--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s not that the church has a mission…" description: "\"“It’s not that the church has a mission. It’s that a mission has the church.”\" — Rob Wegner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/rob-wegner-110191_goals_it-s-not-that-the-church-has-a-mission-i_1767103.jpg" --- # It’s not that the church has a mission. It’s that a… ![“It’s not that the church has a mission. It’s that a mission has the church.” quote by Rob Wegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/rob-wegner-110191_goals_it-s-not-that-the-church-has-a-mission-i_1767103.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/rob-wegner-110191_goals_it-s-not-that-the-church-has-a-mission-i_1767103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/rob-wegner-110191_goals_it-s-not-that-the-church-has-a-mission-i_1767103.jpg) > ““It’s not that the church has a mission. It’s that a mission has the church.”” Rob Wegner ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The church does not possess a mission; rather, a mission defines the church’s purpose and direction. **In simple terms:** Mission gives the church its purpose. Key Takeaway Align church activities with a clear mission. Themes mission church purpose leadership Mood strategic inspirational Type Church:1 Goals:0 Mission:1 Religion:0 Church Mission:0 Mission Mission:0 Mission Church:0 When to use this quote - churches may resist mission‑driven change. Key Concepts vision casting strategic planning community impact Questions to Reflect On - determined - hopeful A Different Perspective What mission best reflects your community’s needs?;How can you embody that mission daily? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mission/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [The church doesn’t have a mission; there is a mission, and it has the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-emery-white/the-church-doesn-t-have-a-mission-there-is-a-mission-and-it-has-the/) [James Emery White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-emery-white/) > [We as a church don't have a mission. The mission has a Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-mcneal/we-as-a-church-don-t-have-a-mission-the-mission-has-a-church/) [Reggie McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-mcneal/) > [It's not so much that the church has a mission, it's that the mission of God has a church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/it-s-not-so-much-that-the-church-has-a-mission-it-s-that-the-mission/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-j-h-wright/it-is-not-so-much-the-case-that-god-has-a-mission-for-his-church-in/) [Christopher J. H. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-j-h-wright/) > [The church was made for mission-God's mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-j-h-wright/the-church-was-made-for-mission-god-s-mission/) [Christopher J. H. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-j-h-wright/) > [If everything is mission, nothing is mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-neill/if-everything-is-mission-nothing-is-mission/) [Stephen Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-neill/) > [The mission of the church is missions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-j-smith/the-mission-of-the-church-is-missions/) [Oswald J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-j-smith/) > [Each soul enters with a mission. We all have a mission to perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/each-soul-enters-with-a-mission-we-all-have-a-mission-to-perform/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [“Our mission is to be the resource that helps achieve the mission. However, if we make ourselves the mission, we will be neither mission…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/our-mission-is-to-be-the-resource-that-helps-achieve-the-mission/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I believe everybody has a mission and my mission was to bring children in - that wanted to be in a body that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-son-of-zebedee/i-believe-everybody-has-a-mission-and-my-mission-was-to-bring/) [James, son of Zebedee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-son-of-zebedee/) > [And this is the mission of the church--not civilization, but salvation--not better laws, purer legislation, social elevation, human equality and liberty, but first, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbott-eliot-kittredge/and-this-is-the-mission-of-the-church-not-civilization-but-salvation/) [Abbott Eliot Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbott-eliot-kittredge/) > [Proclaiming the gospel to all mankind is a fundamental part of the mission of the Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-russell-ballard/proclaiming-the-gospel-to-all-mankind-is-a-fundamental-part-of-the/) [M. Russell Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-russell-ballard/) > [“the Spirit himself is sovereign over the mission, the church can only be the attentive servant. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesslie-newbigin/the-spirit-himself-is-sovereign-over-the-mission-the-church-can-only/) [Lesslie Newbigin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesslie-newbigin/) > [I'm on a mission! Mission to avoid you, To forget you, To not to talk to you, To not to think about you anymore……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simi-ngr/i-m-on-a-mission-mission-to-avoid-you-to-forget-you-to-not-to-talk-to/) [Simi Ngr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simi-ngr/) > [America is a Nation with a mission - and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/america-is-a-nation-with-a-mission-and-that-mission-comes-from-our/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More by Rob Wegner > [“The mission of God is the origin of every expression of ecclesiology, every understanding of how the church is structured and why it exists.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-wegner/the-mission-of-god-is-the-origin-of-every-expression-of-ecclesiology/) Rob Wegner Explore all 2 Rob Wegner quotes ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s not that the church has a mission. 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