Mission and the local ChurchThe mission of the mission of the Church by God has not changed. The Church is a global enterprise with entities in almost every country pursuing the same goal. The mission of the Church transcends time, change and culture. The mission remains unchanged but the way it is achieved changes by culture and over time. “Mission must be accomplished by valuing culture, taking into account the way the Gospel is proclaimed and reflected more deeply, and doing so in a way that recognizes the prior presence of the spirit of God among the peoples of the world (Bevans , 2013, page 8). » First Wesleyan Church seeking to fulfill the church's mission to the unique culture of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Analysis of First Wesleyan's mission and vision reveals strengths and weaknesses in relation to the unchanging mission of the universal Church. Mission of the First Wesleyan ChurchesThe First Wesleyan Church of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, is located in the heart of the Bible Belt. Bartlesville, Oklahoma is a stagnant-growth, extremely rich and poor community. According to the First Wesleyan website, “our mission is defined by God, through the Holy Bible. In two very important biblical passages we discover mission. The two biblical passages are taken from the words of Jesus Christ: Matthew 28:18-20 and Matthew 22:37-40. Our mission is to love God, love others, and help others know and love God (2015). The mission is achieved through three simple concepts: Come, Grow and Go. First, Wesleyan wants people to know Christ and come to church. Second, they intend to help people grow in their relationship with Christ through worship services, discipleship, and small groups. When people grow up, they will want to go and serve in the church, the community...... middle of paper ......rm for the early Wesleyans, but there are few resources, training and opportunities provided that create a culture of service within the Church. There are no consistent local mission opportunities offered and the few mission trip opportunities are limited in numbers and are usually hand-selected with much neglect from the church of these opportunities. ConclusionAnalysis of First Wesleyan's mission and vision reveals strengths and weaknesses in relation to the unchanging mission of the universal church. . First, Wesleyan offers many ministries to reach the world for Christ, but it does so from the comfort of the Church. No church is perfect and all could be better in carrying out the mission of the Church. Although the mission remains unchanged, the approach changes from culture to culture. First Wesleyan will continue to seek to better fulfill its mission in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and beyond..