Nowhere in church life are we more tempted to defer to the “experts” than in global missions.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the theological, sociological, and cultural complexities, especially since most church leaders aren’t directly engaged in cross-cultural work.
But this mindset is a mistake. Missions isn’t just the responsibility of specialists—it’s a calling for the entire church, starting with our local congregations.
For churches seeking to improve their missional output, it may be sensible to start with practical considerations—how many missionaries are we supporting? How many short-term trips have we planned? How many individuals or families have been trained and sent out from our body directly?
These questions are important, but they’re not the heart of the issue. The problem isn’t merely one of measurable outputs but of mindset. Vexing ourselves with the programmatic element of local church missions too often ignores the fundamental reason why many of our churches fail to develop a culture of kingdom-advancing mission.
The answer to that underlying concern is radically simple—and it’s illustrated by a friend of mine. Let’s call him Alan.
Driven by Doctrine, Working With the Word
Alan was a successful auto executive, living comfortably. But after discovering the biblical doctrines of grace—the biblical teaching that salvation is entirely God’s work—he became convinced that if he had been chosen by God’s grace, he had no choice but to live his life so that others could experience the same. Recognizing their lives were not their own, he and his wife left their comfortable home, moved to a predominantly Muslim country, and devoted themselves to evangelism and church planting.
Once there, Alan began ministering among the locals as a zealous personal evangelist. Soon, he had worked with other local Christians to gather a church, consisting largely of Muslim-background believers, and began to disciple an Arab believer serving in the pastoral role. Alan used a 17th-century Baptist theological document, now translated into Arabic, to guide their discussions. While doing so, the pastor began to show emotion—first expressing exuberance over the beauty and simplicity of the confessional statement, and secondly questioning why none of the other missionaries he had worked with previously had shown him such elegant, simple, and biblical theology.
For Alan, the compelling nature of the grace of God as it is revealed in Scripture was the sufficient driving force to initially launch him into ministry and to guide his evangelistic and discipling efforts once there. His simple reliance upon God’s working through his Word bears significance for us, whether we find ourselves at home or serving abroad among the nations.
Addressing Our Problem
The problem we face with missions in our churches today is twofold; we have a going problem and a sending problem. The going problem is that of apathy. Many of us, to borrow a phrase from Sinclair Ferguson, are committed to the doctrines of grace without being committed to the grace in those doctrines. The astounding reality that God saves sinners through his sovereign mercy should produce an unsettling awareness in us that we are not our own but were bought at a price. Yet too often, we stare only briefly into Scripture’s teaching on these points and, like the man who looks into the mirror but forgets his appearance (James 1:24), fail to grapple with the life-altering implications of sovereign grace.
The second issue, our sending problem, is that of pragmatism. We may be sending missionaries, but are we sending them well? Too often, churches are willing to send under-qualified or even unqualified, ill-equipped workers—or send them with a focus on producing ministry outcome quantity over quality. Just as, in the West, seeker-driven, attractional church growth methodologies have tempted church leaders to place expediency above faithfulness to Scripture, so too cross-cultural workers are tempted to embrace hyper-contextualized methods—from Insider Movements to unscrupulous disciple-multiplying techniques—in the name of global impact.
Our problem on both fronts is neglect of God’s ordinary means of gracious, kingdom advance: his work through his Word.
Scripture Is Sufficient for Defining Missions
The good news is that we don’t need to invent the next ingenious strategy. Our issue in missions is not merely one of application of technique. Scripture itself is sufficient to both define the missionary task and drive our efforts to disciple the nations.
Let’s start with defining the task. Matthew 28:18-20 prescribes the essential missionary enterprise of making disciples, teaching, and baptizing—all of which necessarily exist in the context of planting and strengthening local churches. Further, the book of Acts provides a model of how the apostles sought to obey Christ’s command. In Acts 14:21-23, we see a clear pattern: Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel, made disciples, strengthened the souls of believers, and appointed elders in every church. They didn’t just stop there—they returned to the local church that had sent them, reporting back on their work.
This model is sustainable and “ordinary”—not innovative or radical, but faithful to Scripture. And it’s something that every local church, no matter its size or location, can devote itself to in some capacity.
The Bible Is Sufficient for Driving Missions
Not only does Scripture define the missionary task, but it also drives it. Jesus’ instruction in the Great Commission clearly communicates that all believers are to be involved in his mission of making disciples. He designated the church as the means for sending out some as gospel workers to carry his message to the ends of the earth. Missions, therefore, is not a separate program to be tacked onto church life—it’s the overflow of normal church ministry. In Acts 13, we see that it was while the leaders of the church in Antioch were worshiping and fasting that the Holy Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas for missions work. They were sent by the local church, commissioned for the work God had prepared for them.
We’ve often heard John Piper’s notable saying, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” But here’s the flip side: missions exists because worship does. When the church is worshiping God rightly, the overflow of that worship is the sending of missionaries.
In following this biblical example, church leaders should regularly pause and evaluate the extent to which they are faithfully upholding Christ’s mission. The following questions can guide the discussion:
- Is your church’s mission work the overflow of your ordinary ministry?
- Is evangelism a regular part of your congregation’s life?
- Are your finances structured in a way that prioritizes sending missionaries?
- Are you ready to send your best people to the mission field, even if it means losing top talent from your church?
Practical Steps for Churches to Send Missionaries Well
If you feel like your church isn’t ready to send missionaries, don’t be discouraged. You can take steps today to begin the process of becoming a sending church.
First, devote your congregation to worship and prayer. Remember that missions begins when leaders prayerfully identify and commission individuals within the congregation. The Holy Spirit speaks through the church, not just through individual “callings.” Consider: Who in your church could be sent? Where are the unreached people groups that your church could impact? What connections has God sovereignly given to your congregation?
Second, consider how your church can effectively equip those you identify for the work of the ministry. What are their giftings and skills, and how can you foster their development for cross-cultural ministry?
At ABWE, we’re here to help churches like yours take those first steps. Our EveryEthne ministry exists to mobilize local churches for mission, and we offer multiple ways to get involved, from survey trips to our 24-Hour Demo. You may already have someone in your congregation ready to go—or maybe your church is ready to take the next step toward sending.
Let’s recover a biblical approach to missions—an approach that begins with worship, is driven by the Word of God, and flows through the local church.
For more resources on becoming a sending church or to learn more about how your church can engage in global missions, visit ABWE’s Sending Resources.
