Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global (9marks: Building Healthy Churches)

by Andy Johnson

But it is the stewardship of the gospel that remains utterly unique to the Christian church. We must keep first things first. That is the priority of Christian missions.

Of course, at the end of the day we don’t prioritize eternal matters in our churches because of history or social science. We do it for love of neighbor. If we are convinced that eternal suffering in hell is the most pernicious of all human suffering, what else would we prioritize? Even more, we prioritize eternal matters for love of God. We want our churches to fulfill the God-glorifying purpose for which he specially entrusted them with the gospel in the first place.

To whom did Christ give his Great Commission in Matthew 28?

But in another sense it was given primarily to local churches.

He has determined to act through history “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10).

The mission of missions is primarily spiritual. The mission belongs to God, for his glory, on his terms. God gave the mission to the local church. And the Bible tells us all we must

know to faithfully fulfill God’s mission.

We give our time to world maps, demographics, and stories of missionary sacrifice. Or we contemplate the neediness of the lost, which is useful, but not as a point of initial departure. The heart for God-glorifying missions starts with joy in the gospel.

We should reflect on it and measure everything in our lives in light of its truth and worth.

For this book, though, I intend to stick

to the traditional and historic use of “missions,” meaning the unique, deliberate gospel mission of the church to make disciples of all the nations.

So again, I’ll stick with the historic, traditional understanding of a missionary as someone identified and sent out by local churches to make the gospel known and to gather, serve, and strengthen local churches across ethnic, linguistic, or geographic divides.

Scripture is clear that a desire to support the spread of the gospel to those who have not heard is a normal part of basic Christian health.

Too often, I fear, church leaders encourage missionary zeal in people with questionable qualifications and then leave it to the “professionals” at a sending agency to have the hard conversations.

Planting biblical churches cross-culturally requires a deep, clear-headed, and biblical understanding of what a church is and does.

Strangely, Christians sometimes have pietistic notions of “faith ministry” that push against the Bible at this point.

But whether sending missionaries directly or through an agency, the local church should retain responsibility for the welfare of those sent.

Too many churches view the breadth of their missions commitments, rather than the depth, as the measure of their love for the nations.

First, we focused on work that aimed to plant and/or strengthen local churches. Second, we focused on work being done well theologically and methodologically. Third, we focused on work and workers with whom we could have significant relationships.

It means that we should prioritize efforts that center on the local church, either through church planting or church strengthening.

Understanding both the urgency of the task—“How will they hear unless someone is sent?”—and the greatness and worthiness of God will fuel a passion that touches a whole congregation.

May God give us boldness, wisdom, and creativity to think of ways to respond to his kindness, so that through us and our churches, even the distant islands can sing for joy (Isaiah 42).

The best way to change how a church does missions is not by decree but by teaching.

We should have confidence because we know the mission will not fail. We may fail in our faithfulness, but God will not fail in his mission.