What is Mission 1:8?

If you’ve been around our church for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard us mention “Mission 1:8” and wondered: “OK, they keep saying that. It sounds important. But… what does it mean? What is Mission 1:8?!” Mission 1:8 is our church’s ministry strategy to reach our city, nation, and world for Jesus Christ. Every gift given to our church goes into a single ministry fund that we call “Mission 1:8.” Now let me explain why we call this fund “Mission 1:8.”

We use the term “mission” because every dollar we spend is intended to help us accomplish the mission God has given to His church. God’s mission for the church is the Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations. The way we say it here at First Baptist Dallas is that we exist to “transform the world with God’s Word one life at a time.” That is what we’re all about. We want to present the gospel and call people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Then we want to help new believers grow spiritually, so they can experience joy and begin to make more disciples themselves.

But the church needs a strategy, a specific plan for how to do this. In sports, a coach tells the team: “Let’s win the championship!” That’s the ultimate goal. But every good coach will break down the game, helping the team form a strategy to win one game, one quarter, one play at a time. The overall goal never changes, but we need to form a strategy to know how best to reach it each year.

The strategy for achieving our church’s mission comes from Acts 1:8, where Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The plan for reaching the world is geographical. He told them to start where they were, in Jerusalem, that’s local ministry. Then He told them to fan out into the surrounding area, Judea and Samaria, which is national ministry. And then He told them to go “to the remotest part of the earth,” which is international ministry.

When you give to support Mission 1:8, you are participating in the mission that God has given to His church to pursue. You’re pursuing this mission in a way that is purposeful and strategic. And you’re making a powerful impact for Jesus Christ here in Dallas, across our nation, and throughout the world!

To learn more about Mission 1:8 WIN NOW visit, firstdallas.org/win.