We exist to glorify God by pointing the affections of all peoples to the all satisfying person of Jesus Christ.
 
A mission statement functions like the north star. It is the compass by which BCBC checks her course. Just as the direction north does not originate from the traveler so the direction of God’s church does not originate from the minds of men. God Himself, through His Word, calls His church to a very specific purpose. Let us break this down:

We exist to glorify God…
 
God speaks of His sons and daughters from the ends of the earth as those “whom I created for My glory” (Isa 42:7; cf. Eph 1:11-12). This gives very specific meaning to the command “do all to the glory of God” (I Cor 10:31). The very purpose of our existence, whether we are eating or drinking or playing or working, is to bring God glory.

This eternal, universal purpose of man can be further focused by asking the question, “What is the purpose of man’s existence on earth?”. By adding the phrase “on earth” the focus shifts to our primary purpose in this life (as opposed to our primary purpose in eternity).

by pointing the affections…

  Our purpose in this life is undoing the effects of the Fall on our affections to make Jesus Christ the most desirable thing in the universe (Mt 10:39; 13:44). God designed men with desires. We don’t want to be indifferent, unaffected spectators. We either like or dislike, we are pleased or displeased, we approve or reject. These inclinations and the subsequent emotions associated with the pursuit of what we desire are known as our affections.The goal then of all our living should be to have all men’s affections wrapped up in Jesus Christ. This is true for both believers and unbelievers. As the affections of believers are untangled from self and the world, they begin to hate sin and pursue righteousness with heart motivated zeal (sanctification). Unbelievers do not desire Christ in the least, and yet, Christ is the cure to their terminal sickness. As their affections turn to Christ and they begin to love Him, they surrender to the only One who can save them from their sin (justification). So, by pointing the affections of all believers to Christ and by pointing the affections of unbelievers to Christ we are bringing glory to God. Those whose affections are given to God love God and those who love God are recipients of His blessings (John 14:21; I Cor 2:9; James 2:5; I Peter 1:8).

of all peoples…  

These three words capture God’s heart for the world. They help us see the scope of His redemptive plan. The term “peoples” might sound strange to us but it has been used by many to avoid what is meant by the English word “nations”. The word nation in English is a reference to geopolitical groups of people, but, the Greek word ethnos and the Hebrew word goy have a very different, much more specific meaning. We get the English word ethnic from ethnos. Ethnic groups are defined by language, culture, and geopolitical location (not political boundaries). So, when the term nation is used in the Bible it means different ethnic groups. This becomes very significant as we view the command to the great commission to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). God’s global purpose then, is to glorify Himself among all the ethnic groups of the world. History culminates with a global representation of people who worship God (whose affections are given to Jesus Chris). In fact, God makes it very clear that Christ “purchased for God with [His] blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev 5;9; c.f. Rev 7:9; 14:6).

to the satisfying person of Jesus Christ.  

God gets glory when the affections of all peoples find their satisfaction in Christ and in nothing else. The heart, filled to the brim with love for God, is like a man who has eaten to his satisfaction and who can then look calmly on the anger of starving men who fight over garbage scraps. The world has much to offer, but nothing in comparison to what Christ in Himself offers to the world. God created us with needs and every one of those needs was designed to be filled by Him. However, universally, people have sought in vain to fill those needs with God substitutes. But this failure is designed by God to show mankind that they are seeking happiness in the wrong place. God has commissioned us to point searching people to the true source, the all satisfying source of satisfaction, Jesus Christ. He is the perfect satisfaction to every thirst of the soul.