Church Mission Society has launched a card game that prompts people to examine their understanding of mission.
Mission Is … The Big Question? is designed for small groups of all ages. Each playing pack includes a selection of Mission Is, Word, and Action playing cards. Players are challenged to construct a defining answer to “What is mission?” using prompts provided on each card.
Players build their personal statements using locations such as food bank, local estate, school, or home; different groups, such as homeless people, my mates, work colleagues, or prisoners; and varying actions such as visiting, helping, or baking, as well as traditional interpretations of mission such as preaching, going, and church.
After several rounds, players then choose their favorite statement.
“Our central belief is that all of God’s people are called to join in God’s mission, yet we suspect many people’s narrow definition of what mission really means is a major contributor to their hesitation about getting involved,” said Philip Mounstephen, the society’s executive leader. “This game is a fun way to challenge those misconceptions and broaden people’s understanding of how they can be a part of God’s mission.”
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
