A Message of Mission and Ministry of the Sacramental Community of the Coworkers of Christ
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
The following text serves as a theological and pastoral commentary on the five foundational points that comprise Article II – The Mission Statement of the Sacramental Community of the Coworkers of Christ. Each point expresses a dimension of the Coworkers’ shared vocation to live as participants in the redemptive work of Christ through sacramental life, prayer, community, and service. Together, they form the living heartbeat of our common calling, a spiritual charter guiding the community’s witness in the world and shaping the rhythm of our New Monastic expression within the broader Independent Sacramental Movement.
- To be and make coworkers of Jesus Christ within an authentic sacramental community for the blessing of the world.
The heart of our mission begins with a simple but profound vocation: to be coworkers with Christ. This call echoes the Apostle Paul’s reminder that “we are God’s coworkers” (1 Corinthians 3:9), invited to share in the redemptive labor of God for the healing of creation. To be a coworker of Christ is to live a life consciously aligned with the Divine purpose, to act not merely as recipients of grace but as participants in its unfolding. Within this sacred partnership, we are called to embody Christ’s compassion, humility, and presence in the world, that our individual lives and our collective witness may become conduits of blessing to others.
Our sacramental community exists as a visible and spiritual sign of this cooperation. It is within the rhythm of prayer, Eucharist, and mutual care that the Coworkers of Christ find their identity and mission. The sacraments are not merely rites but the living language through which grace continually flows into human life. Thus, we seek to be not only a people of worship but also a people of service, whose fellowship and faith bear tangible fruits of reconciliation, healing, and justice. The blessing we offer the world is not of our own making, but the overflowing abundance of the One who calls us to work alongside Him.
- To bind together communities for the purpose of sharing in the sacramental worship of God within the historic Christian tradition, and to make God’s love known in the lives of all people, individually and collectively, as set forth in the Gospel.
The Sacramental Community of the Coworkers of Christ embraces its role as a bridge-builder within the wider body of Christ. We seek to bind together local communities, missions, and monastic expressions under a shared rhythm of sacramental life rooted in the historic Christian tradition. In doing so, we affirm our continuity with the ancient faith of the Church, its liturgies, sacraments, and sacred rhythms, while living these realities in a context that is both accessible and transformative for our time. Unity in sacramental worship becomes the foundation for diversity in local expression, where each community manifests the same faith through unique cultural, pastoral, and spiritual lenses.
Through this shared sacramental life, we aim to make the love of God known in the lives of all people. The Gospel is not a private possession but a living proclamation of divine love at work in the world. Whether expressed through public worship, acts of mercy, or personal spiritual care, the Coworkers of Christ bear witness that God’s grace is universal, reconciling, and redemptive. The community therefore exists not only for its members but as a sign and instrument of God’s reconciling presence among all people, calling each heart, home, and community into the embrace of divine love.
- To offer instruction in theology, prayer, in the ancient practice of the Cure of the Soul, and for the furtherance of the teachings of the Christian faith.
A central part of our vocation as Coworkers of Christ is to engage the sacred work of formation, both intellectual and spiritual. Instruction in theology and prayer is not merely academic or devotional, but integrative, uniting faith and practice, knowledge and experience, word and sacrament. We affirm that theology is not reserved for scholars alone but belongs to all who seek understanding of the faith they live. Within our community, we endeavor to cultivate a theology that is both rooted in the ancient tradition and responsive to the contemporary world, a theology that breathes with the Spirit and illumines the heart as well as the mind. Theology of the heart is theology of the mind.
The ancient practice of the Cure of the Soul, the art of spiritual care and guidance, stands as a vital expression of our mission. This sacred ministry attends to the whole person, addressing wounds of spirit, confusion of conscience, and the longings of the heart with compassion and discernment. Through prayer, pastoral conversation, and the sacramental life, we participate in Christ’s ongoing healing of humanity. The Coworkers of Christ thus serve as both students and healers in this holy work, striving to further the teachings of the Christian faith not by mere instruction, but by living examples of mercy, understanding, and sanctified presence.
- To instruct, nurture, and encourage those who offer themselves to this new monastic calling and to the teaching, prayer, practices, and generous orthodoxy as accepted by this community.
The call to the new monastic life within the Coworkers of Christ is a response to a deep spiritual hunger of our age, the longing for authentic community, disciplined prayer, and holy service in a fragmented world. Those who offer themselves to this calling undertake a journey of formation that unites ancient wisdom with contemporary expression. They are nurtured in the ways of silence and service, stability and simplicity, prayer and labor, that they might embody the Gospel within the ordinary fabric of daily life. The community’s task is to accompany, guide, and sustain them, ensuring that each one finds the spiritual resources and fellowship needed to persevere in this holy vocation.
Our commitment to generous orthodoxy reflects our theological posture: rooted in the essentials of the Christian faith, yet open to the movements of the Spirit that renew and enliven the Church in every generation. This balance of tradition and openness allows the Coworkers of Christ to form disciples who are grounded yet adaptable, contemplative yet active, faithful yet free. We instruct not through rigid conformity, but through shared practice and the gentle mentoring that allows each soul to grow into its unique expression of divine calling. In this, the new monastic vision becomes not a retreat from the world, but a redemptive engagement with it.
- To do all things that are compatible with the work of Christ to help usher in the Commonwealth of God on earth, as it is in heaven.
All our endeavors as Coworkers of Christ ultimately point toward one holy aim: to cooperate with God in the unfolding of the Commonwealth of God, that divine order of love, justice, and peace that Christ proclaimed and embodied. This Commonwealth is not a utopian dream deferred to the afterlife, but a reality breaking into the present through the lives of those who live in Christ. Every act of mercy, every moment of forgiveness, every celebration of the Eucharist becomes a seed of that Kingdom sown into the soil of the world. Our mission, therefore, extends beyond ecclesiastical boundaries to the transformation of society itself, where dignity, compassion, and truth become the measure of all things.
To do all that is compatible with the work of Christ requires continual discernment, courage, and humility. It means aligning our collective energy, resources, and vision with the way of Jesus, who healed, reconciled, and served without reserve. Whether through prayerful advocacy, acts of justice, or the simple witness of lives lived in love, the Coworkers of Christ seek to reveal the pattern of heaven within the fabric of earth. In doing so, we labor not for our own success or recognition, but that God’s reign of peace and righteousness might be made manifest among us, and through us, for the life of the world.
In closing, may this commentary serve as both mirror and map for all who walk the path of the Coworkers of Christ. It reflects the heart of our vocation, to labor with Christ for the blessing of the world and it guides us toward ever-deeper communion with God and one another. As we live these five points with humility and courage, may the Spirit continually renew our hearts, sanctify our work, and make our common life a living testimony to the love that reconciles all things in Christ. And may every prayer, act of service, and shared moment of grace help to usher in the radiant peace of the Commonwealth of God, on earth as it is in heaven.