The Great Ends of the Church

The Ends

In 1910, the United Presbyterian Church in North American formally adopted a set of mission statements that was intended to define its life and work. Called the "Six Great Ends of the Church," these brief phrases attempted to draw together elements of belief and practice that could be traced through our confessional history to the very teachings of  Jesus himself as they are recorded in the Gospels. Nine decades and two denominational mergers later, these statements remain in the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and they appear in the opening pages of the Book of Order.

•The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind
•The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
•The maintenance of divine worship
•The preservation of the truth
•The promotion of social righteousness
•The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world

The Art Work

The art work illustrating The Great Ends of the Church was taken from a small booklet of worship materials gathered to emphasize the common ground occupied by the members of the Presbyterian Church (USA). This booklet, The Great Ends of the Church, Worship Resources for Congregations, was published by the Witherspoon Press, Louisville, KY in 1997. Copies of the booklet (ISBN 1-57895-051-1) may be obtained by calling 800-524-2612. While the booklet is copyrighted, permission was granted for congregational use of the material.

The art work taken from the booklet was modified for use by the First Presbyterian Church (Las Cruces, NM). The art work was prepared for web presentation and colored by Alex. F. Burr, webmaster for the church. The colors used are somewhat different than the colors suggested by the cover of the booklet upon which the art work is based. Details of the Internet presentation are given on another page.

Go to

• The Great Ends of the Church main page
• Details of the creation of the web art work
• To comment on these pages
• Home page of the First Presbyterian Church (Las Cruces, NM)

Return to home page

Send comments, suggestions, and requests to Alex. F. Burr or send email to aburr @ zianet.com.
Technical assistance and net access provided by zianet.com .
Last update 1998-10-27 13:26:55