Great Co-Mission: Discipleship

A monthly column by Marilyn Gamm

by Marilyn Gamm | Special to Presbyterian News Service

San Bernardino, Calif.

Marilyn Gamm, chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”—Matthew 28:18–20

Discipleship—following Jesus’ teachings and leading others to become his followers—is never done alone. As Jesus promised his first disciples, so through Scripture he promises us that he travels our faith journeys with us, to the places and opportunities for ministry to which we are called. The Great Commission that Jesus gave disciples at the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel is one of “co-mission”—indeed a covenant to be with us in continuing the mission and ministry he began and then entrusted his followers to take beyond Galilee to “all nations.”

These past two years as I have served as chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board, through this column I have endeavored to showcase a few of the many ways this agency and its ministries honor and follow Jesus’ Great Commission by “co-missionally” coming alongside, partnering with and providing resources to the mid councils, pastors, congregations, fellowships and new worshiping communities who make up the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Whether partnering congregations with mission co-workers who are literally making “disciples of all nations,” providing advocacy resources and advocating on behalf of our members, supporting the establishment of new worshiping communities, assisting in response to natural and human-caused disasters, and so much more, the Presbyterian Mission Agency and its dedicated staff are called in a co-missional relationship simply to serve you in your own discipleship.

As my terms as chair and serving on the board come to a close at the conclusion of the General Assembly this month, it is my hope and prayer that this column has inspired its readers to not only explore the co-mission resources I have showcased, but to also become more familiar with the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s many ministries and the discipleship resources and opportunities offered.

Shalom in Christ Jesus.

“Great Co-Mission,” of which this is the final installment, has been a monthly column written by the Rev. Marilyn Gamm, transitional executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Riverside and outgoing chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) Board, who will complete her service as chair and as a member of the PMA Board at the 222nd General Assembly (2016).