Our Story
(An Interview with Dr. Ronny Russell) 

Ronny, you have been at Mission since 1974.  What kind of changes have you seen during those years?
The world around us continues to change dramatically.  We no longer live in a church culture so we have had to learn to do church in different ways.  There is very little we do today that we were doing in 1974 when it comes to ministry and programming. 

Mission itself is a different church than it was in 1974.  Sometimes I tell people that I have really pastured three, maybe four churches in those years.  Now, on any given Sunday, there probably aren’t more than 30 or 40 people who were here in 1974.  In the past ten years, especially, we have gained a lot of new people that probably make up more than two-thirds of the present congregation.

Mission is like a lot of other churches in that it has a purpose statement.  How does the church fulfill its purpose?
The first part of our mission statement says that our purpose it “to make disciples.”  The first thing we ask of any activity, proposed change, ministry, event, or whatever is “what is its disciple-making function?’  If it does not have one, it shouldn’t be done.  It’s that simple.  We exist as a church for only one reason - to make disciples.  That means that we are not about growing a church but growing a kingdom, the Kingdom of God.

Talk about Mission’s denominational affiliation.  Is it Southern Baptist or what?
Mission is unapologetically Baptist.  Historically we have been affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention but now perhaps the best way to describe us is that we are “functionally non-denominational.”   In recent years we have broadened our affiliation to include other Christian bodies as well.  It is our desire to partner with any church body that will help us to carry out our purpose which is to make disciples.  Presently we network with groups such as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, The Stanly Baptist Association, the Concord Night Shelter, West Stanly Christian Ministries, Pregnancy Resource Center, Samaritan’s Purse, Missions Connect, as well as Southern Baptists.

What is your vision for the church in the next 5-10 years?  
I do not believe we can actually plan that far ahead but we can develop a vision that will carry us into the future.  We have doubled in attendance over the past ten years and we may do that again over the next decade.  However, numbers are not the main thing.  The church is not about bodies, buildings and budgets. The church is not a religious club. It is on mission with Jesus.  Jesus never called His followers to a building but to “go into all the world.”  I believe that we will have to continue to make some very drastic and radical changes over the next few years if we are to take the gospel in a relevant way to the world around us. 

Currently we have adopted a multi-site strategy.  Instead of launching into a massive building program at our present site on Mission Church Road, we will be having worship services at various venues in the region. 

Our foray into the multi-site strategy began in early 2008 when we launched the Connection Café, an alternative worship service meeting in our recently remodeled and upfitted fellowship building.  We anticipate establishing other worship venues in the near future. 

How would you describe your style of preaching?     
My preaching is grace-based which means that my goal is to offer the love and grace of God to hurting and broken people.   My goal is to teach in a way that speaks to the needs of people in their everyday lives.  I believe the preacher should tackle the tough issues which I do from time to time. 

What do you offer to adults who want to grow stronger in their faith and do more than just come to a worship service?
We work hard at helping people to connect with each other through small groups and Adult Bible Fellowship (adult Sunday School) where opportunities are provided for spiritual growth.  It is also our strong belief that people grow deep in their relationship with God through meaningful ministry in the community and throughout the world. 

Mission has grown in numbers in recent years.  How do you manage the relational aspect of belonging with so many people attending?     
I believe that as a church grows larger it must also find ways to become smaller.  This can be done in smaller groups such as ministry teams, Adult Bible Fellowships, etc.  The multi-site strategy also provides opportunities for people to connect to groups of people in meaningful ways.