There is a thought-provoking scene in Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s tale, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Young Alice comes to a fork in the road and asks the Cheshire Cat which direction she should take. “That depends a 
good deal on where you want to go,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk,” said the Cat.
The Cat’s reply is insightful. Because without a clear destination or goal, there can be no sense of direction, and therefore, one course of action is as good as any other. Alice had a purpose: walking. She just didn’t know where her walking was supposed to take her.
This is why it is so important for every church to ask the foundational question, “What is the church’s mission?” Church growth consultant Win Arn conducted a survey in which he interviewed the members of nearly 1,000 churches regarding what they perceived to be the mission of the church. 89% said the church exists “to take care of my family’s and my needs.” Only 11% said it 
exists to win the world for Jesus Christ. This points me to a disturbing reality: Many churches fail to have any sense of mission at all, and some that do may fall far short of having a mission that is biblical in its scope.
You can see the potential ramifications for the future if we allowed our mission to be determined around the framework of only “meeting my family’s and my needs.” The church’s mission is bigger than that! The better way to fulfillment is found, not in trying to make sure that my needs are met, but in giving my life to reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This sense of mission resonates in the heart of Imagine Church. Thank you for taking seriously our mission to serve in this day and time, for our Lord Jesus Christ.
