WHAT IS A MATTHEW 25 CHURCH?
The Matthew 25 invitation focuses on Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the sheep and goats in which Jesus makes clear, that what we do matters to God and how we treat others is important to God.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
When we welcome others, we welcome Christ; when we bring together people who are divided, we are doing God’s reconciling work. We are called to serve Jesus by contributing to the well-being of the most vulnerable in all societies – rural and urban, small and large, young and not-so-young. From affordable housing to community gardens to equitable educational and employment opportunities to healing from addiction and mental illness to enacting policy change – there is not just one way to be a part of the Matthew 25 movement. Make no mistake, Jesus is calling us to perform ordinary acts of compassion in daily life. In so doing, we continue Christ’s work of proclaiming release to captives and good news to the poor — the good news of God’s righteousness, justice and peace for all.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MATTHEW 25 INITIATIVE IN THE GREATER PC(USA)
HOW ARE WE PUTTING THE MATTHEW 25 INITIATIVE INTO ACTION?
A Matthew 25 church commits to embrace one or more of the three areas of focus:
- Building congregational vitality
- Dismantling structural racism
- Eradicating systemic poverty
During this transitional season, Session is building congregational vitality through discerning and implementing a new church leadership structure, redefining and expanding staff roles, and striving to become a healthy system.
Our Hope for Change (HFC) Anti-Racism Cohort is leading our church in dismantling structural racism through education and advocacy efforts- most recently through our Hidden History DFW bus tour.
Our Mission Ministry is striving to eradicate systemic poverty by partnering with organizations (such as The Network of Community Ministries) that seek to treat not just the symptoms of persistent poverty, but also the root of the causes.
