in collaboration with our Reach the World partners to provide hands-on field training through 3-month to 2-year assignments. These experiences allow prospective long-term missionaries to gain valuable insights and undergo assessment in an overseas context (Acts 18:24–28; Col. 4:5).
Short-Term
We are also dedicated to sending short-term teams to strengthen partners, inspire future missionaries, and cultivate mission awareness within our church (Phil. 1:3–5; Acts 11:22–23).
-
As co-laborers with the global church (1 Cor. 3:9, Phil. 4:15-16), we value partnerships with church-centered organizations, entities, and networks that align with our core convictions. Such partnerships enhance networking, collaboration, and the efficient use of Kingdom resources for churches worldwide (e.g., IMB, ThriveWorx, Acts 29 Europe, Upstream Sending Network, Gospel City Network, European Collaboration, Duck & Goose, RTIM, Serenissima Ministries).
-
Recognizing that God has blessed Christ Covenant with faithful leaders, generous members, and other gifts, we are committed to stewarding these resources for Kingdom advancement (1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 4:2). We will approach this responsibility with reverence and intentionality, utilizing tools such as discipleship programs, the Covenant Wheel, the Institute, corporate worship, community groups, and biblical counseling (Eph. 4:11–12; 2 Tim. 3:16–17). Additionally, we will encourage many of our members toward faith-driven entrepreneurship and investment opportunities to help fuel church-centered ecosystems in global cities (Prov. 11:24–25; Matt. 25:14–30). By doing so, we aim to ensure that the resources we share are used effectively for the display of God’s glory among the nations (2 Cor. 9:6–15; Matt. 5:16).
-
As a Kingdom outpost in a secular context, Christ Covenant is called to display God’s renewing power in our city. Scattering throughout greater Atlanta during the week, we aim to love our neighbors and co-workers by doing good works, showing mercy, and pursuing justice (Jer. 29:7; Mic. 6:8; Matt. 5:16). We will embody a distinct Kingdom ethic, reflecting Christ as we await His return (Titus 2:11–14; 2 Cor. 5:20).
To fulfill this mission, we will equip our members to serve as Kingdom ambassadors in vulnerable areas of our city (Isa. 58:6–7; Matt. 25:35–40). We also seek to establish and maintain meaningful partnerships with organizations, ministries, schools, and churches in our community (Phil. 1:5; Heb. 10:24–25).
Personal Evangelism
The primary purpose of the church gathered is to worship together, and in doing so, remind one another of who God is and what he has done for us in Christ. The primary purpose of the church scattered is that the glory of God, the power of the gospel, and the Kingdom of God would go out to a world that has been separated from God by sin. This is done so that God might restore all things to himself through the proclaimed gospel of Christ. This means that the primary purpose of pastors, elders, and other church leaders is to equip the church to that end; that the church would be mature and ready for making an impact in the world for Christ (see Ephesians 4:11-16).
Bless the City
Christ Covenant seeks to live out the Great Commandments through how we Bless the City (Matthew 22: 36-40). “Bless the City” is our scattering ministry to the city of Atlanta where we get to display the mercy and justice of our God through good works. We believe that the way we love our neighbor should overflow from faith in the true gospel (Ephesians 2:8-10). Consequently, the Lord uses our good deeds to open doors for the proclamation of the gospel. In light of the overwhelming physical and spiritual need in our city, we are committed to loving our neighbors by focusing our efforts into four areas: Community Flourishing, Family Restoration, Fighting Trafficking, and Refugee Care.
Reach the World
We believe that the local church is the engine of the missions enterprise. At Christ Covenant we look to engage in the Great Commission primarily in three ways:
1. Pray
It should be a regular rhythm of our lives as Christians to pray for the advance of the Gospel. We should pray for disciples to be made among unreached peoples and places and for churches to be planted and revitalized. While we obviously want this to happen in every place, we would strongly encourage you to pray for these things in specific places. Here are a few great ways to pray for missionaries and church planters all over the world:
Join our weekly mission prayer gathering on Tuesday mornings at 7:00 am at The Armour Collective.
Pray for our partner churches and missionaries by clicking “Learn More” below.
2. Give
Scripture calls churches to support the work of missions through financial, material, and relational provision. Financially, it has always been our commitment that at least 10% of everything we give financially as a church goes to ministry outside of Christ Covenant. Our goal, as we continue to mature as a congregation, is to give more than 10% of our budget to support missions. We use these funds to meet any material needs that surface through our partnerships, or to fund specific projects, and maintain healthy relationships with our partners through our missions conference, biblical counseling resources, and care teams. You can also give directly to many of these missions efforts.
3. Go
At Christ Covenant we talk often about gathering faithfully so that we can scatter well. Part of how we scatter well is to be ready and willing to “go” out into our workplaces, neighborhoods, and even to other nations with the Gospel. At Christ Covenant we encourage our members to consider going out to join in the ministry efforts of our church planters, missionaries, and churches beyond our city. We do this primarily through short-term, mid-term and long-term sending.