Missions Blog for Churches

Join MTW Team Ecuador in Quito and Guayaquil for a long weekend of learning and experiencing the church planting work in Ecuador.

This trip is for lay missions leaders, session members, and other involved in missions, and will help those already interested in Ecuador to deepen their understanding and consider how their congregation may become more strategically involved in God’s work there. Members and potential members of the Ecuador partnership are highly encouraged to participate.

Participants would ideally travel to Quito on Thursday, November 6 and depart either late on the 10th or on the 11th.

The cost of the trip is $570 (plus airfare to/from Quito). This will include food, lodging, in-country transportation (including round-trip airfare to Guayaquil), insurance (required), and entry/exit taxes.

Click here for a complete brochure on the trip. (.pdf)

Contact Seth Wallace for more information at (678) 823-0004 x2145 or by email.

Come see the work of one of our new fields. Spend October 4-7, 2008 in Greece with MTW and national leadership to learn more about what is in store for the ministry there. This trip is primarily for those interested in serving through MTW in Greece and/or developing a team there. If you are interested in learning more, contact Opal Hardgrove by email or by phone at 678-823-0004 ext. 2302.

A MAJOR TREND IN MISSIONS
One of the most significant trends in missions today is the increasing number of churches that are focusing their ministry participation. The reasons for this direction include the following motivations:

• Desire for greater long-term impact in missions
• Desire to identify God’s unique calling for their church in missions
• Commitment to greater coherence and alignment in ministry involvement
• Interest in supporting fewer missionaries with more funds
• Desire for deeper relationships with the field
• Interest in collaboration with other sending churches

THE NEED FOR FOCUS
Developing a missions ministry is a bit like digging a well. To reach water, one must dig a well with the proper dimensions: it must be deeper than it is wide. Not only will such a well more likely reach water, the water will be fresh and plentiful.

Many churches are discovering that to have a lasting impact in missions, their missions ministry must have the right dimensions. It must be deep: the investment of prayers, energy, and finances should be significant. And while they may support people all over the world, their primary emphasis must not be too wide, perhaps focusing on one or two areas of commitment. No matter what size, all churches would do well to identify as precisely as possible the Lord’s missions direction for their congregation.

Through prayer and study, the following issues can help churches develop the right dimensions for going deep in their missions ministry:

Existing relationships
Does your church currently support a missionary? Is a church member serving as a missionary? Do you have other connections to an ongoing ministry? If so, you may want to deepen an existing relationship rather than start a new one.

Church members’ vision
Are there members or leaders of your church who have experience and/or a desire to work with a particular people group or area of the world? Have members of your church participated in short-term projects that have given them a heart for a certain group of people? God very often uses the vision of a few people to lead an entire church in the same direction.

Unique Connections
Does your church have a unique relationship to a region? Perhaps people from a particular country live near your church, and members have developed an interest in working with them locally and overseas. Or perhaps the nationality of a church member could serve as a
natural bridge to a part of the world.

Church relationship
Do you have a close relationship with another church that is already working with a particular people group? Developing a partnership for ministry may be a natural and effective way to go forward.

Ministry emphasis
Do you desire to participate with a particular type of ministry? Or do members of your church have certain skills or occupations that could be used most effectively in a specific field?

Some churches have developed a small committee to explore these and other issues in order to bring a recommendation to church leaders. Selecting a missions focus is no small task and one that must be supported by much prayer, study, and time. This investment on the front end will help determine God’s leading for a significant long-term commitment.

PARTNERSHIPS: A NEW MODEL FOR MISSIONS
Once an emphasis is determined, your church may want to explore joining others who share your commitment. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says a “cord of three strands is not easily broken.” Historically, the three strands of missions ministry have been churches, agencies, and field workers—though each has had to work fairly independently. Today, however, advancements in communications and transportation have appropriately given churches a desire for more direct involvement in field ministry. Mission to the World affirms this development, and is committed to facilitating churches in deeper connection to the field. Effective field ministry requires that this connection be coordinated, so that churches, MTW, and the field are working closely together and in a common direction. In order to accomplish this, Mission to the World is establishing partnerships for the development and support of ministry teams all over the world. The partnership would work closely with the field team to devise a common strategy for such responsibilities as:

• promoting the ministry in the U.S.
• recruiting and assessing short- and long-term personnel
• praying for the work and workers
• providing pastoral care
• determining what resources are needed in the field and working to provide them
• advocating for the persecuted Church
• providing financial support to a team ministry account
• helping connect field work with related people groups in the U.S.

This article is available in .pdf format for easier reading and printing by clicking here.

I met yesterday with a missions committee chairman from a PCA church that is probably average in size, maybe a little larger. It is by no means a mega church. Yet, when I asked about the missions vision for their body, I thought his response was a mega vision. Some time back they began praying that God would raise up from among their midst, at least one person each year who would go to the mission field. This is not for a 2-week trip, but actually pick up and move, raise support, go through assessment, the whole nine yards. As a result, they have seen a greater than average number of people go out from among them. In fact, the person who originally challenged them to begin praying like this is now a long term missionary with MTW.

And so I think this is worthwhile for leaders to ponder. How would God lead you to begin praying? What would happen if you consistently petitioned God to work in this way among your church? The fields are white unto harvest.

by, Rev. Scott Seaton

• “Our missions ministry is a mile wide and an inch deep.”
• “There’s little or no coherence to our support decisions.”
• “We don’t feel we’re making a lasting impact.”

These descriptions are actual comments from church leaders. Perhaps some of them describe your missions ministry. How did we get here? In many churches, members who long to see the gospel spread throughout the world form or join the missions committee. Perhaps they have missions experience themselves or know people who have served cross-culturally. Serving on the missions team seems like a good way to participate in the Great Commission. But once on the team, they find themselves bombarded with support requests for a seemingly infinite variety of ministries. Each proposal is appealing in its own way. To respond to the numerous requests, the team listens to each presentation and looks at their limited budget. With nothing to guide them other than the winsomeness of the missionary, the appeal of the proposal, and the availability of funds, the missions team allocates support to some missionaries and pass others by. As one PCA pastor frankly admitted, “Our support goes to good missionaries who give a good presentation on a good day for the church.”

The Priority in Missions
It’s clear in these cases that the missions ministry lacks a unifying purpose to guide its decisions. With no established priorities, every ministry opportunity has equal value and importance. To bring clarity, the church must actively determine priorities rather than passively respond to requests. What, then, is the most biblical and effective approach to spreading the gospel? Throughout the history of Christendom, theologians have answered that question with striking clarity: the primary instrument ordained by God to extend His
kingdom is the Church.

Cyprian: “You cannot have God for your Father unless you have the church for your Mother.”
Augustine: “Without [the church] there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Calvin: “God’s fatherly favor and the especial witness of spiritual life are limited to his flock, so that it is always disastrous to leave the church.”
Westminster Confession of Faith (25:2): “out of [the church] there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.”

To modern ears, these words may appear to be antiquated commitments to institutional religion or a restrictive emphasis on one of many ministry options. A closer look at Scripture, however, reveals God’s affectionate commitment to the priority of the Church. Many passages speak of the centrality of the Church, but perhaps none so clearly as the 16th chapter of the gospel of Matthew. Jesus and his disciples are in Caesarea Philippi, a site for worship of the Greek god Pan. Against this backdrop, where people came to proclaim the deity of Pan, Jesus put forward two questions. The first question was a safe one. The second, far more penetrating:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.”

Christians have debated whether the rock Jesus refers to is the foundation of the apostles, the confession of believers, or Christ himself—or all three. But among the riches of this passage, Christ teaches many things about His mission in the key passage, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it:

1. First, Christ is the one who is building, not us.
2. He is building the church, not a Christian organization or individual converts.
3. It is His church, not ours.
4. It is a prevailing church.
5. The church is on the offensive, such that the gates of hell cannot withstand the blows of the church.

An Organic Community
The Bible describes the church as the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the people, family and flock of God. Even God’s temple is described as made of living stones. Each of these images is organic and connected, emphasizing the living, loving relationship we have with Christ and each other. We see the key place of the church in God’s plan when we read “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). It is the church that both experiences and expresses the life of Christ, with all the power of the resurrection working to grow this body.

Each of the biblical pictures of the Church has something in common: unity. There is both a unity with Christ and a unity with other members that is not simply a lofty, unattainable goal. Rather, unity speaks to the essence of what it means to be a Christian. By definition, to be a Christian means to live in community. The “communion of saints” is nothing less than a “union with” with the Lord and His people.

And when the world sees this unity that Christ prayed for, it will know that we are indeed His followers (John 13:35) and that the Father sent His Son (John 17:21). In other words, Christian unity has profound missional implications. In places where the gospel has yet to penetrate, genuine Christian community may be the most significant witness in that culture.

The Centrality of the Church
Indeed, Christ loves His church, and it is central in the mind and mission of our Savior. The establishment of the universal Church and the multiplication of local churches is how God will accomplish His purpose of bringing glory to Himself, by uniting all things under Christ. Put another way, it could be said that the church is God’s plan A; there is no plan B. He has always intended to create a people for His own possession (1 Peter 2:9). This has been God’s plan from all eternity, first expressed in the Garden of Eden, through the people of Israel, and into the New Testament church. From the opening pages of Scripture, we see that God had in mind more than the mere conversion of individuals. Rather, He intended that those who had been alienated from God and others would now be enfolded into a new community. And in that community, or church, Christ would dwell in fullness and give life to His new creation. Therefore, fulfillment of the Great
Commission must reflect God’s emphasis: the establishment of new churches committed to following Christ. The Westminster Confession is unambiguous about the centrality of the church:

The visible church, which is also catholic or universal under the gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, and of their children; and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation (WCF, chapter XXV).

If missions is about the expansion of God’s kingdom, then the priority of missions must be to establish churches where none exist (Romans 15:20). Because it is God’s plan that all peoples will worship Him (Revelation 7), the church must cross cultural barriers to establish communities of believers among every people group. Cross-cultural church planting, then, must be the biblical priority and unifying purpose for our missions ministries.

If cross-cultural church planting is the priority of missions, how do local missions leaders focus on the expansion of the Church? Three key questions will help.

1. Are we committed to the church planting as the primary means of extending God’s kingdom?
An honest and consistent answer to this question is absolutely essential, and it must be answered before further evaluation or planning. When challenged by the biblical priority of the Church, though, a typical response arises: if God has called the missionaries to a particular ministry, who are we to say otherwise? Some missions committees explicitly talk about their obligation to support whoever comes their way, should funds exist.

One way to respond is to compare a purpose for your ministry with the calling of a missionary. Most missions committees look for a strong sense of God’s leading to a particular people, location and strategy—and would be unenthusiastic about a missionary having no direction. Why should it be any different for a missions ministry? Further, establishing a priority does not de-legitimize God’s calling people in other ways. The Church of Jesus Christ has many parts and is far bigger than any one of us. But as you determine what part God has for your missions ministry, consider the following:

• Church planting is the primary means of extending the Church.
• Church planting is both a biblical imperative and example.
• Church planting is the most effective means of evangelism.
• New believers need a community to belong to, for care and support.
• New churches are the best way to reach new people groups.
• New churches help to renew existing churches.

2. Do the ministries we support have a biblical view of the local church?
Many ministries talk about their emphasis on church planting; in fact, it’s almost in vogue now. But experience shows that they mean many different things. The term church has been used to describe all of the following:

• Any gathering of believers, no matter how briefly they meet
• A missionary praying with non-Christians
• Bible studies that meet for a few weeks
• A fellowship that includes worship and teaching, yet targets only students
• An individual believer who listens to a Christian radio broadcast

All of these could be valid and fruitful ministries, but it is questionable whether they are what the Bible means by a church. In God’s wisdom, the Bible does not specify the exact forms of a church, as we would likely focus on the institutional structure rather than the organic nature of His body. To make it more confusing, the common elements of a church— worship, teaching, evangelism, discipleship, service, fellowship, the sacraments, etc.—are found in a variety of ministries. So when is a church a church? It’s
not always easy to discern, but in addition to the elements of the church just mentioned, here are a few critical questions to ask the missionaries or agency:

1. Do the church members have an ongoing commitment to each other?
   Sometimes we hear of incredible numbers of churches planted in an area. This is cause for rejoicing! But it is also cause for discernment. A church is more than an event or a short-term gathering of believers. It is a community of people living out their Christian lives together. Find out how many of the churches started in the last year or two still exist. How healthy are they? And most importantly, how will you know?
2. Does the church have recognized leadership?
   The Scriptures call for believers to submit to their church leaders and look to them for pastoral care (Hebrews 13:17; James 5:14; Matthew 18:17). Thus, it must be clear to the members who these leaders are and how they are to relate to them.
3. Does the church have recognized membership?
   Church elders are exhorted in the Scriptures to shepherd the people God has put under their care (1 Peter 5:1-3; Acts 20:28). In order to do so, the leaders must have some way to know who their flock is. Without adopting Western forms, churches should have a culturally appropriate means of determining their membership. Belonging to this new community will help foster committed relationships.

Mission to the World affirms that local expressions of the church will take on a variety of forms appropriate to their context. Thus, a simple definition or description of a local church will always elude us. However, we also recognize that certain principles transcend all contexts. Further, planning for our missionaries and accountability to our supporters require that we have some mutually agreeable understanding of what we mean by ‘local church.’ Thus, MTW has adopted the following definition of a church-planting project:

Church-planting projects must have at least 10 non-missionary adults gathering regularly for worship and an identified church planter who is committed to seeing a self-supporting, self-governing, self-propagating church established.

3. How directly do the ministries we support grow the church?
Establishing the church involves many elements, such as training, evangelism, Bible translation and mercy ministry. When these facets occur apart from the ministry of the church, individual lives may be deeply touched, but the church may only be indirectly built up—if at all. That’s not to say such expressions are wrong. However, the more such ministries are connected to the church, the more effectively they contribute to the ultimate goal of missions: bringing people into a lasting Christian community where they can serve
and grow.

The missionaries and ministries you support should be able to demonstrate how directly they are connected to church planting. Is ministry an integral expression of a local body, or is the local church essentially unnecessary? Will people in the community become connected to the church, to a separate ministry, or nothing at all? Is the real goal the perpetuation of an outside ministry or the establishment of the local church?

Insight and experience will help missions leaders navigate the waters of cross-cultural church planting. But establishing and following biblical priorities is well worth it. As your church becomes more focused on church planting, your missions ministry will develop a clear and cohesive purpose resulting in a lasting impact for God’s kingdom. And that will truly be a good day for the church.

Rev. Scott Seaton is MTW’s former International Director of Enterprise for Christian-Muslim Relations. He has also helped MTW to resource and equip church missions ministries and is now a church planter with the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) at Emmanuel Presbyterian in Arlington, Virginia.

This article is available in PDF format for easier reading and printing by clicking here.